Toyota initiated its Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) project in 2007, with road trials of a prototype vehicle in France and the UK in 2008. In 2010, the project entered its second phase when a limited production vehicle, based on the third-generation Prius and equipped with a lithium-ion battery, was used for European-wide road trials.

As part of a global Toyota project, more than 200 vehicles have been leased to selected partners and customers in 18 European countries. France, Germany and the UK are operating a total of 150 PHEVs between them. The largest group of vehicles is located in Strasbourg, France, where a 70 PHEV-strong project is underway in collaboration with Toyota’s partners, French energy provider EDF, and the City and Urban Community of Strasbourg (CUS).

After the first six months of the trial, results showed that the project participants have driven the PHEVs intensively in both urban environments as well as longer journeys out of the city, achieving a total mileage of nearly 800,000 kilometres.

With two thirds of commutes using PHEVs coming in at under 20 km, the zero emission, fully electric range of the PHEV satisfies a significant share of the users’ daily requirements. In addition, 35% of users also completed long distance trips of more than 100 km at least once a week, demonstrating that the PHEV’s ability to operate as a full hybrid helps to eliminate range anxiety associated with long journeys in fully electric vehicles.

Fuel efficiency figures obtained under real-world conditions show that the PHEV consumes 36% less fuel than the comparable, best-in-class diesel vehicle and almost 50% less than the best-in-class petrol vehicle. Users who maximised the potential of the PHEV and made optimal use of the existing recharging infrastructure were able to return average fuel consumption figures of less than 2.0 l/100km.

PROJECT MILESTONES