By Joe Benton
ConsumerAffairs.com
July 25, 2007
Toyota Motor Corp. will test a plug-in hybrid car based on the popular Prius model and plans to run the tests on public roads in the U.S. and Japan and Europe.
The Toyota Plug-in HV uses low-energy nickel-metal hydride batteries instead of lithium-ion batteries and will remain a just test vehicle for the immediate future.
Unlike earlier gasoline-electric hybrids, which run on a parallel system twinning battery power and a combustion engine, plug-in cars are designed to enable short trips powered entirely by the electric motor while using a battery that can be charged through an electric socket at home.
Environmental advocates see plug-ins as the best available technology to reduce gasoline consumption and global-warming greenhouse gas emissions.
Battery technology, however, is still insufficient to store enough energy for long-distance travel.
"It's difficult to say when plug-in hybrids could be commercialized, since it would depend largely on advances in battery technology," said Executive Vice President Masatami Takimoto, in charge of Toyota's powertrain technology at a news conference in Tokyo.
The Plug-in HV runs on the same nickel metal hydride battery as the Prius and has a cruising range of 8 miles on just electricity even with a trunk full of batteries.
The maximum speed of Plug-in HV is 62 mph. The batteries require about 1.5 hours to recharge at 200 volts and three or four hours at 100 volts.
General Motors and Ford Motor Co. are also working on plug-in hybrids with cooperation from battery makers such as Germany's Continental AG.
GM has announced a concept plug-in Chevrolet Volt that will be powered by a lithium-ion battery and. GM set 2010 as a target for production.
Ford has partnered with Southern California Edison for real-world testing of a fleet of up to 20 rechargeable vehicles to be based on the Escape Hybrid SUV. Ford predicts that its plug-in hybrids could enter showrooms in five to 10 years.
Toyota will test eight prototypes of the plug-in hybrid to gather data over the next three years.
Toyota is the first manufacturer to receive government approval to conduct tests for a plug-in hybrid on Japanese public roads.
