The idea: An entirely new parking service. Tokyo’s evolution has led to a number of small, unused spaces around town. We noticed this space, and talked to land owners about sharing it. Then we developed a new parking service network. However, it takes time to find these small spaces that aren’t on the map. To find them we recruited test pilots in Tokyo who know the city well. From our project website, we offered Tokyo residents the opportunity to test the prototype vehicle and parking network. The more they enjoyed zipping around town on the i-ROAD, the more positioning and parking data we accumulated, which led to the discovery of new spaces. The enjoyment of the i-ROAD provided our test pilots with the motivation to find numerous new spaces. We developed a system that led to more and more new spaces as the project moved forward. It’s not the first time driving data has been used as an expression method, but it is the first time driving data and residents have the freedom to build a service that solves a parking problem.

While developing the service, we realized finding the unused spaces was increasingly time consuming and expensive. However, by recruiting residents who know the area to help us expand the number of spaces, the entire project progressed rapidly. We used the test pilots as city driving sensors, so to speak, and because the i-ROAD is fun to drive they enjoyed helping us expand the the number of parking spots. As the ultra-compact i-ROAD drove around the city, drivers discovered many new small, unused spaces. Until now, privacy was always a concern with accumulating driving information, but this was different. The reason why they enjoyed driving around on the i-ROAD was because there were more places to park. It had become a more convenient mode of transportation. Landowners also benefit from possible additional income. This system is a win for everyone.

During the project, our test drivers discovered and evaluated over 1,500 small spaces. The data we collected not only contributed to the phenomenal growth of the number of spaces, it will also contribute to the evolution of the i-ROAD itself, as it analyzed driving patterns. In the beginning, the average driving distance for pilots was 58km, but when we introduced the parking service it expanded tenfold to 596km. By combining a product and service, we gave people free reign to go where they wanted, thus succeeding in gathering information and providing drivers with an enjoyable experience. After we introduced the service, 90% of the test drivers said they would consider purchasing the i-ROAD with the service. This worked as a marketing technique and TOYOTA is now considering it for the future launch of the i-ROAD. People in Tokyo spotted i-ROADs during the project, making the charming EV a popular topic of conversation. We posted a video of the i-ROAD in Tokyo, which was watched over 5.9 million times on YouTube. And, it resonated with other people in urban areas around the world who sympathized with the parking problem.

We created this new parking service by using the driving data and users’ motivation. Our idea was to transform small, unused spaces around the city into parking for the ultra-compact EV, TOYOTA i-ROAD. Finding these spots would take time, so we recruited interested residents to use the prototype and act as driving sensors. As drivers discovered new parking spots, the i-ROAD uploaded its driving and positioning data to a logger that built a network. As drivers enjoyed the vehicle, they became more motivated to find new parking. This project improved urban mobility and brought value to once wasted space.

We equipped the i-ROAD with a logger to collect driving and a GPS data. This logger connected to our server. The driving data includes acceleration, braking, speed, battery stats, the vehicle’s lean and etc. We created a system to see real-time driving data and positioning. Specifically, we focused on the ON/OFF signal for power. After determining that an off signal for more than 15 minutes was most likely parking time, we integrated parking and GPS data to find small spaces where we could park i-ROAD in Tokyo. Our recruited drivers were selected after applying on the website, and we were able to obtain different targets’ behavior patterns. i-ROAD is a rare type of mobility, and we recruited a lot of test drivers who we expect to be customers in the future.

As land values skyrocket, parking rates tend to hike. In Tokyo, parking in the center of the city can cost upward of 30 dollars per hour, and finding a parking place can be difficult. Moreover, strict parking laws make much roadside parking illegal. Between parking and traffic problems, more and more people are ditching the car. However, the ultra-compact EV, TOYOTA i-ROAD was born for the cramped streets and heavy traffic of the city. We expect it to solve gridlock traffic. In addition to being agile, its size opens new possibilities for parking. In the future, compact mobility will be necessary in all urban areas. Toyota Motors requested our cooperation with the i-ROAD development team.