Tuesday 31 August 2010: The Green Piece Column.

It’s one of the most common concerns about the electrification of the automobile – no, not how long the range of these vehicles will last or how regularly batteries will need to be replaced; but just how safe are electric cars?

Electrical fires are notoriously dangerous, particularly for fire-fighters using water or other conductive agents. Over the years, electrical shocks have caused many deaths and though solutions have been found – fire-fighters generally use dry chemical powder extinguishers and carbon dioxide to put out electrical fires – there are fears that a surge in electrical vehicle numbers could exacerbate the problem.

However, General Motors attempted to address this issue with a nationwide electric vehicle training tour in the US.

Inspired by the Volt

A pre-production version of the Chevrolet Volt (to be known in the UK as the Vauxhall Ampera) was used as a teaching tool on the tour which included classroom training and a live extrication exercise in which fire-fighters practised door and roof removal.

As part of the exercise, fire-fighters inspected the instrument panel to ensure that the crashed Chevrolet Volt had been turned off. They were then able to stabilise the vehicle with a “chock and block” procedure before deflating the Volt’s tyres to ensure it remained stable during cutting and extrication. The 12V electrical system is then disabled by cutting the battery cables at designated cut points behind a trim panel towards the rear of the car.

The Volt does come with a removable high voltage service plug in the rear centre console which can be used to disable high voltage components. However, this is mainly designed for automotive technicians and could be difficult to access at the scene of an accident.

Steps towards safety

The good news for fire-fighters and the emergency services in general is that the issue of safety is being looked at very carefully by General Motors and other car manufacturers.

The Volt, for example, comes with an on-board safety system. This automatically unlocks its doors and activates emergency flashes while disabling the fuel pump when an airbag signal is detected.

The lithium-ion battery pack meanwhile is bolted to the underside of the vehicle floor from underneath. It has been subjected to an array of abuse tests including overcharge, discharge, vibration, excess heat and cold, short circuit, humidity, fire and more. GM actually recommends that a Volt battery fire can be fought with water rather than dry chemicals as the Volt battery has no explosion or electrocution hazard as the result of a collision. The high voltage system shuts down automatically as soon as airbags are deployed.

In the US, the Volt is also supported by OnStar safety. This means that first responders will be informed that the Volt features an electric powertrain before they arrive on the scene.

Thanks to the OnStar application, the vehicle’s position can be triangulated to determine if it has left the roadway and the advisers can sound the vehicle’s horn to help personnel locate the vehicle. OnStar has also developed an Impact Severity Predictor that evaluates the intensity and angle of impact and predicts the likelihood of injuries in the vehicle.

Potential problems

One area that did cause some issues for the fire-fighters during the challenge was the inability to cut through ultra high strength steel such as boron or martensite.

This structural steel was first used in Volvo vehicles in the late 1990s and has since become commonplace throughout the industry. It is seen as an important safety feature because it can enhance side impact protection and roof strength integrity.

Indeed more than 70 per cent of the Volt’s structural steel uses ultra high strength steel, including the floor which supports the battery pack. The problem of course is that cutting through this sort of material with an electric battery close by can be dangerous due to the sparking from the high-speed rotary cut-off saws, which present a fire hazard. Indeed the jaws of older hydraulic cutting tools can spread from excessive side loads when a cut is attempted. However, most extrication tools have been upgraded to deal with the new steels.

Our verdict on the safety of electric cars

It’s understandable that new car buyers would have their doubts about the safety of electric cars and the ability of first responders to deal with a crash scene and fire involving an electric powertrain.

However, as with any new technology it’s safe to assume that as electric cars become more commonplace, fire-fighters will be better equipped to deal with emergencies. Most importantly for early electric car buyers, manufacturers are taking the safety issue very seriously, and, just as General Motors is doing with the Volt, are implementing unique safety features that should make drivers just as comfortable in an electric powered car as they are in a regular vehicle.

With time it may even be the case that electric cars are safer than their petrol and diesel counterparts because the implementation of Smart Grid technology should increase vehicle communications making responses to accidents faster and more efficient. Yes there may be teething problems, but electric cars have come a long way and so has their commitment to safety.

Faye Sunderland

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Business secretary Vince Cable got an exclusive chance to try the Jaguar Land Rover Limo Green concept after visiting the firm’s headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire.

The electric/petrol hybrid concept vehicle is designed to help the carmaker prove that ‘luxury’ and ‘green’ need not be incompatible statements. The firm hopes the vehicle will achieve CO₂ emissions of less than 120gm/km, fuel consumption bettering 57mpg and a top speed of 112mph. The car -capable of driving 30 miles in EV mode alone- has been developed in conjunction with Lotus Engineering, MIRA and Caparo Technologies and is based on the new, lightweight, XJ saloon.

Dr Cable tried the vehicle out during a tour of the West Midlands, discovering all about the area’s strategic importance to the car industry.

Other green vehicles on display for the secretary included the Range Rover Sport REHEV (Range Extended Hybrid Electric Vehicle) and Land Rover’s much-anticipated new model, the Range Rover Evoque. The Evoque is a smaller, lighter, more fuel-efficient addition to the Range Rover line-up set to go on sale in 2011.

The visit gave the carmaker –the UK’s largest investor in automotive environmental technologies –the opportunity to showcase how it has utilised some of the £800m already committed to the development of technologies aimed specifically at reducing tailpipe CO₂ emissions.

Later, the Business Secretary’s visited the International Digital Laboratories at Warwick University in Coventry where Jaguar Land Rover have recently opened an advanced technology and research facility on the campus.

While at the university the Business Secretary will get behind the wheel of a racing car designed and made from sustainable and renewable materials that include chocolate, carrots and potatoes.

Dr Cable said: "The UK excels in making premium and niche cars and these are exported all over the world. A great example of the UK’s advanced research and development excellence is Jaguar’s Limo Green ultra-low carbon technology project. An executive car that can do more than 50mpg with CO₂ emissions from only 50g/km shows Britain’s premium car sector is more than capable of rising to the environmental challenges facing the car industry."

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Delphi is introducing a new selective catalytic reduction (SCR) control technology that should reduce vehicle emissions while increasing performance and long-term reliability.

The new system injects aqueous urea solution into a SCR system at four times the pressure of previous examples, which in turn allows the catalyst to be close-coupled to the engine. It is applicable to both light commercial vehicles and passenger cars with Delphi also working on versions that will suit both medium- and heavy-duty diesels.

There are three basic modules to the system – an SCR doser, which injects the urea solution directly into the exhaust stream; a low pressure pump which supplies the solution; and the electronics software that is used to control the dosing subsystem. It is thanks to the high pressure of the dosing injector and the innovative insulation arrangement that the urea solution is prevented from boiling. It also ensures that there is consistent spray performance throughout the lifetime of the system.

As part of the Delphi system a positive displacement solenoid pump is used that delivers an accurate, metered quantity of urea throughout the lifetime of the system. The Urea Delivery Module can also be customised with the delivery pump only required to pressurise the urea solution to prevent boiling.

According to Peter Spadafora, Delphi’s product team leader, the high pressure SCR closing system will help manufacturers meet stricter requirements for nitrogen oxides while improving CO2 emissions at a minimal overall cost.

It is expected that the system will be introduced in 2012.

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Tuesday 6 July 2010. The Green Piece Column.

It appears that the UK Government’s proposed £5,000 electric car incentive is under threat amid a series of cutbacks on national spending.

Last Wednesday, Business Secretary Vince Cable warned the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) that while the Government will stand by the industry with “genuinely affordable” support it “can’t fight” and “can’t win” a subsidy battle. He also failed to confirm the fate of Labour’s pledge to subsidise new electric cars by £5,000 even on the same day that the Government’s climate change advisers said that the vehicles were one of four key focus areas in the bid to hit legally binding carbon budgets.

Why are the incentives under threat?

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph last week, Mr Cable warned manufacturers that the Government “can’t go around waving a chequebook at British industry” after the Labour government had offered state aid to help attract Nissan and Ford to bring their low carbon production lines to the UK and set up the vehicle scrappage scheme.

Though he commented that he was not “downing the past”, Mr Cable believes that we are now in a different era and that there is a difference between liberal and laissez-faire. He instead wants the Government to act as a facilitator to bring industry and researchers together and to help encourage research commercialisation.

Mr Cable’s statement has received backing in some surprising quarters. Carl Peter-Forster, the chief executive of electric sports car maker Tesla Motors, has backed the comments – he stated that car makers should not be seeking money, but should instead be working with the Government on “joint and collaborative research and development projects.”

The response

With the electric car incentive appearing to be under threat, some of the leading car manufacturers have been quick to point out that the UK will be significantly less attractive without it.

In what appears to be a subtle warning, Citroen, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Renault and Peugeot all wrote to Mr Cable and Transport Secretary Phillip Hammond to state that “as businesses we will target the markets that provide the best environment for selling our vehicles” while pointing out that their companies are “uncertain of the government’s position”.

The manufacturers had all planned to mass market electric cars in the UK next year and believe that the vehicles are critical to the growth of green sector jobs. Without the proposed plug-in car grant, then Nissan’s LEAF vehicle for example, which is due to be built in Sunderland, could take a significant hit in sales.

A report from the Committee on Climate Change (see article) also suggests that electric car investments must be preserved. It wants to see a programme of incentives and disincentives to encourage generators to adopt low carbon technologies while also outlining the need for more ambitious targets for electric cars on the road.

Our verdict

With the new Coalition Government feeling the need to cut back on spending across the board it’s no surprise that the electric car incentives would come under threat – however, it’s important that their potential impact on the economy is not overlooked before the axe is wielded.

The recession has given the impression that progress is being made in the effort to reduce emissions when in fact it is a reduction in economic activity that has primarily driven the emissions fall. For the UK to secure a low carbon recovery it needs to be at the forefront of the green sector and this means applying suitable investment to attract environmentally conscious businesses and prompt a green recovery.

Whether the £5,000 incentive for electric car buyers is the answer is open for debate. Electric car take-up is likely to be slow at first anyway, particularly without the necessary infrastructure in place and with prices high (even after the subsidy) because the technology is so new. As competition builds, electric car prices should naturally begin to fall and take-up will rise.

However, to abandon support of electric vehicles altogether would be foolhardy. Governments around the world have committed strongly to this new era of electrification and manufacturers have followed suit. Even if the electric car incentive for buyers is to be reduced, it should be redirected towards the support of charging infrastructure and increased use of renewable energy by the National Grid.

Electric vehicles are critical to the growth of green jobs with climate and energy secretary Chris Huhne even stating that such posts are central to the Government’s job creation plans. It’s vital then that the Government does not back out at the last minute and risk being left behind the rest of the world in a cloud of ‘zero emission’ smoke.

Faye Sunderland

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Where we stand: July 2010

Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has been in the news after striking a deal with Transport for London to bring four i-MiEV electric vehicles to the nation’s capital (see article). The company has also furthered its collaboration with PSA Peugeot Citroen with the expectation that a new electric light commercial vehicle will be developed (see article).

However, despite being one of the first major manufacturers to bring an electric vehicle to the market, Mitsubishi has not always been an embracer of green technology having primarily made its name in the UK with larger models such as the Mitsubishi Outlander and Mitsubishi Shogun.

Mitsubishi today

Mitsubishi was rocked in 1997 by the economic downturn in south-east Asia where it had a strong presence. It saw customer demand plummet and this prompted an aggressive restructuring programme. Mitsubishi struggled for a long period without new investment and in 2006 the Mitsubishi I kei Car became its first new vehicle in 29 months. It reported its first profitable quarter in four years in the third quarter of 2006 and returned to profitability at the end of that year.

Though recently debuting its greenest SUV in the UK in the form of the Mitsubishi ASX, much of the company’s green car efforts have focused on its i-MiEV (based on the I kei car) all-electric mini car with a lithium-ion battery tucked underneath its floor.

The car has a range of 80miles and a top speed of 80mph. It was launched in Japan in late July, 2009, with Mitsubishi expecting sales in the region of 1,400 vehicles by March, 2010, and then to around 5,000 vehicles in the following 12months. The Japanese government is offering subsidies on the vehicle as high as Y1,390,000 and its overall price was slashed in April 2010 as a direct reaction to Nissan announcing the launch of the LEAF electric vehicle (see feature). In the US, sales are expected to begin in 2011 with prices targeted below $30,000.

Here in the UK, the Mitsubishi i-MiEV featured as part of an electric vehicle trial in December, 2009, and is part of the Coventry and Birmingham Low Emission Vehicle Demonstrators (CABLED) programme in the Midlands. Sales to the UK public will begin in January, 2011, with the vehicle priced at £38,699 (see article and feature) although the launch is expected to coincide with the government’s £5,000 Plug-in Car Grant if it goes ahead. The i-MiEV is also expected to be sold in Europe as both the Peugeot i0n and the Citroen C-ZERO (see article).

Greenest models on sale:

The following are the greenest models of all Mitsubishi cars available now in the UK:
Mitsubishi ASX – Greenest Model: 2 1.6litre petrol with combined mode fuel consumption of 47.1mpg and CO2 emissions at 135g/km.

Mitsubishi Colt Three Door – Greenest Model: 1.3 CZ2 ClearTec Manual with combined mode fuel consumption of 56.5mpg and CO2 emissions at 119g/km.
Mitsubishi Colt Five Door – Greenest Model: 1.3 CZ2 ClearTec Manual with combined fuel consumption of 56.5mpg and CO2 emissions at 119g/km.

Mitsubishi i-MiEV – Greenest Model: An electric vehicle with zero exhaust emissions and a range of 80miles on a single charge.

Mitsubishi Lancer Four Door – Greenest Model: 1.5 MIVEC SE Manual with combined mode fuel consumption of 44.1mpg and CO2 emissions at 153g/km.
Mitsubishi Lancer Hatchback – Greenest Model: 1.5 MIVEC GS2 Manual with combined mode fuel consumption of 42.8mpg and CO2 emissions at 156g/km.
Mitsubishi L200 Double Cab – Greenest Model: 2.5 DI-D 4WD 4Work Double Cab LB Manual with combined fuel consumption of 34.0mpg and CO2 emissions at 218g/km.
Mitsubishi L200 Club Cab – Greenest Model: 2.5 DI-D 4WD 4Life Single Cab Manual with combined fuel consumption of 34.9mpg and CO2 emissions at 215g/km.

Mitsubishi Outlander – Greenest Model: 2.2DI-D Duro Manual with combined mode fuel consumption of 40.4mpg and CO2 emissions at 185g/km.

Mitsubishi Shogun LWB – Greenest Model: 3.2 DI-DC Equippe Manual with combined mode fuel consumption of 35.3mpg and CO2 emissions at 212g/km.
Mitsubishi Shogun SWB – Greenest Model: 3.2 DI-DC Equippe Manual with combined mode fuel consumption of 35.3mpg and CO2 emissions at 211g/km.
Mitsubishi Shogun Commercial – Greenest Model: 3.2 DI-DC Warrior Commercial Manual with combined mode fuel consumption of 35.3mpg and CO2 emissions at 211g/km.

Mitsubishi tomorrow:

Mitsubishi has outlined plans to cut the cost of its electric vehicles by around 30 per cent by 2012 (see article) and has also revealed plans for two more models based on the i-MiEV:

- Mitsubishi i-MiEV Cargo – Extending the i-MiEV with a generous amount of rear space, the i-MiEV Cargo is aimed at corporate users and self-employed operators in particular. It measures 1350mm wide by 1180mm deep by 1100mm high and features a flat floor and cube shaped luggage compartment at the rear.

- Mitsubishi Concept PX i-MiEV – The Mitsubishi i-MiEV will soon have a plug-in hybrid version in the form of the Concept PX. It returns fuel consumption in excess of 140.9mpg and greatly extends the range of the i-MiEV with a 1.6l DOHC MIVEC gasoline engine which can power the front wheels as well as work as a generator. It made its debut at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show.

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A letter from a consortium of carmakers warns the UK government that a failure to confirm electric car subsidies will jeopardise the switch to greener cars, reports The Guardian.

According to the national newspaper, Mitsubishi, Nisssan, Peugeot and Citroen have written a joint letter to the business secretary Vince Cable and transport secretary Philip Hammond warning that "without the incentives, the UK will become a significantly less attractive market" to the electric car manufacturers.

It reads: "As businesses, we will target the markets that provide the best environment for selling our vehicles. The emergency budget made no specific reference to supporting low-carbon vehicle incentives and has therefore left our businesses uncertain of the government’s position."

Last week Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond said that it is likely that there would be a grant for buyers of electric and plug-in hybrids, although he could not confirm if it would match the £5,000 promised by the former Labour government (see story).

The companies, which all plan to launch mass-market electric cars in the UK by next year, said the vehicles were of "critical importance" to the growth of new green jobs. Accordingly the climate and energy secretary, Chris Huhne, has said such posts were central to government job-creation plans.

Electric cars are also central to Government plans to cut the country’s carbon emissions to meet legally-binding targets.

Cutting the grant for electric cars would hit of Nissan’s all-electric Leaf model. The carmaker is currently planning to manufacture its electric Leaf model at its plant in Sunderland from 2013. Currently around 4,000 people are employed at the North East factory.

Mitsubishi will retail its i-MiEV electric car model in the UK from January 2011-when the grants were scheduled to be introduced. Peugeot and Citroen likewise will introduce their electric car models from next year, both of which based on the i-MiEV.

The Government has still yet to confirm details of potential grants for electric cars and refused to comment on any timescale for incentives to the sector.

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Electric car drivers in Coventry and Birmingham can now use a new network of easy-access charge points in the latest stage of the UK’s largest ultra low carbon vehicles trial.

The network of charging points has been installed by E.ON on behalf of the CABLED project, a trial of 110 vehicles being tested by ‘real world’ users over the next 12 months.

To mark the installation of the new charge points, a convoy of electric cars travelled between the two cities to make use of both sets of charging points situated 20 miles apart.

Electric vehicles including Mitsubishi, Tata and Modec models made the journey between the central city locations of Margaret Street in Birmingham and Croft Road, Coventry earlier this week.

Charles Bradshaw-Smith, Head of Innovation at E.ON – and himself a participant in the CABLED project – said: "Coventry and Birmingham were the birthplace of the British car industry and it’s great that these two cities are now leading the way in bringing low-carbon motoring to our streets.

“Electric cars are perfect for commutes to work and for shopping trips to town – and we’re proud to help make eco-driving even easier by being the energy behind these charging points.

“Today’s event shows that electric vehicles are a genuine alternative to petrol and diesel cars – I speak as someone who has driven 7,000 commuting miles in my electric vehicle.”

Councillor Linda Bigham, cabinet member for City Development at Coventry City Council, commented: "This is a big step forward in the initiative to reduce harmful carbon emissions and encourage people and businesses to use electric vehicles. There are seven charging points in Coventry which are now ready to use with more planned in the future for domestic vehicles.

“Coventry City Council has purchased 45 electric vehicles as part of an ongoing programme to replace its fleet vehicles. These will be in use from September, and more are planned in the years ahead. These vehicles will produce fuel savings of almost 20 per cent, whilst also reducing carbon emissions by 20 per cent."

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Business secretary Vince Cable officially launched the start of production of the all-new hybrid Auris at Toyota’s Burnaston plant in Derbyshire this morning.

During his visit the Dr Cable toured the production lines, meeting workers and management from the plant before watching the first Auris HSD (Hybrid Synergy Drive) drive off the end of the production line.

The moment marked the start of manufacture of Toyota’s second-only hybrid model-the first hybrid to be built in Europe.

Speaking ahead of the launch, Vince Cable said: “Toyota’s decision to make Burnaston the only plant in the world to build the Hybrid Auris is a strong endorsement of the UK as a manufacturing base for the next generation of cars.”

“It is sending a signal to manufacturers that if you’re not in the UK, then you’re missing out on all the strengths and skills that the UK has to offer.”

The new 5-door hatchback Auris HSD has fuel consumption of only 74.3 mpg (combined cycle) and remarkably low CO₂ emissions of just 89g/km. In addition, the Auris HSD generates significantly lower NOx and PM emissions than diesel engined cars of comparable performance.

The new Auris will be assembled at the carmaker’s Burnaston plant while the Hybrid Synergy Drive system’s petrol engine will be built in Deeside, North Wales. Opened in 1992, Burnaston was the carmaker’s first European plant and will now become the first plant to manufacture full hybrid vehicles in Europe.  Auris HSD will be built in the same production line as petrol and diesel Auris, alongside Avensis.

Toyota manufacturing in the UK passed the three million vehicles mark in June 2010.

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As Toyota launches its first road trials of the forthcoming Plug-in version of its iconic Prius model, our reporter Tom Stewart gets behind the wheel to find out what we can expect from this latest evolution of the ‘original hybrid’

Plug-in takes to the streets

Toyota’s new Prius Plug-in hybrid isn’t due to go on sale to the general public until early 2012, but in the meantime Toyota and EDF Energy have together launched the UK’s largest plug-in hybrid vehicle leasing programme.

The three-year scheme is part of the government-funded Technology Strategy Board’s Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator programme, and the 20 Prius Plug-ins taking to London’s streets from July 2010 will be run by Transport for London, Sky, News International, the Government Car and Dispatch Agency and the Metropolitan Police.

As part of a worldwide initiative involving 600 Prius Plug-ins – 200 of which will be spread across various other European cities – Toyota is supplying the cars while EDF, in conjunction with the Greater London Authority, is working toward installing up to 550 public access charging points across the capital. These will be sited at workplaces, domestic locations and on-street.

In addition to EDF establishing this essential recharging infrastructure, the Toyota/EDF programme will gather data on the real-world experiences of the drivers and fleet operators involved. This will provide both companies and the government with valuable insights into driver attitudes and usage patterns, which in turn will help formulate plans for introducing plug-in hybrids and recharging technologies on a grander scale. Further data logging by the fleet operators and Toyota will provide further intelligence about the benefits gained in energy savings and reduced emissions, public perceptions and recharging patterns and preferences.

Hybrid meets the electric charge

Regular visitors to this site will be familiar with the Hybrid Synergy Drive Prius. The first generation, parallel hybrid Prius was launched in Europe in 2000, and the past decade has seen Toyota launch two further generations, the most recent of which went on sale in the UK in the Summer of 2009. This current Prius is about to be joined by the technologically very similar Auris Hybrid, which employs pretty much all of the third-generation Prius’ hybrid powertrain.

With the slightly smaller but more affordable Auris HSD moving in on the Prius’ traditional customer base it’s time for the niche Prius brand name to re-establish itself at the forefront of low carbon motoring.

So let’s start by looking at some familiar figures. For the record, the current 134bhp Toyota hybrids return 72.4mpg (Prius) and 74.3mpg (Auris) on the combined cycle, cover 0-62mph in 10.4 secs (Prius) and 11.4 secs (Auris), while both have a top speed of 112mph and emit 89g/km of CO₂ (on 15” wheels).

Heavy

In comparison, the new Prius Plug-in hybrid’s spec sheet shows the same 134bhp and 112mph max, but, due in part to the Plug-in’s new but heavier lithium ion battery pack (the Prius and Auris HSDs both employ nickel-metalhydride battery technology), the new Plug-in manages 0-62mph in a less athletic 13.7 secs. Another small negative is that the Plug-in’s Li-Ion battery is also substantially larger than the current NiMh pack and, as a consequence, the Plug-in’s boot floor is further raised (to a little above the level of the bottom lip of the tailgate opening) and is therefore noticeably less capacious.

The Prius Plug-in employs a Li-Ion battery for these two key reasons: it offers superior ‘volume energy density’ compared to the NiMh type, which means a greater EV driving range. The two current Toyota HSDs have a range in EV (electric only) mode of a little over 1.2 miles at speeds up to 31mph, whereas the new Plug-in can manage 12.5 miles at speeds up to 62mph, depending on conditions. Like the existing HSDs, once the Plug-in’s battery charge has been used up, the car automatically switches to full hybrid operation, but it can then of course be recharged via an external power supply, and it will charge more quickly than a nickel-metal hydride battery – about one-and-half hours from a regular 230volt power supply. Coupled with a near-700 mile capability on a tankful of petrol, all this means that there’ll be none of the range anxiety associated with conventional, all-electric vehicles.

Two thirds of the Plug-in’s battery capacity must be recharged by connecting it to an external electricity supply, while the other third is integrated into the vehicle’s full hybrid drive system and so is constantly recharged as the car is driven day-to-day. The battery pack can be recharged by plugging the cable supplied into a standard 13amp socket, although, as the battery draws some 12amps it should really be via a 60309 plug and socket as this type is more robust than the BS1363 standard used in domestic households. The 60309 system also has an interlocked and switched socket that prevents a live plug from being removed. It can also be padlocked for added security, and it uses corrosion-resistant screws and a hinged cover.

Aside from the Plug-in’s reduced acceleration and the eventual purchase price – still a long way from being announced but will undoubtedly be higher than the current model’s top spec price of £22,960 – its spec sheet shows a clean pair of heels to the current HSDs. Fuel consumption is an impressive 108.6mpg (combined) with just 59g/km of CO₂, or some 30% lower than current Prius.

Cooled and ready to roll

The new Plug-in also features a unique remote climate control system that allows the car’s interior to be cooled or warmed while it’s plugged in for recharging, thus providing a comfortable cabin temperature and improving the car’s overall efficiency as less energy is used by the aircon during start-up.

The Plug-in’s interior will be familiar to current Prius owners, but there are a few subtle differences. The upper-level Eco Drive Monitor has been revised to help maximise the benefits of the Plug-in’s extended EV driving range, and the Hybrid System Indicator dial shows the point at which the petrol engine will kick in when accelerating, helping the driver moderate throttle inputs and maximise use of the EV mode. Also, the lower-level screen can now display a growing forest, which shows the benefits in CO₂ reduction delivered by battery charging.

The Plug-in driving experience is essentially the same as the current Prius’, except that the Plug-in remains in full EV mode much more easily and for much longer, and requires quite a hefty prod on the accelerator to goad it into smoothly switching from full EV mode to 1.8-litre VVT-i petrol mode.

Priced to go? 

The new Plug-in Prius won’t answer everyone’s prayers. It won’t, for example, be ideal for urban cab drivers constantly on the go as they won’t want to regularly ‘waste’ 1.5hrs recharging. Nor will it suit high-mileage reps on the motorway who’ll spend much less time than is ideal in EV mode. But for those of us with access to suitable and convenient recharge points who regularly make short urban journeys and don’t want to suffer the dreaded range anxiety, then the Plug-in Prius will make very good sense – assuming, of course, that the price is right.

Tom Stewart

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The move towards charging vehicles safely from the electric grid has advanced after Europe’s automobile manufacturers agreed to a first phase of joint specifications.

The agreement only covers one- and three-phrase AC charging in the short- and medium-term and reflects the needs of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. It is expected that further agreements will follow relating to quick charging and heavy duty vehicles.

The phase one agreements include:

- Vehicle inlet: There will be no restrictions on the type of vehicle inlet as vehicles with different types are already on the market or in a late development stage. So manufacturers will supply at least one cable with a type two plug or standard domestic plug to connect to infrastructure.

- Public charging: Type two industrial sockets will be allowed during this transitional period – if the vehicle inlet is of a different type than the connector on the fixed cable then the customer must be able to use its own cable that is delivered with the vehicle.

- Home charging: Standard home sockets are widely available but a third party certification of the household electricity grid should be conducted before the vehicle is first charged.

As part of phase two, a uniform EU solution that reduces the solutions on the market has been suggested while still maintaining maximum flexibility for consumers and predictability for producers. Current phase two agreements include a harmonised solution for vehicle inlets using mode three charging will apply for new types from 2017; a mode three uniform EU solution for public charging; and a mode three uniform EU solution for home charging, although standard domestic sockets or industrial sockets will still be allowed on the condition of third party certification.

Elsewhere, countries such as Japan and the USA have decided to use a pure single-phase connector. China has similar distribution grids to Europe and includes a type two connector for the vehicle and infrastructure in its new standard.

The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association includes BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler, FIAT Group, Ford of Europe, General Motors Europe, Jaguar Land Rover, MAN Nutzfahrzeuge, Porsche, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault, Scania, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen and Volvo.

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