Further to Faye Sunderland’s post earlier this week “EDF and Toyota announce huge trial for plug-in hybrids” more details have been revealed about Toyota’s plans for its revamped Prius model.
Around 100 of the new lithium-ion battery charged vehicles will head to Strasbourg later this year to be road tested as part of a project with EDF Energy similar to the tests the companies ran on the plug-in Prius with nickel hydride batteries in London last year.
The hope is that the Japanese manufacturer will be able to launch the plug-in version with lithium-ion batteries later this year though that launch is only expected to involve around 500 vehicles.
There will also be several hundred charging points set up at homes, in car parks and along roadsides. It is described as an “innovative charging system” that links cars and stations to exchange information on vehicle identity, charging status and invoicing.
In the long term, EDF Energy is hoping to build an electric transportation charging network in France and may even call on the services of Brighton based Elektromotive which installed its charging stations as part of the trails in London.
Other companies that could be up for consideration include Ecotality, Coulomb Technologies, Better Place and Gridpoint. The successful company may be boosted by financial support from the French government after Nicolas Sarkozy pledged €400 million to support the development of electric and hybrid cars last October.
