parking bay

トヨタのi-Road（すごいネーミング！）がジュネーブモーターショウで発表されますが、紹介記事に昔、ヨーロッパで耳にした表現が出ていて懐かしくなりました。
bayは「 小さな湾、入り江」をはじめとしていろいろな意味を持つ単語です（イディオムも多数あります）。これにparkingがくっつくと「（車1台分の）駐車場所」の意味になります。アメリカではあまり考えられないことですが、ヨーロッパでは妙になじみのある単語です。（UG）

TOYOTA UNVEILES I-ROAD, A 2-SEAT ELECTRIC CAR

Toyota unveiled i-Road, a small two-seat prototype electric car designed for urban transport. The vehicle was unveiled before the Geneva motor show to be held between March 5 and March 17.

The 2.35-meter-long, 1.44-meter-high and 0.85-meter-wide Toyota i-Road runs on three wheels – two front tires and one rear wheel. It is half the size of Toyota’s Prius hybrid vehicle, so it may solve some of the traffic-related problems that are typical to big cities, such as lack of parking lots. Up to four i-Roads could be parked in a single car parking bay, according to the international press.

Although the car can be maneuvered like a motorcycle, it is equipped with a roof and doors so its users are shielded from rain and noise, and can enjoy music inside, according to Kyodo news agency.

The zero-emissions, all-electric powertrain uses a lithium-ion battery to power two 2kW motors mounted in the front wheels. The driving range is around 30 miles, after which the battery can be completely charged

in three hours by using any domestic power supply.

Toyota did not specify yet when the i-Road will reach production, neither mentioned its cost.

http://www.tokyotimes.com/2013/toyota-unveiles-i-road-a-2-seat-electric-prototype-car/