The Prius Plug-in Hybrid, Toyota’s first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) to go on sale to the mass market, made its production vehicle world debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.
Toyota’s focus on PHEV technology meets current consumer requirements. Recent Accenture research, entitled ‘Plug-in electric vehicles: changing perceptions, hedging bets’ on the electrification of private transport, suggests that consumers may favour PHEVs over full EVs because they require fewer changes to current driving habits and levels of convenience (1).
The next major milestone in Toyota’s ongoing, 40 year quest for sustainable mobility and the ultimate eco car, the Prius Plug-in Hybrid represents the latest development of the company’s modular Hybrid Synergy Drive® platform – credible, trusted and reliable full hybrid technology with a proven track record garnered over some 200 billion kilometres of driving worldwide.
Offering a considerable expansion of the Hybrid Synergy Drive® system’s capabilities, the Prius Plug-in Hybrid incorporates a lithium-ion battery to offer an EV driving range of approximately 23 km (2). Beyond the electric driving range, it can be used as a conventional full hybrid with all the efficiency of a standard Prius, and fully recharged from a domestic source when convenient, in just 1.5 hours.
With a total HSD system power output of 100 kW, the Prius Plug-in Hybrid will accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 10.7 seconds and has a top speed of 180 km/h. Its EV cruising range of approximately 23 km (2) enables it to achieve remarkable fuel efficiency of just 2.1 l/100 km (2), and to lower CO2 emissions to an unprecedented 49 g/km (2).
At approximately 1,420 kg, the Prius Plug-in Hybrid is only 50 kg heavier than the regular Prius, and no heavier than any comparable diesel or petrol-engined car in the segment.
Addressing the specific needs of drivers commuting to urban areas, the Prius Plug-in Hybrid will appeal to very similar customers to those who were early adopters of the first generation Prius; forward-thinking, ecologically-aware individuals attracted to the new vehicle’s unique concept, environmentally-friendly credentials and advanced, highly sophisticated technology.
Sales will start in early 2012, mainly in Japan, US and Europe, with anticipated sales of approximately 50,000 units annually.
(1) Plug-in electric vehicles – Changing perceptions, hedging bets (Accenture end-consumer research on the electrification of private transport 2011)
(2) Target figure according to the European homologation cycle – homologation still pending
