Finally green car fans can rejoice – as Toyota has made the Prius Plug-in Hybrid (Prius PHV) available for orders.
Toyota is now taking orders through its dealerships across Japan ahead of an official launch on January 30, 2012. The vehicle will be sold at all Toyota, Toyota Corolla, Toyopet and Netz dealers in Japan with a sales target of 35,000-40,000 units per year.
The Toyota Prius PHV is part of the Japanese carmaker’s efforts to accelerate the use of electric cars. It offers a high capacity lithium-ion battery with an electric vehicle cruising range of 16.4miles and fuel efficiency of 143mpg calculated between electric vehicle and hybrid vehicle driving modes.
Its development focused on three areas: offering high environmental performance; product value and ease of use; and affordability. In an effort to ensure eco-conscious use of the vehicle, it comes with a new service called PHV Drive Support which centres on a function that connects the vehicle and owner via the internet. This offers a number of services including one that allows for remote checking through smart phones of remaining battery power and charging station locations.
Toyota outlined a number of environmental goals at the start of its development including a lifecycle assessment to reduce the amount of CO2 emissions and other air pollutants, not just during the driving phase but throughout the entire lifecycle of the vehicle from production to disposal. Its CO2 emissions are approximately nine per cent lower than the basic version of the Toyota Prius – and these emissions can be reduced further if the vehicle runs on electricity generated from renewable energy such as solar and wind power.
Prices for the Toyota Prius PHV start at Y3,200,000 and run up to Y4,200,000 – that’s US$41,000-US$53,800 (or around £26,240 to £34,440). UK order books and prices are expected to be formally announced soon.
