Plug-In Prius Coming in 2012
The plug-in Prius will use lithium-ion batteries from Panasonic that will provide 12-18 miles of range on purely electric power. These factors weigh against the Japanese automaker, seeing as GM will be out of the gate first with the Volt, which will cost $8,000 less than that speculative price and deliver a better range using its battery.
Five hundred prototypes will be delivered to test fleets later this year, which will give us a better idea of what kind of fuel savings the plug-in Prius will be capable of. Starting at more than double the price of the regular Prius, they’d have to be pretty substantial. Much of the information in this report doesn’t sound remotely practical for Toyota to move forward with, however, and we doubt all the details are 100% accurate. However, it’s probably a safe bet they’re working on a plug-in.
Toyota to Mass-Produce Plug-in Hybrids from 2012 (Reuters via AutoblogGreen)
