Toyota prius 2012

Toyota prius 2012

Toyota prius 2012

Back in the waning years of the previous millennium, the Toyota Prius was born, becoming the first Toyota hybrid. Since then, of course, many other Toyota and Lexus hybrids have hit the roads, as have many from nearly every other automaker. But it’s the Prius—thanks to distinct (if unsexy) styling and industry-leading fuel economy—that remains the unofficial greenmobile for Toyota and the world.
Naturally, then, the Prius is set to become the first Toyota to make the next big leap in fuel efficiency for 2012 by going plug-in with the new Prius PHV, or “plug-in hybrid vehicle.” And since 2012 is a long way off—in our impatient minds, at least—we jumped at the chance to drive one of the 150 powder-blue preproduction Prius PHVs bound for the U.S. in 2010. All are part of Toyota’s Prius PHV pilot program that places these vehicles with various utilities and government agencies to gather data on vehicle performance.
So how exactly does it differ? Other than silver paint on the mirrors, door handles, and tailgate, the blue-and-white “PLUG-IN HYBRID” lower door decals, and a cutout in the left front fender that houses the plug, there are no visible distinctions between the regular Prius and the PHV. Ditto the interior, where a few PHV-specific info displays and a slightly raised cargo floor for the PHV’s larger battery pack represent the only notable changes.
The Prius PHV doesn’t differ much from the regular Prius from a dynamic standpoint, either. No surprise, really. The Prius PHV is essentially just a Prius whose nickel-metal hydride battery pack has been swapped for a far pricier, far heavier, and far more potent lithium-ion pack. (How potent is unclear, as Toyota won’t tell us how much it improves on the regular car’s 1.3-kWh capacity.) The new batteries can be fully charged in three hours from a simple household 110-volt outlet or an hour and a half from a 220-volt plug. The battery swap allows for more miles on electricity alone and a commensurate boost in real-world fuel economy.
And so the parallel-hybrid powertrain design, the squishy suspension setup, and the puny 15-inch wheels remain, giving the PHV the same lackluster driving characteristics as its non-plug-in sibling. That includes the way-overboosted electric power steering and a brake pedal that has yet to deliver anything close to accuracy.
Going Farther, Faster on Electrons
The most palpable difference between the standard and PHV Priuses, then, is how a judicious right foot can direct the PHV to achieve and maintain speeds of up to 62 mph using electricity alone. Like a regular Prius, though, the PHV will fire up its internal-combustion engine if you’re not careful. The PHV’s threshold is slightly higher than the regular car’s, but anything more than genteel pressure on the go pedal—say, as might be required to enter the freeway or accelerate up a slight hill—and the 98-hp, 1.8-liter four-cylinder stirs with a decidedly unsexy moan.
Keep your driving grandmotherly, though, and a Prius PHV with a full charge can travel up to 13 miles in electric mode, which becomes considerably more novel the faster one travels. Once the battery pack is depleted, the car reverts to the conventional hybrid function of the standard Prius.
Even under full throttle, the PHV remains far from quick, with a 0-to-60-mph time of 11.3 seconds, according to Toyota, versus 9.8 seconds for the non-PHV model. Blame the heavier battery pack and its ancillary hardware—which add about 330 pounds—for the more sluggish time. But then, the Prius never has been and never will be about driving delight, but rather is about maximum fuel economy. At the end of the day, the PHV proof was not in the proverbial pudding but rather neatly displayed on the dashboard. Over a short city-and-highway loop, we were powered solely by electricity about 39 percent of the time, and we averaged 56 mpg, according to the in-car readout.
Two things are worth noting here: First, in-car fuel-economy readouts are notoriously optimistic. Second, the route was heavy on hills and included several miles of freeway driving, during which we frequently exceeded 80 mph. So although that 56-mpg figure might not be entirely accurate, even with a 10-percent margin of error, we recorded impressive economy for our usage. After our stint, our driving partner took the helm for a city route and spent nearly two-thirds of the time on the electron feed, bringing overall fuel economy up to 68 mpg for the trip, an increase of more than 50 percent over the last test figure we saw in a Prius.
Plug-In Prius Won’t Be a Match for Every Environmentalist
So what’s the holdup? Bring it on, right? First, Toyota is dotting its i’s and crossing its t’s before offering the technology to customers. Toyota is using this limited PHV program to gather real-world data to see if a 13-mile electric-vehicle range is sufficient to satisfy customers or if perhaps it needs to look into more- or less-potent battery packs. Toyota is also buying time to bring the price of the Prius PHV closer to what it considers the hybrid “sweet spot” of $15,000 to $27,000, which, at this point, it surely exceeds on account of that high-tech battery.
Once such targets are met and the final product is introduced sometime next year, what will become of the standard Prius? All signs indicate that it will soldier on and keep its nickel-metal batteries for a long time. Toyota reps tell us, “In conventional hybrid vehicles, Toyota will continue to use nickel-metal hydride batteries in the near term. The technology has proved its value over 12 years of mass production and is extremely reliable.”
Furthermore, Toyota says, the viability of plug-in technology can depend on an individual customer’s geographic location, drive cycle, and access to charging facilities. We would add income to that as well, since the Prius PHV will command a sizable premium over a comparably equipped standard Prius, although if Toyota hits its price target, it won’t cost as much as the Chevrolet Volt. Assuming costs go down, Toyota says lithium-ion batteries could be considered in the future for the many other hybrids found throughout the Toyota and Lexus lineups. Still, we consider this just another rest stop on the way to bigger and better technologies.