Plug-in hybrids will go on sale at a real dealership near you in the next few years. That fact seems inevitable now. We don't doubt Chevy will actually start selling the Volt plug-in late next year, or Ford will sell its electric Focus after that. But now that Toyota has officially joined the game with its Prius Plug-In concept, the electric era seems inevitable.
It's only called a concept here because Toyota is not putting it into full production. Otherwise, what you see here is fully operational and will go into testing in 2010.
Five hundred test vehicles will roll out worldwide next year to test user experience. The hybrid powertrain is identical to the new Prius, except for the batteries. The plug-in will have lithium-ion batteries; the standard Prius still packs nickel-metal-hydride batteries.
This Prius can be plugged into a normal household outlet and recharge in just one-and-a-half hours. Its maximum range on purely electric power is just 12 miles, after that it will run on gasoline like any traditional hybrid. That's far less than the Volt's claims of a 40-mile range on just electric power. However, the Prius' hybrid system allows for average fuel economy of 50 mpg, while the Volt will likely be less, perhaps less than 40 mpg. Top speed is also limited to 62 mph in electric mode.
Toyota says these test vehicles need to complete an evaluation period before they're considered for commercial release, but we highly doubt Toyota is going to wait for that before readying a more capable version to compete with the Volt. |
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