Toyota Unveils Advanced Prius Tech

"Toyota’s U.S. press release, for instance, made no mention of the four-wheel drivetrain highlighted in the global materials.

Among its litany of new offerings:

• An overhauled engine achieving 40 percent thermal efficiency.

• New, denser lithium ion and nickel-metal hydride batteries.

• Active grille shutters to improve heating performance.

• A redesigned, lighter electric motor and transaxle.

• Extensive use of high-tensile steel for a more rigid body.

• Double wishbone rear suspension.

• A sleeker drag coefficient for better aerodynamics.

• Active hydraulic booster for brakes to improve feel.

• New seats to relieve hip strain during long journeys.

• Full color, 4.2-inch high-resolution display screen.

• New color head-up display.

• Toyota’s Safety Sense P pre-crash auto braking system.

Toyota did not disclose the energy output of the batteries, but the lithium ion battery and nickel-metal hydride alternative deliver roughly the same output, battery engineer Takanori Kumagai said. The main difference is weight: The lithium battery weighs 24.5 kilograms (54 pounds), compared with to the nickel-metal’s 40.3 kilograms (89 pounds)."

Toyota, aiming for new showcase, packs Prius with tech

 

Prius's Safety Sense P works as the best autobrake systems in the market, if not the best. This introduces small speed auto-brake, usually these things work over 6 MPH, not under, not under parking speeds.... this does. So not only it will auto-park for you, they will use same sensors to auto-brake if you are going to hit something during parking and to correct pedal misapplication.

Old CitySafety is basic system that works between 9mph and 19mph, these systems are now outdated, since even basic cheapo Aygo gets 6mph-55mph for $300 these days... They are still present in some Mazda's and in a lot of European cars, but they are really old and nothing special when it comes to their ability to auto-brake. I think in XC90, it works now between 2 mph and 30 mph and you have to pay extra for all speed.

Safety Sense P in Prius gets full speed auto-brake with pedestrian warning and faster/better autobrake than Safety Sense C... it will auto-brake at all speeds (100mph+) since it has better sensors. This adds usage with parking sensors for parking lots as well.


So when it comes to auto-brakes, Prius gets real deal.

 

Toyota quickly remarked 55 MPG 60 MPG in the stuff Danny posted. Not sure what exactly that means, but they are nice numbers.

 

EU and USA didnt have anything about e-AWD system... but US did confirm that bi-LED headlights are standard on all Prii models.

Eu colors are:

S-flow was previously only on Lexus vehicles and was introduced only this year to Lexus IS (was on GS and LS).

 

not just all speed, but regular sensors dont see from same position as parking ones, and they dont see back of the vehicle as well. Parking sensors are designed to see small obstacles very close to the vehicle that regular radar and photo sensors simply wont see due to position.

However, IPA will be extra charge for sure... right now in Europe, we get it included in top end version of Auris.

 

IIRC re difference between induction and permanent magnet motors

All electric motors need magnets on their rotors as well as their stators.

The magnets on the rotors of induction motors are electrical windings in which current flow is induced with no direct electrical connection to the rotor. Induction motor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The magnets on the rotors of permanent magnet motors are permanent magnets that don't require internal current flow to produce a magnetic field.

 

The stators (the part with the coils and which doesn't rotate) are actually just about exactly the same. The difference is, a permanent magnet machine has permanent magnets on the rotor while an induction machine forms its rotor magnetic field with a coil, shorted to itself at its ends, that rotates slowly in the stator's field (so called "slip") thus "inducing" (hence the name) current into the coil and thus the coil produces its own magnetic field on the rotor.

Induction machines are the mainstay of the industrial infrastructure. They produce a lot of power in a small package at a relatively low cost with high efficiency. However, they are most efficient at or near full power, they have poor efficiency at low power, and they don't produce a lot of torque at low speed. Thus, they usually run at high speeds. In industry, 1200RPM and 1800RPM (on a 60Hz grid) are common. In cars, it's probably 10,000RPM or more, hence the substantial reduction gear ratio.

 

yes, just like with RX and Highlander Hybrids of today....

 

Maybe it's because Toyota marketing is in California (now Texas, I hear) where they don't get a lot of snow and ice, so they think it's like that everywhere.

 

I am not sure if it is left out or just for japan or going to be introduced later on... it certainly has nothing to do with Subaru.

Maybe they will introduce it only in snow areas of Europe and USA? It really does not make sense for anything else.

There is also Rav4 coming out with similar system, before Prius.

 

Living in the northeast, I'd love to see a E-Four version released in North America.

 

Or the battery is bigger and provides more power, so they have to be able to charge faster to prevent empty battery...