11 September 2009 - 14:00
Prius goes plug-in
Already beloved of the self-consciously eco-conscious, the Toyota Prius is set to become a little more green when a plug-in version of the ubiquitous hybrid is unveiled in Frankfurt.
In fact, it’ll be the cleanest car on the road when it becomes available for lease – albeit in very limited numbers – early next year, boasting official combined emissions of just 60g/km of CO2.
Instead of the standard Prius’s nickel metal hydride batteries, the plug-in uses smaller, lighter lithium-ion batteries, which store more charge and will allow the Prius to run on electric power alone for up to 12.5 miles, more than double the range of the current (sorry) car.
The biggest modification is that the plug-in can be, er, plugged into the mains, charging from a 230 volt household power supply in 90 minutes. The standard Prius recharges its batteries using power drawn from the petrol engine and energy recovered under braking.
Toyota will lease around 500 plug-in Priuses to customers around the world early next year, with a handfull expected to make it to the UK.
If you wish to be considered for the trial, necessary qualifications include the ability to drive with an expression of serene self-satisfaction upon your face. Or for you to be a Hollywood actor.
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i thought it would do more than 12.5 miles
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I'd invest in that honda clarity; that has the co2 emissions of water
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oh my god a new pious .... err... prius ..... god, cant .... stop ..... yawning ! i love these things, especially the look on the drivers face when my remapped SKODA howls past them and the penny drops ... they bought a massively overpriced peice of dog poo.
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I agree with martzweb. Also the prius does not even have performance figures as good as the Chevy Volt, and it is definately uglier.
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force feed it some slug juice or something horrible. It'd go better on that.
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So, a car that was worse than a Rangey for the environment from go to woe is now helped along by coal / gas / nuclear power stations. Does that help the environmental numbers ..... I doubt it. Oh yes, and it's rubbish to drive, look at and be in.
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Cor that makes sense Toyota! Don't put a small turbo diesel in place of the petrol engine, put more battery capacity in. Uhg. Why do people buy this apart from to look like they care about the environment when they really don't give a damn?
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The answer to VieVentar's question of "Why do people buy this apart from to look like they care about the environment when they really don't give a damn?" Because they like the smell of their own farts. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smug_Alert!
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The numbers look good, the car doesn't. The pious Prius plug-in will only be of interest to those that already have one (P-I or otherwise). Everyone else loves to hate it too much.
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The Prius is just a car you drive so you can shout "I'm a better person than you, because I care for the Earth."
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Why why why!! This is basically a car that makes you look eco friendly, when in fact its a pathetic car.. Right where does the electricity come from? the plug, you still have to burn fossil fuels to create electricity!
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TennantsLager commented on this article
11 September 2009
And I expect all 500 of them to make it into the hands of the A-list...........
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