Plug-In Prius Confirms TMC's Commitment To Sustainable Mobility
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), the pioneer of petrol-electric hybrid vehicles, will confirm its leadership in this technology when it unveils the Prius Plug-in Hybrid Concept at the Frankfurt motor show.
Blending the benefits of its Prius petrol-electric hybrid car (now in its third generation) with those of electrical outlet charging, this concept vehicle promises even lower CO2 emission levels.
When the lithium-ion battery is fully charged, the vehicle range is some 20 kilometres with no need to use the petrol engine.
The plug-in Prius operates as an electric car on short trips and as a conventional petrol-electric hybrid vehicle on longer ones, to provide the best of both worlds, delivering superior total cruising capability and better overall fuel efficiency.
Because of its hybrid design, the plug-in Prius can run regardless of battery charge and is thus liberated from dependence on the battery-charging infrastructure, giving it a significant advantage over pure electric vehicles in today's driving environment.
Combined CO2 emissions level should be below 60 grams/km.
TMC is developing a plug-in hybrid vehicle that can be charged using external power sources (such as household electricity), based on its hybrid technology, which it has positioned as a core technology for environmentally considerate vehicles.
TMC believes plug-in hybrid vehicles represent an environmentally considerate solution that can be widely applied to respond to the diversification of energy sources.
As such, TMC intends to introduce approximately 500 plug-in hybrid vehicles globally - 200 in Japan, 150 in the United States and 150 in Europe (including France, the United Kingdom and Germany), primarily to fleet customers - to encourage market acceptance and promote understanding.
Toyota Motor Corporation is committed to sustained personal mobility and will continue to develop a diverse range of vehicles that will reduce fossil fuel consumption and produce lower levels of carbon dioxide emissions. As well as plug-in hybrids, TMC will also produce electric and fuel-cell vehicles.
