Toyota preps plug-in Prius for mass production
First models to appear in 2011
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Leccy Tech Mass production of a plug-in Toyota Prius could start within two years, it’s been reported.
The first Toyota Prius PHEVs should appear in 2011
The first production Prius PHEV cars will appear in 2011, according to the Japanese newspaper Nikkei, with Toyota expecting to shift between 20,000 and 30,000 of the vehicles within the first 12 months.
To put this into context, Toyota's hybrid Prius sales for North America in 2008 came in at just under 160,000 units alone.
The main difference between the Prius PHEV and the standard model is a higher capacity lithium-ion unit, instead f the nickel-metal hydride battery. It is possible to recharge the PHEV from a wall plug.
A full charge will reportedly power the Prius PHEV for up to 30km (18 miles), without the help of the internal combustion engine.
That's assuming that the battery pack fitted into the production version is similar to that inside the 500 prototype vehicles which Toyota is currently running through trials in Japan, Europe and North America.
The Prius PHEV's electric-only range falls far short of the 40 miles that a Chevrolet Volt should be capable of travelling on from a full plug-in charge. So it is reasonable to assume that the final production version of Toyota’s motor will receive a range boost before sales start.
One thing we can be sure of is that Toyota will charge a premium for the new Prius PHEV. The car’s anticipated price in Japan is ¥4.5m (£29,200/$47,800/€34,200), more than twice the standard model’s 2m (£15,900/$26,000/€18,600).
COMMENTS
No sense of history
Any of you blokes carping about the bad value proposition familiar with the concept of "early adopters"? Do you recall what the first IBM PC/XT cost in Carter/Regan dollars? Go find an inflation calculator and tell me what that would be in today's dollars (after you pick your jaw up off the floor). New technology is always expensive until everyone is making it.
There is a statistically high probability that plug-in hybrids will be commonplace and unworthy of comment in less than ten years time.
Oh, yes... for all of you screaming "ONLY 18 MILES!!!" and suggesting putting a generator in the trunk, I consider this another damning indictment of the public (in the American vernacular) education system. Seems like we can either home-school 'em and leave them educated, but bereft of social skills or we can teach them all together in school so they're social animals that can't speak or read complete sentences...
Don't trust it...
In the current Prius, they say it can get 65pmg but in reality the most you'll ever get with driving like a granny is more like 55mpg. Put your foot down or do more than 70 on suitable roads and that drops quite quickly.
Horrible cars, really horrible ....
@FAIL
"Won't Toyota just admit that the petrol + leccy thing was a huge mistake and continues to be a monumental failure?"
Not while they can sell as many as they can build.....
Look at the prius etc. as the new Ferrari - a bit impractical, a bit "look at me" flash, lots of high-end tech that will filter down to us plebs eventually.
I investigated converting my MR2 to electric : it's all pretty straightforward, if you have $20k+ for batteries (down from $40k+ a year or two ago).
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