ahh so they do mention the 1.6 litre and yeah I don't quite get the solar panel bit but I assume he means within reasonable cost to the consumer; that or Toyota's being conservative and testing the market. Unlike other technologies, it can't test certain things in its home market first then bring it over. It's going to launch the Prius worldwide and would help reduce cost if it was available everywhere.
UMMM Plug-In is not always a good thing.... YOU do know where most of the US' electricity is generated from right? Now if we get to using Wind/Wave/Nuclear energy as a VIABLE form of long term energy then plug-ins may be good.... but we use Coal/Oil to create electricity. SO instead of you creating greenhouse gases burining gasoline some huge plant will be creating much more to make the electricity to charge our cars. It is the same as the huge jump to "HOW GREAT ETHANOL IS".. crowd. Too bad they finding out that is hugely wrong. The crop growing aids are killing our water supplies, and even making some lands no longer fertile. It is an ECOSYSTEM.... IF you move the stresses from one point to another it stresses the entire system as a whole, it just moves the point on impact. We need something that minimizes the stress, not relocates it.
Coal - Yes (48.9%) Oil - NO (1.6%) Nuclear (19.3%) Hydro (7.1%) Natural Gas (20%) Other renewable (2.4%) Other (0.7%) File:Sources of electricity in the USA 2006.png - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Even normal coal generated electricity would be better than the gasoline we now use, for both environmental and political reasons. Tom
From the linked article: Get to Know the 2010 Toyota Prius : Planet Green "The big news this week for Toyota according to several sources, is the addition of a solar roof panel on the Toyota for 2010. While it will not be used as a power source to help charge the battery, it will help to reduce some of the energy draw from some of the electrical components of the Prius." I don't understand. If the solar panel can reduce some of the electrical draw, why can't they be used to charge the batteries if the car is parked in the Sun while the owner is at work for 8 hours?
In this area we can specify the type of electricity we purchase through a renewables program called Green Start that is available in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. I believe that there are similar programs available in many other areas of the US. And for heating oil we also have biodiesel that has been locally created by recycling used restaurant waste oil. This is a win-win situation as it addresses waste cycles with a biodegradable heating and transportation means. Though these offerings are in their infancies, there are many such local efforts available if one chooses to participate just like we collectively are doing by supporting the hybrids and PHEVs.
