Toyota Unveils Plug-in Prius
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 07.25.07
Today Toyota joined almost every other major car company who had already unveiled plans for producing cars that run on energy supplied by the electric grid. Announcing the official plug-in Prius based on the most popular hybrid vehicle to date, Toyota said it would test the fuel-saving vehicle on public roads -- an industry first and as Collin notes the cause of much hubub in our Forums. While renegades such as Cal Cars have been retrofiting out-of-box Priuses with plug-in technology for some time and Google recently took up the PHEV cause using the Prius as a guinea pig, we have to say that while it's been fun, we heartily welcome Toyota finally hitching its official vision and guidance to this enterprise. However, the world's biggest automaker said the car, called the Toyota Plug-in HV, was not fit for commercialisation since it uses low-energy nickel-metal hydride batteries instead of lithium-ion batteries believed to be a better fit for rechargeable plug-in cars. More deets and a THTV webisode from the waining days of the renegade, DIY plug-in Prius when you Knievel the jump.
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) shift pollution from a tailpipe to a power-plant. Even charging off the national grid, which is about 50% coal, the renegade plug-in Prius is known to produce under half the net pollution. Electricity use was calculated to be under $1/gallon, with the expectation that as the grid gets cleaner, so do the emissions of the vehicles.
Today's Toyota Plug-in HV runs on the same nickel metal hydride battery as the Prius and has a cruising range of 8 miles on electricity. General Motors is the only company with a specific target date for a plug-in hybrid. It has set 2010 as a target for production of the Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in series hybrid. Toyota remains cautious about assigning a date for production of a plug-in Prius. From Reuters:
Unlike earlier gasoline-electric hybrids, which run on a parallel system twinning battery power and a combustion engine, plug-in cars are designed to enable short trips powered entirely by the electric motor, using a battery that can be charged through an electric socket at home.Many environmental advocates see them as the best available technology to reduce gasoline consumption and global-warming greenhouse gas emissions, but engineers say battery technology is still insufficient to store enough energy for long-distance travel.
"It's difficult to say when plug-in hybrids could be commercialised, since it would depend largely on advances in battery technology," said Executive Vice President Masatami Takimoto, in charge of Toyota's powertrain technology, told a news conference.
While you're waiting for the battery technology, THTV and CalCars show you how to get 100 miles per gallon from your current Prius just by making a few tweaks under the hood. :: Reuters :: Hybrid Cars
"It's difficult to say when plug-in hybrids could be commercialised, since it would depend largely on advances in battery technology."
In the meantime . . . why can't Toyota just make a plug-in option for the current Prius with the current nickel metal hydride batteries? I usually drive less than 8 miles a day, and when I drive more, the internal combustion engine would get me the rest of the way. Is there a technological reason why they can't do this, or is it just about making more money by waiting?
In principle, this seems good, especially if it can be hooked to solar chargers. But won't it create a huge new draw on the electric grid?
8 miles on electricity??? does anyone else view this as utterly pathetic... and talk about battery technology take a look at
http://www.altairnano.com/markets_amps.html http://www.a123systems.com
two companies proving that the battery technology is available... if only the major corporations would catch on.
LONG LIFE
FAST RECHARGE
MINIMAL DEGRADING
Electric cars would be great. Too bad you pretty much need a garage and a power outlet handy. A lot of city folks won't have an easy way of plugging in. Guess we'll have to start cracking open streetlights to plug in!
I was always wondering that. So, you have to have a garage to safely charge an electric car? One cannot run an extension cord out a window? I know that would not be a solution for a lot of city-goers who may be several floors up from their car but for those that can, could one charge from an extension cord? I wish there were more eco-solutions for renters.
Just as Executive Vice President Masatami Takimotoit say,"commercialisation of electric car would depend largely on advances in battery technology,"although electric car would be great,we have to solve the problem of the battery technology.I think maybe the company should put large amount of money and efforts to focus on the development of high efficiency battery,otherwise the car alone using the electricity will be a unreachable goal at least in the close future.
THE ELECTRIC CAR IS THE FUTURE YOU GUYS OWNED BY OIL COMPANIES ?
So we still have to wait 3 goddamned years before these enter production.
My regular car will die long before then.
Who Killed The Electric Car - The Sequel!
I hope not!
I want to believe that we are ready for this, but I think this administration and the republican agenda will do anything to keep us ON oil.
An electric car would not work for me as we pay some of, if not, the highest rates in the country for electricity here is Palm Springs with Southern California Edision. The last thing I need to be doing is plugging in my car to use more electricity!
I am hopeful it will catch on this time as people are more aware.
I thought 8 miles was a typo.
It seems like the amount of resources to build a car that drives only 8 miles defeats the point. What's next, a jumbo jet that flys only 100 miles?
I quickly Googled a 4-seat electric golf cart that can take you 50 miles, and I'm guessing it uses lead-acid batteries. ...oh yeah, you can plug it in.
Actually I'm not particularly surprised it can only do roughly 8 miles on the electrical charge...the Prius is a fairly heavy car for its size.
Steve
Eight miles is enough for my driving. I'd buy one the minute they hit the streets. Bring 'em on!
If you commute in this car every day for ten years, it's more than a dollar a mile, plus parking.
I just watched "Who Killed the Electric Car?" Made my blood boil as much as a Hummer in full throttle. Expletive deleted to Cheney, Oil Companies, the Saudi royal family, Big Auto and their ventriloquist doll Bush.
Anyway I drive a regular Hybrid in Australia. Are there any conversion to plug-in operations here in Oz yet?
Worldwide, Toyota has worked to cultivate a "green" reputation but Toyota isn't acting green in Washington, DC where its lobbyists are trying to weaken, delay, or eliminate a bipartisan Senate measure to achieve greater fuel efficiency in the U.S. Instead they are mimicking the competition and not thinking out of the box.
Come check out the http://electricbill2007.org. that Toyota won't back. Wander if it has to do with their new hybrid products?...
Worldwide, Toyota has worked to cultivate a "green" reputation but Toyota isn't acting green in Washington, DC where its lobbyists are trying to weaken, delay, or eliminate a bipartisan Senate measure to achieve greater fuel efficiency in the U.S. Instead they are mimicking the competition and not thinking out of the box.
Come check out the http://electricbill2007.org. that Toyota won't back. Wander if it has to do with their new hybrid products?...
Worldwide, Toyota has worked to cultivate a "green" reputation but Toyota isn't acting green in Washington, DC where its lobbyists are trying to weaken, delay, or eliminate a bipartisan Senate measure to achieve greater fuel efficiency in the U.S.
Check out http://electricbill2007.org to see what Toyota has decided not to back.
Ross - Its not a dollar a mile - you use TOU (time of use) metering with your utility company, and charge the car at night at very very low rates. They have excess capacity that no one is using at night so its not quite free, but very cheap.
To others not familar with EVs and Hybrids - the 8 miles is actually pretty good. 20 is better. The goal is for medium/small commutes to be on battery only, charge while at work (requires additional infrastructure) and definitely at night. That is first goal for EVs. Second goal, later, is 150 mile or so, that is whole different story, separate issue. For now, if we could do 20 and then gas is available for total range of over 300, then that is first plug in hybrid goal.
Note that a lot of 'who killed...' is hype - the true fact is that batteries weren't really ready for prime time. Best EV was Toyota Rav4EV, range of 110 miles or so. Legislation could have pushed it into full production, but the other EVs were really bad and Toyota lost around 30k for each RAV4-EV it sold (battery pack too expensive). Not a good business model. Industry went to hybrids as stopgap solution, hoping that hybrids would drive up untis sold of batteries to reduce cost and prove market. As Li-Ion or other chemistry does better and gets much, much cheaper, then industry will go back to EV. There is really not much of a conspiracy here... I worked in industry and saw it happen. It really is about the batteries.
But plug in hybrid might be best in end anyway. You get X miles on electricity, then 250 more on gas. EVs, even 10 years from now are seen as 150-miles being a long range. For one's only car, that is not so great. Even with very high-amperage charging (fast charging, >50 Amps) it still takes a *lot* longer to charge than gas, so it makes trips not convenient.
Plug in Hybrid with 50 miles electricity and 250 more on gas is awesome. If Toyota can release an 8/250 for now, that is great. I would suggest they double battery pack - 16/250 means a lot of people can go full electric for commute over 8.
I'd rather give my money to the elec. companies then the fucking corrupt oil companies... I hate every one of um....
Looks like plug in hybrids will become common soon
Looks like plug in hybrids will become common soon