Remember that plug-in Prius we drove for a bit? Yeah, Toyota is bringing that technology to more models. The Prius has long been the popular hybrid vehicle but cars like the Volt and Leaf are stealing a good deal of the public’s love thanks to their plug-in ability. It seems Toyota is looking to recapture some of its lost karma by shifting the entire Prius line to plug-in hybrids by the 2014 model year.
This comes by way of a short and sweet Reuters report that also states the plug-in feature will come standard and the models should sell at the current Prius’s rate. The big change comes as the automaker switches from NiMH to Li-ion batteries. → Read More
http://player.ooyala.com/player.swf?embedCode=V2Zm1kMjpmx6e4KJQE_-FPG_ZRWwqraE&version=2 The Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf are enjoying lots of free publicity right now. Each of their unique approaches to cleaner mobility has drawn a lot of hype. What about the car that started it all? What’s the next step for the Toyota Prius? → Read More
Want a plug-in car, but the Leaf and Volt aren’t doing it for you? Well, Toyota will be entering the market soon, though you should only count on it if you’re feeling lucky. First half of 2010 will only see 150 of these new plug-in Priuses (Prii?) on our shores, though they’re planning a full-size rollout for 2011. Now hang on a second… apparently these things only get 15 miles per battery charge. Are you kidding me? → Read More
The world’s No. 1 auto maker Toyota has announced [JP] it will exhibit a four-seat electric car at the 41th Tokyo Motor Show for the first time (the show opens October 24 and will run through November 4). It’s sized at 2,730×1,680×1,490mm. Visitors will also get to see an update of Toyota’s hybrid car Prius at the show. → Read More
Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (yes, it does really exist) has released a top ten list of the most fuel-efficient cars sold last year in Nippon. The result: Toyota’s Prius (pictured) is No. 1 in the standard and small-sized vehicle category whereas the Daihatsu Mira tops the light vehicle segment (vehicles with automatic transmissions only). → Read More
We reported it last year in July and Toyota is to deliver very soon: The world’s biggest automaker today announced the newest version of their Prius hybrid vehicle, due out in Japan in May, will be equipped with solar panels. Toyota claims the new model will also come with a brawnier and more fuel-efficient engine (the picture shows a model from last year). → Read More
The latest Honda Insight goes on sale tomorrow. We spied the inexpensive hybrid at the North American International Auto Show and liked what we saw. Unfortunately, the sales are limited to Japan for the time being, but eventually American ecofreaks will be able to prance with unicorns too. → Read More
Although it’s pretty certain that every major car manufacturer has “plans” to develop a solar-powered vehicle, Toyota appears to be actually putting out PR about it. According to the Nikkei, they’ve got plans for what is likely a Prius augmented by solar panels on it and elsewhere, and later for a solar-only vehicle as well. → Read More
We’ve all heard the whispers and murmurs regarding adding artificial noise to hybrid cars so that pedestrians don’t get hit and it appears that we’re heading in that direction for real. Lotus is working on artificial engine noise and there’s apparently even a $300 module you can add to your Toyota Prius to give it that throaty vroom-vroom sound it’s been missing. This all begs the question: why engine noise? If we’re going to add artificial noise to hybrid cars, why can’t it be something that sounds less annoying than a car engine? I’m thinking something along the lines of a low hum or maybe the sound that all the space cars on the Jetsons made. There’d be a whole secondary market for personalized engine noise, kind of like ringtones for your car. If you had a hybrid car and could add your own engine sound, what would it be? [Techdirt via BBG] → Read More
