Toyota Prius Plug-In Concept at Frankfurt Motor Show
- Looks like: The 2010 Toyota Prius we see in extravagant TV commercials
- Defining characteristics: Plug-in capability
- Ridiculous features: Can only go 12 miles on electric power
- Chance of being mass-produced: Starts testing next year, so chances are good
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 start actually 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.
500 test vehicles will roll out worldwide next year to see what the user experience is really like. The hybrid powertrain is identical to the new Prius, except for the batteries. The plug-in will have lithium-ion batteries while the standard Prius still packs nickel hydride.
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 just 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 under 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 for sale to compete with the Volt. A few more images are below.
