Toyota Will Offer a Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle by 2010

"Plug-in hybrids differ from the current hybrid vehicles in that they can be recharged externally, from an ordinary power outlet. In a conventional hybrid the battery is recharged from power generated by its wheels."

Are we sure this guy knows what he's talking about?

 

I like this quote out of the article:

"But some experts say plug-ins may not be the ultimate answer to cutting pollution, if the electricity used to charge them comes from coal-fired power plants."

Where does one find such knowledgable experts?

 

I'll believe it when I see it. Until then, Toyota is doing what it once criticized GM for doing: Engineering by Press release.

No specs, no specifics, no nothing; and yet it'll be on sale in 2 years.

AUTOSAVANT: Toyota Says It Will Offer Plug-In Hybrid in 2010

Seems like the same backpedaling a lot of you accuse GM of doing.

 

3 years. If they make it in 2010 it'll be 2011 model year.

 

Is PriusChat a corporation? (Read article to make sense of my question.)

 

I'm more excited about the new hybrid they plan to introduce for the 2009 model year at Detroit.

 

Following is the Toyota's press release.
TOYOTA: News Releases

Ken@Japan

 

Except toyota has a record of making a fuel efficient line of vehicles and mass producing them. GM has a record of destroying similar vehicles.

 

That might work for a few people, but not many.
Compare the costs for the first 7 miles:
gasoline: 7 miles @ 46 mpg and $3/gal = 45 cents
electricity: 2.7 kwh @ 10 cents/kwh = 27 cents (38 cents in Calif. @ 14/kwh)
savings: 18 cents per charge (7 cents in Calif.)

As far as the cleaner option, don't know.

 

This makes it sound like they're just getting a piece of the aftermarket pie that other companies are doing exclusively now.

 

Interesting quote.

 

These are only for the development mule, which uses two NiMH batteries from the current Prius and is therefore very inefficient in this mode. Typically NiMH batteries are only 60-70% efficient (ie 30-40% of the energy used to recharge is lost on a cycle), whereas modern LiIon is around 95-98% efficient on a charge cycle.

The LiIon Prius conversions typically get about 5 miles per kWh, which is around 2 cents per mile electricity.

 

mm dont thnk the plugin prius wil be a competition for the volt.
7 mles? only...
still i have to see the day that gm sells the volt...maybe only on lease for 2? years

 

Lots of these posters don't get that the NiMH PHEV Prius is only a development tool.

 

(1) Remember the EV-1. GM still has to learn to get over itself and all its faded glory before I'll be convinced they'll release a PHEV or EV for SALE to the public.

(2) Remember Toyota has been kicking everyone's butt at in-car technology for years. Either they'll keep it up, or they'll get undone via resting on their laurels. I hope for the former, as I like their cars.

Corroborated on PHEV in 2010 story. I'd expect Li-Polymer or Proton-Polymer batteries in the later revisions -- expect the later revisions to be much, much more charge-efficient and to have very, very energy-dense batteries (a la ProPoly).

~ dan ~

 

Except that GM just showed an actual, working Plug-in Vue 2 mode Hybrid. We've seen no photographic or detailed evidence from Toyota.

 

Wow, talk about missing the point . . . unlike GM, that says via TONS of commercials on TV, Radio, and magazines,

" ... we're gona make the Volt ... errrrr, some day, when ever we can figure out the battery thing (tho they already did it) ... and then there's the horrible drag co-efficiency thing ... errr the volt is more akin to a parachute right now ... so when we work out all that, we'll build it ... and so that won't be for at least untill such and such date ... "

Then GM winds the clock out farther. While Toyota says the opposite, "We WILL have it built" at least by such and such date. And, you don't see them taking out ads up the wazooo on TV, Magazines, and radio ... but rather low profile ... a little comment here or there ... or in some cases not at all ... they just DO it. Those philosophies are galaxies apart.

More interesting to me was that I'm certain it was no small accident, about 12 paragraphs down, that the ny times calls out the big 3 auto, miss-ordered ~ GM., Toyota and FoMoCo, when in fact, world wide, Toyota has passed GM for the number ONE spot as auto manufacturing king. Could it be GM's advertising with the NY times that caused this re-ordering? Naaahhh.