Toyota, Universities Launch Plug-In Prius Test Program
By John O'Dell November 9, 2007
The first of Toyota's prototype plug-in Prius hybrids to hit these shores were handed off Friday to researchers at the University of California's Berkeley and Irvine campuses in ceremonies at the automaker's U.S. headquarters in Torrance, Calif.
The cars carry twice as many nickel-metal hydride batteries as the standard Prius for more power so they can imitate the performance of plug-ins that would be equipped with advanced lithium-ion batteries when, or if, they are perfected for mass production automotive use.
During the three-year test, UC Berkeley's Institute of Transportation Studies will be responsible for acquiring consumer use data, while UC Irvine's Advanced Power and Energy Program will tackle technical issues. Berkeley's specific tasks include studying drivers' charging and car use habits -- how people drive the vehicles and whether most prefer to recharge the cars at night or want a network of daytime recharging outlets. The university also will catalog the trade-offs people are willing to make among range, charging time, battery size and battery cost.
At UC Irvine, research will center on technical challenges and emissions benefits. Specific tasks include determining how to best measure a plug-in hybrid's fuel economy and tailpipe emissions and how to measure and account for "upstream" emissions from the plants that generate the electricity used to recharge the cars.
The test program is being conducted under a $2 million grant from the California Air Resources Board and with research support from the Bay Area and South Coast Air Quality Management Districts.
Toyota began initial road testing of the plug-in Priuses in Japan last summer.
The cars for the U.S. tests are technologically identical, using the same Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive System, but are left-hand-drive models rather than the right-hand-drive versions used in Japan. They also have have been stripped of the fancy "birds and flowers" decals that adorned the Japanese models (left).
They are set apart from the tens of thousands of standard Priuses roaming U.S. roads by their high-end, color-shift paint jobs. The paint carries microscopic refractive chips that cause the color to shift through a range of hues -- from silver through blue to a red-gold -- depending on the angle at which light is hitting the surface.
The plug-in models also stand out because of a second fuel door that opens to reveal a receptacle for the batteries' electric charging nozzle.
The cars are capable of traveling nearly 8 miles at highway speeds on electrical power alone before reverting to normal hybrid operation that blends the gasoline engine and electric modes.
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I don't remeber where,but in southern California,there's a shop that turn's a regular prius to an all electric one(able to get 100 mpg of all electric power for around a 2 to 4 thousand premium) and not some lame 8 mile's of electric power.OH YEAH,Toyota is the only foriegn car company(along with all domestic car's of course)that are fighting the U.S. goverment, to not let them pass a fuel law that would make the automaker's have car's that return 55 mpg by the year 2020.The funny thing is in Europe(where I'm from)there are diesel's netting 68 MPG(Mazda 3/Car and Driver) and there as clean running as most car's here.That is why Honda and Nissan are bring diesel's here in the Accord and the Maxima.Guess which Japanese's maker is not bring diesel's any time soon.
While auto manufacturers hype the "green car show" the hard core lobbying against genuine improvements in fuel efficiency standards goes on and on. We continue to be fed lies about how it can't be done, etc. etc.
Our president and his cohorts are in the pockets of the manufacturers. Nor is congress representing the best interests of consumers or we would have seen meaningful action long ago.
Please publicize the hypocrisy in all this baloney! Don't let the 'powers that be' get by with this any longer!
The Toyota / Lexus hybrids all post impressive emissions ratings and are considered by EPA to be SULEV rated (super ultra low emissions).
Plug in all electric cars are of course -- Zero emissions.
Wonder how the European diesel supercars rate?
Given the problems that diesels have had in the past in the USA I doubt the American public would be too receptive to anything diesel.
Nothing worse than being stuck behind anything diesel at a traffic light.
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