This Is Toyota's Vision of Micromobility—Check out the Top Speed

Yahoo

01-04-2025

Toyota's FT-Me concept previews a two-seat EV meant for dense urban environments filled with scooters and bicycles.
The concept is aimed at those who could be scooter license holders, and is classified as a low-speed four-wheeler rather than a car.
Several automakers are branching out into the field of micromobility, though large-scale business successes in this field remain relatively rare.
The first half of the decade may have been all about large and lavish EVs, as several automakers introduced money-no-object electric SUVs and trucks while engaging in an arms race when it comes to battery range.
But despite the tide of pricey electric SUVs still coming in, the second half of the decade could yet strike a more austere, spartan tone as EV makers cater to those who've largely ignored the extravagant and exaggerated EVs of the present day.
The Toyota FT-Me concept, revealed a short time ago in Belgium, previews the automaker's plans when it comes to micromobility offerings in the coming years. And it's not even technically a car.
The two-seater is just two and a half yards in length, fitting into the L6 class in Europe that opens it up to those who might not be old enough to have a driver's license, but have one for a scooter. The FT-Me, therefore, resides in a category of low-speed four-wheelers that can mix with city traffic and enter zones where bicycles and scooters are welcome but cars are not.
"The FT-Me concept embraces Toyota's 'Mobility for All' philosophy, embracing both younger drivers as well as those wanting to downsize in the changing urban landscape," the automaker explains.
That top speed is just 28 mph, which certainly limits the variety of roads one might be able to use even in a stereotypical, bike-centric city in Holland.
What's more, the FT-Me doesn't even have pedals, relying on hand controls that could also make it easy to use for wheelchair users. But its primary goal is to offer an alternative to cars and smaller modes of transport in dense urban areas.
"As cities continue to evolve, the FT-Me provides a versatile, sustainable, and stylish solution, and another step towards creating an all-inclusive mobility ecosystem for people, goods, and services," Toyota says.
At this point, the FT-Me's advantages over a gas-powered scooter or a bicycle for that matter might not seem all that grand once real-world pricing and parking space requirements enter the picture.
A range of 62 miles, however, opens up some real commuter possibilities that would otherwise require a larger scooter or a motorcycle, if not a car. And the concept's solar roof, when the sky is cooperating, could give the battery an extra 19 miles of range per day, though perhaps that's a tall order in the low countries.
Micromobility, especially in its caricature form, might still seem like a remnant of early-aughts futurism, or a year 2000 picture of the year 2025 when everyone was supposed to commute in some kind of tiny solar-powered hatchback with the weight of a Vespa. In the 1980s, the Sinclair C5 imagined something very similar, though on an even scarier scale.
Where this utopian vision of micromobility merges with the present reality is Citroën Ami, which we suspect is the real reason Toyota is motivated to pursue this direction at all.
The French microhatch, resembling a vehicle from a Richard Scarry book, is a very real example of a vehicle in this segment. And it is a sales success in its own category, having awoken Europe's industry to vehicles that aren't really cars, even when compared to the highway-capable Smart ForTwo, but are certainly more than motorcycles.
BMW's line of small electric motorcycles and cyberpunk-styled CE 04 scooters is another example of the greater micromobility universe.
We are not holding our breath to see a Toyota EV like this in the US anytime soon, with Costco runs dictating interior space for the foreseeable future. But we wouldn't be surprised to see vehicles like it in many European cities by the end of the decade.
Will small urban EVs like this ever make sense in the US, or are these purely for dense cities overseas? Let us know what you think in the comments below.