EV Innovations
Plug-in Prius hybrid launched in Japan
Previewed at the recent Tokyo Motor Show, the plug-in version of Toyota’s Prius hybrid has been launched in Japan. The significant development of this car, besides its ability to suck electricity from your household supply, is that it uses lithium-ion batteries, a first for Toyota.
So, out goes the standard car’s nickel metal hydride battery, replaced by a 5.2 kWh Li-ion pack. Toyota claims that the plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHV) can be driven in EV mode for 23 km when fully charged, a significant improvement over the current car. Max speed in EV mode is also up from about 45 km/h to 100 km/h.
The official average fuel consumption is 57 km/l in the Japanese test cycle. If it’s able to hit 40 km/l in our daily grind, we’ll be seriously impressed. Charging time is 180 minutes for 100V current and 100 minutes for 200V.
Besides the battery and charging system, the THS II system is carried over. This means that you’ll find a 1.8-litre Atkinson cycle engine with 98 bhp and 142 Nm of torque working in tandem with a 81 bhp/207 Nm permanent magnet motor.
No sale yet though. The PHVs will be leased to governments, power companies and universities so that Toyota can collect real-world driving data for the development of battery-charging infrastructure. Showroom sales is scheduled to begin two years from now.
2009 New York Preview: EV Innovations’ Inizio all electric super car
American based EV Innovations, which is a company that builds hybrid and electric vehicles (such as the Toyota Yaris-based Liv Wise) will unveil a new all electric super car at the New York Auto Show which will take place from April 10th till April 19th this year.
Unfortunately, the company did not reveal more information regarding the emissions free super car, but we do know that it is able to hit the 100 km/h mark in 5 seconds, and can go all the way up to 241 km/h. Expected to directly take on the Tesla Roadster, it can deliver 321 kilometers in terms of driving range over a full charge. The Tesla Roadster sprints to 100 km/h in slightly less than 4 seconds and features a top speed of 201 km/h. With a full charge, it can deliver 354 kilometers. More information will be revealed on April 10th.
