Green Options » plug-in prius

From Sea to Shining Sea on 25 Gallons of Algae - Success!

Susan Kraemer — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:16:03 +0000

Imagine driving from San Francisco to New York City in a plug-in hybrid Prius that uses algae for fuel.

At the beginning of this month the first ever algae-powered plug-in set off on a ten day coast to coast demo from California to show that a plug-in hybrid can be fueled with green crude.

The algae fuel for the plug-in Prius was supplied by Sapphire Energy. They are developing an algae fuel completely compatible with current gas pumps and pipeline infrastructure.

Toyota to Launch Overpriced Plug-in Prius in 2012: $48,000 for a Minor Upgrade

Clayton B. Cornell — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:57:54 +0000

Over the holiday weekend, Japanese news daily Nikkei reported that Toyota will start mass producing plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2012.

The plug-in Prius will have a reported all-electric range of 12.4-18.6 miles after a full charge, and will cost $48,000—roughly twice the price of the regular gasoline-hybrid Prius.

Considering that a used Prius can be converted into a plug-in hybrid today for less than $15,000—giving the car the same or better statistics and driving range—I’d have to ask: what the hell is Toyota thinking?

Toyota and EDF Testing Plug-in Prius in UK

Dana Nuccitelli — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 00:28:52 +0000

In an international effort, Japanese automaker Toyota and Électricité de France (EDF) are expanding their European plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) testing program to the United Kingdom.

The trial builds on the first European PHEV testing program launched by Toyota and EDF on French roads in September 2007. The UK partnership is designed to evaluate vehicle performance within an urban environment, vehicle infrastructure requirements, and driver behaviors and expectations.

Trials started on September 10th and will continue for more than one year. Toyota’s PHEV will make its on-the-road debut as part of EDF Energy’s company fleet and will be tested by employees under every-day driving conditions. The modified plug-in Prius being tested will utilize nickel-metal hydride (NiMh) batteries, with an all-electric range of approximately 8 miles if the speed remains below 62 mph. When Toyota begins producing the plug-in Prius (expected for fleets in 2009), it will utilize superior lithium-ion batteries.