Toyota to Release Plug-in Option for Prius by 2010

Toyota Pres, Katsuaki Watanabe, announced at the Detroit Auto Show last night that the company will release a plug-in hybrid by 2010. The initial facts sound great. The plug-n hybrids are set to run on lithium-ion batteries, not the nickel-based batteries that boost hybrid fuel economy. The debut models will be PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) versions of the popular Toyota Prius. The company has been testing the plug-ins in three different areas – Japan, France and the US – since July of last year.

Reportedly, the EV mode on the plug-in hybrid can last longer than EV in the regular Prius … but not by much. Instead of reaching speeds of 30 mph, you can hit 62 mph before the gas engine switching on. But the PHEV version can still only go 7 miles before switching over. GM’s Volt, set to release in 2010, can go up to 40 miles per charge.

Technically speaking, 7 miles meets the needs of a good number of people’s daily trips. My husband’s work is 3 miles away, for instance, and there are days when work and back is the only trip he’s taking. (I know, poor guy. He needs a vacation!) It’s a start that, if invested in, could make a real dent in emissions. IF invested in. The numbers sound so small – and the extra cost may prove so big – that Toyota is right to wonder if consumers will think it’s worth the expense.

Source:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/01/14/business/toyota.php?page=2