125 mpg Prius plug-in hybrid, but not from Toyota
Toyota's next generation hybrids will use lithium, but you still won't plug them inThere is an interesting experiment taking place in the workshops of many lithium-ion battery producers: the creation of 100 mpg+ plug-in versions of the Toyota Prius.
Thus far, both LTC and A123Systems have each demonstrated working plug-in hybrid vehicles built upon the Prius and each company's lithium battery packs. Both companies have achieved 125 mpg + performance with such plug-in hybrids.
Yet, when Toyota begins to sell the third generation Prius, probably sometime next year, the Prius will....(Finish: 125 mpg+ Prius plug-in hybrid, but not from Toyota)
Labels: Hybrid Vehicles, lithium battery, plug-in hybrid vehicles, toyota prius
posted by Dahcredyns at
10:20 AM
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Complete Story
There is an interesting experiment taking place in the workshops of many lithium-ion battery producers: the creation of 100 mpg+ plug-in versions of the Toyota Prius.
Thus far, both LTC and A123Systems have each demonstrated working plug-in hybrid vehicles built upon the Prius and each companies lithium battery packs. Both companies have achieved 125 mpg + performance with such plug-in hybrids.
Yet, when Toyota begins to sell the third generation Prius, probably sometime next year, the Prius will not be a plug-in, even though the hybrid will use lithium-ion batteries.
"Our battery is still superior," Masatami Takimoto, executive vice president in charge of powertrain development, recently said about Toyota's lithium batteries compared to the competition.
According to Reuters, "Takimoto said Toyota had been approached by both parties as well as many other battery makers, but dismissed their products as "unusable" due to their low energy density.
He added that plug-in hybrids, which can be recharged through an electric socket, were still years away from practical application and pure electric vehicles even further out because even with a trunk full of rechargeable batteries, they would have a cruising range of just 60 km (37 miles)."
So, is Toyota just being coy? Is Toyota trying to keep expectations down to protect sales of the current Prius? Is plug-in hybrid technology just too expensive for now?
Already there have been rumors that the third generation Prius will achieve fuel economy of 80, 90 or even 100 mpg - without plug-in technology. Perhaps, such mileage might make current plug-in hybrid technology ineffective in terms of cost/reward versus a conventional lithium-powered Prius hybrid?
Still, I find it hard to believe that the third generation Prius will achieve much more than 70 mpg - still a remarkable feat - without the help of plug-in technology. Of course, I would love to be wrong. Nonetheless, the competition heating up in the hybrid space from automakers, suppliers, and third-party plug-in integrators is getting quite interesting, and one thing seems certain: the hybrid revolution is coming.
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