Toyota Plug-in Prius Coming in 2011
Japanese automaker Toyota will begin to sell a plug-in hybrid version of the Toyota Prius, the Prius PHV, in 2011. Toyota announced it will introduce about 150 vehicles in the United States to areas of California, Washington, D.C., Oregon, Pennsylvania and New York. About 350 of the plug-in Prius hybrids are being released in Japan and Europe this month. This is to test the waters and get real user feedback and expectations. The cars will be leased to governments and businesses in the beginning of 2010.
Amid growing environmental concerns to increase fuel efficiency, Toyota has created a Prius that is able to be plugged in and charged by using a regular household electrical outlet. The charged lighium-ion battery is able to power the car completely for about 14 miles. After this, a gasoline engine joins the battery in powering the car. This results in overall fuel economy reaching numbers as high as 134 miles per gallon.
Panasonic EV Evergy is supplying the batteries for the plug-in hybrid vehicle through the creation of a joint venture between Toyota and Panasonic, though Toyota may also use Sanyo Electric or other suppliers in the future. The lithium-ion battery in the Prius PHV allows the vehicle to use all-electric power at longer distances and at higher speeds than the current Prius battery.
A kit that can convert current Prius hybrids into the plug-in versions will be available for around $10,000. The price for a new Prius PHV should be affordable and less than the price of a current Prius plus the conversion kit. Toyota also hopes to sell several tens of thousands each year, globally.
The Prius PHV will not go as far as the Nissan Leaf on battery power alone, but can be run on the hybrid gasoline engine once the battery is worn down. The Prius PHV battery will also charge much more quickly than the current battery available in the Nissan LEAF, which is a completely electric vehicle. This combination may be more useful for consumers until charging stations are more readily available. Toyota believes that this combination will become the mainstream demanded by the market, especially since the new sticker price is lower than that of a completely electric vehicle.
Another big contender in the electric car race is the Chevrolet Volt. Chevrolet plans to build at least 60,000 Volts annually, beginning in November of 2010.