2010 Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid concept, photo courtesy Toyota
It's official. The best-selling Toyota Prius hybrid is getting a plug-in sibling. The 2010 Prius Plug-in Hybrid debuts at the upcoming Frankfurt Auto Show.
Right now it is being called a concept, which means Toyota may or may not actually put it into production. But the most likely scenario is that it will be produced, with some additional tweaking by Toyota engineers.
Toyota will build 500 of these plug-in PHV hybrids, of which 150 will be for use in the United States, beginning later in 2009. But don't get your hopes up. The first customers will be fleets, most likely government and utility fleets, which will feed back real-world information to the Toyota engineers and marketing machine.
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As we know, the biggest problem with plug-in electric vehicles right now is where to plug them in to recharge them.
The plug-in Prius is packed with powerful Lithium-ion batteries. Toyota says that will allow for all-electric operation at higher speeds and longer distances than conventional hybrids, including the 'regular' 2010 Toyota Prius.. Toyota says that when fully charged, plug-in Prius hybrid can drive up to 12 miles and at highway speeds on electric-only mode. For longer distances, the plug-in Prius PHV concept reverts to "hybrid mode" and operates like a regular Prius.
So, we get the fuel efficiency and zero emissions of a pure electric car without the limited cruising range encountered with pure electric vehicles. Sounds like a win-win to me.
Remember, I'm attending the Frankfurt Auto Show next week, and reporting on all the new toys.
Follow me on Twitter @evelynkanter
Comments
It is not a win-win, as you say, because you are going to have to pay for the electricity when you plug in these vehicles. Currently, we get our electricity from the burning of fossil fuels, so we will be burning more at the electric company, instead of in the vehicles. How is that a win-win? All it is, is a switch from one extreme to another.
I think it depends on your source of energy,
all of Nevada gets theirs from Hoover Dam, and thats some dam clean electricity, albeit at the expense of the eyesore, and the ecological damage caused by the dam. other locations are moving to wind energy, or geothermal.
in all those cases, where commuting to work is the main transport, no farther than 45 miles in each direction; electrics make alot of sense. everywhere else, and a hybrid would be better unless you need to haul a load or operate in extremem weather, in which case fuel vehicles are more sensible, provided they are more efficient. now a win win really, but a win for some locations with allready available clean energy. ultimately we have to ask ourselves where we get our energy, and how we wish to use it responsibly.
EPRI studied the issue and concluded PHEV adoption will lead to cleaner air.
45% of U.S. electric comes from coal
18% in California
17% in Washington state
California and Washington state have some of the highest concentrations of hybrid vehicles owned so it stands to reason those states will have high rates of PHEV and EV ownership early on.
EVs are 75% efficient. ICEs (Internal Combustion Engines) are only 20% efficient.
Bottomline: PHEVs will be much cleaner than ICEs in the early years, EVs cleaner still, and even as drivers in coal centric states buy PHEVs and EVs the air will still be cleaner.
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