Although Toyota spent years convincing early adopter buyers that its Prius hybrid vehicle didn’t need to be plugged into a wall in order to be operated, the automaker might now find itself having to re-educate consumers with the opposite information.
Japan’s Nikkei business daily says that Toyota will make range-extended plug-in technology standard on the Prius as soon as 2014, which will give the five-door hatchback the ability to drive on exclusively electric power until a battery is depleted.
As Leftlane recently tested, Toyota is experimenting with a plug-in Prius with a roughly 13-mile range from its lithium ion battery pack. That larger, more advanced battery pack requires a 90 minute recharge, but the production Prius plug-in will likely have even more advanced battery technology.
Some markets will see a production model as soon as the 2012 model year, although Toyota is mostly mum on details. Its lithium ion battery will also help improve electric assist when the gasoline engine kicks over after the main EV battery is depleted. As a result, overall fuel economy will also increase.
By 2014, however, Toyota might drop the non-plug in hybrid entirely in order to focus on the plug-in model as consumers become more ready to accept that their vehicle might need to be both plugged in and gassed up – like in the Chevrolet Volt.
References
1.’Toyota to make…’ view
