Toyota has begun its limited feedback-harvesting lease program for the plug-in version of the Prius hybrid. We drove a representative prototype at Toyota's proving grounds in Japan. Some 150 will hit U.S. roads from this month, prior to it going on general sale in 2011 -- around the same time, of course, as the Chevy Volt.
One of the fascinating things about the eco-car revolution now upon us is the differences between competing technologies. So Toyota's conception of a plug-in gas car is a rather different proposition to GM's.
Toyota's is basically a Prius, but with a higher-capacity battery than the normal hybrid. You plug it in to an electrical outlet and, fully charged, it will go in electric mode for about 12 miles of gentle urban running. After that it switches back to the usual Prius hybrid powertrain where a blend of electric and gas power drives the wheels. The Volt, on the other hand, uses only its electric motor to drive the wheels, while the gas engine only supplies electricity to the motor after the battery is depleted.
No, 12 miles doesn't sound like much -- the Volt aims for 40 miles gas-free. But even so, Toyota says that most journeys are less than 12 miles. It expresses that by calculating that if all cars had a 12-mile electric range, gas use would be cut by 60 percent.
The other difference between the plug-in Prius and the Volt is that because the Volt is only ever driven electrically, it can deliver full performance even when running in EV mode. The Prius in EV mode misses the direct contribution of its gas engine and so can't deliver full performance.
In fact, the plug-in Prius will only reach 62 mph in electric mode. Up to that speed it will cruise in impressive electric silence. But ask for more, and the gas engine cuts smoothly in.
