Toyota 4th gen is a plug in hybrid - is this due out in 2008?

[papau]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/japan/story/0,,1743808,00.html

David Gow in Toyota City Friday March 31, 2006 The Guardian

<snip>Toyota is working on plans for "plug-ins" for the battery from the grid at fuel stations, with future hybrids carrying a traditional power-point for domestic appliances to be used outside the home. Mr Abe said the next Prius model will be able to do a nine-mile commute to work without using any petrol or diesel.
<snip>

He added: "There's a very good chance of others - the Americans, the Germans, the Koreans - overtaking us in terms of innovation and quality. In fuel-cells the US is ahead of us and the US and Germans could jointly develop hybrids better than ours. That's a sense of crisis I always have."<snip>



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Prius
The battery pack of the 2004 Prius is guaranteed for 100,000 miles (160,000 km) or 8 years, although Toyota has stated that they expect it to last 15 years. The warranty is extended to 150,000 miles (240,000 km) or 10 years for Prius in California and several other states that adopted the Californian emission control standards.


http://www.newamerica.net/templets/Documents/print.cfm?pg=article&DocID=2309&Prt=Yes

Toyota promised me 60. The spec sheet on the 2005 Prius clearly states that the car gets five dozen miles per gallon of gas on city streets. But I'm test-driving a beige hatchback along Sepulveda Boulevard on the outskirts of Los Angeles, and according to the touchscreen on the dash, I'm topping out at 49.7.

Granted, 49.7 miles per gallon is at least twice what all the gas hogs around me are getting. But whenever I hit the accelerator, no matter how gradually, my mileage dips. I must be doing something wrong. I click the screen over to a real-time schematic of the hybrid gas-electric power train. Rolling out of a stop, the car is golf-cart silent while the display shows the 50-kilowatt electric motor providing all the power to the wheels. Once I hit 9 miles per hour, the gas engine takes over, transforming the electric motor into a performance booster that kicks in only when I need some extra juice. The secret to increasing my fuel economy, I realize, is to manipulate the relationship between the two halves of the engine. The more I can use the electric propulsion, the better mileage I'll get.

And that's when I have my eureka moment. There's a sweet spot on the accelerator. When the car hits 40 miles per hour, I coast for a few seconds, letting the gas engine go idle, then use the electricity to maintain my speed by depressing the pedal ever so slightly. My mileage starts to climb - 50.1, 50.4, 50.8.

My ad hoc videogame on the traffic-clogged streets of LA is nothing new to the 120,000 Prius owners in the US. Some fanatics even drive shoeless to be in better touch with the accelerator. For true masters, 50 miles per gallon is a piker's score; they shoot for a consistent 60. When it comes to gas mileage, Prius owners can make TiVo users and Mac addicts seem blasé. A typical newsgroup posting from one of hundreds of customers who frequent fansites like PriusChat.com: "This is the greatest car ever invented!"


http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/09/toyota_dream_ho.php

Toyota Dream House Includes Plug-In Prius

September 27, 2005 08:02 AM - Michael G. Richard, near Ottawa
Last Sunday, the 6-month public exhibition of the Toyota Dream House concept ended (yes, they also build houses - you learn something new everyday). It is partly green, and partly high-tech gadget extravagenza (which is not so green). The most interesting part to us treehuggers is certainly the plug-in Prius (a prototype?) and unidentified electric vehicle in the garage. Both can recharge their batteries via some kind of console that stands in the middle of the garage and the juice comes partly from solar panels on the roof and sides of the house, and from a fuel cell (yes, the house is hybrid). In case of natural disaster (Japan isn't short on those), the Prius can act as a generator and power the house for 36 hours (we assume that's for one tank of gasoline, so more than 36 hours if you have more gasoline on hand). More pictures of the outside, inside and gadgets below.

========================================================================
Some are reporting that Toyota expects a Japanese Prius "plug-in" by 2008. Right now we only have the EV button on the dash-- that allows the driver to force the car into electric only mode. But this button is not on the North American version.

http://www.coastaletech.com/electric_only_mode.htm

The new Toyota Prius is sold in many countries around the world with the option of letting the driver select times when they would prefer to operate the car without the engine running. The intention is to allow the driver to move the car out of the garage, or even out of the neighborhood, without the engine starting to awaken others. It is also a wonderful way to demonstrate the capabilities of the hybrid powertrain to passengers learning about the system for the first time. This factory option is currently not available for buyers in North America although the programming for it is still included in the computers which control the hybrid system. This kit allows you (in just a few minutes) to activate the electric feature of your Prius and drive for short distances. The software already present in the car will automatically restart the engine when the battery needs to be recharged or if you need to accelerate quickly. The electric only feature can be turned on and used up to a speed of around 34 mph at which time it will automatically turn off and the car will operate as usual.

The electric mode kit is designed for ease of installation and includes the necessary pin and connectors to complete the installation. Color photos and step by step instructions explain how to insert the missing pin and clip on two wires using simple wire taps. No wires are cut and very little disassembly is necessary to activate this feature. Once installed, the kit will create two possible uses for the "Cancel" function of your cruise control stalk. If you pull the cruise control stalk toward you (as when using the "Cancel" feature) and hold it for more than two seconds, the electric only mode will be signaled and the factory software will shut down the engine (or prevent it from starting if you are just turning on the car). This method will also turn off the electric mode when desired. The normal operation of the "Cancel" feature when using the cruise control is unaffected by the addition of the circuit and will continue to function as usual.

[benburch]

1. I'll buy one if so...

Because my 2002 Prius will be paid for next year...

[papau]

2. I am also planning on a purchase - age decreases the pleasure in

long trips - or even night driving.

This 2008(?) car looks like an ideal one for the short commute/mall shopping person who is post long trips with a big family and the dog.

[benburch]

9. And it DOES have an internal combustion engine...

No reason you cannot take a long trip.

[papau]

15. very true - I just need a kid or son/daughter in law to do the driving!

Good Grief, in 3 years the oldest grandkid will be driving!

I think I'll need a Prius with side air bags and Toyota's new anti-whiplash technology!

:-)

[lady lib]

3. Mine has been getting 50-51 mpg pretty consistently.

Now I've got to find that sweet spot that's mentioned and shoot for 60 mpg. I thought I was the only nut who drives shoeless to really be in touch with the accelerator. Hmmm...apparently, it's not so weird after all ;).

[papau]

4. A lot of us hippies are still around! Illinois actually had a law that

said you could not drive shoeless - I wonder if it is still on the books!

:-)

:toast:

[lady lib]

13. Don't know about Illinois, but

there must be a law here in Phx because my husband keeps warning me that I'm going to get a ticket for driving with nekkid feet. Would that be a DWN(F)? "Honest officer, my feet are usually such good law-abiding citizens. I don't know what got into them today." ;)

:toast:

[Ian David]

6. My 2001 Prius gets about 45 MPG even with my poor driving habits

That includes the fact that it averages the time you spend idling with the air conditioner on

However, drafting behind a Hummer, I can get 65 MPG.

[benburch]

10. I love my 2002.

Awesome car.

[Ian David]

5. I want a thin-film photovoltaic roof panel, too

That's one of the things I suggested when I took the Harris Poll on car designs.

[Coastie for Truth]

7. Thin film PV windshield sun shades

I had one for years. They ran off of the UV (which clouds don't really block) - used it to trickle charge the battery -- especially for cold weather starting.

[benburch]

11. Prius starts with its 300v Hybrid System.

The 12v battery only exists to start the computers.

[Coastie for Truth]

12. My PV cell was labelled 18V, measured out at 15.5V

but I was only using it on a Corolla to trickle charge the battery and get some I2R heating (winter).

[benburch]

14. I used to see modules that had built-in 120v AC intertie...

Where you could just wire them through a breaker to your home's wiring, but I've not seen those for a while...

Any idea why?

I know you follow PV stuff more than I do.

[Coastie for Truth]

16. Might be a product liability issue

they are (frequently) so light weight and portable - and if in the sun light still perking away - that the possibility for injury is high enough to scare manufacturers (or at least their lawyers).

[benburch]

17. These did have an interlock.

They would make no output unless there was 60Hz AC on the other side.

(So they are useless in a full power failure)

[Coastie for Truth]

18. Never under-estimate the ability of a "hobbyist"

to burn the house down and kill himself (I was a fire fighter and haz mat specialist in the Coast Guard - seen some strange stuff)

[benburch]

19. I've seen Radio Amateurs kill themselves building towers... nt

[Coastie for Truth]

8. Plug In Hybrid Overcomes the "Range" Objection To "Pure EV's"

With our family's driving patterns - we could run the car as a "Pure EV" for everything except round trips to the SFO and OAK airports, and the occasional "semi-emergencies" where the battery has not fully recharged.

We would "effectively" (total miles - grid and gasoline engine - divided by total gallons of gas purchased) get about 400-500 mpg.

As a "Pure EV" fan since my grad school days, the "only" advantage of a plug in HEV over a Pure EV is range/flexibility/convenience. BUT - that is the selling point - and it is "for real."

I see no advantage for a fuel cell over a plug in HEV - except maybe for lower CO2.

[woodstockny]

20. My old Prius gets 55 miles to the gallon.

I'm very disappointed in the new Prius, though. While it may show efficiencies in gasoline consumption it is very poorly designed from a useability standpoint. There is a bar impeding the rear view window, and that wasn't there before. I found it very difficult to see.

I had hoped to replace my Prius with a new one but I cannot and will not get used to that rear view window hazard. I hope the next model corrects the physical design problem while also improving efficiency.

[kestrel91316]

21. Everybody I know who has a Prius (nearly a dozen now)

ABSOLUTELY LOVES IT, and says it's the best car they've ever had. I know somebody who traded in his original one from the first year, and got a new one last year, and says he never wants anything else, ever again! They all get 50+ mpg, too.