Toyota details research plans for plug-in Prius, won't lease batteries

Earlier this year, we got word that Toyota was likely to test the waters with a plug-in version of its oh-so-trendy Prius, and now the auto maker has stepped forward and doled out a laundry list of details about the plan. Reportedly, the outfit will be delivering a single "modified Prius" to the University of California, Berkeley and University of California, Irvine for a three-year study designed to "speed up development of plug-in versions of the hybrid." The Golden Bears will be focusing on consumer behavior / lifestyles, while the Anteaters will research technical issues, such as how much juice will be sucked from the power grid when thousands of drivers plug-in their rides for the evening. On another interesting note, Toyota also mentioned that it had "no intention of leasing more expensive batteries for next-generation hybrids separate from the vehicle," which contrasts the view of several competitors (like GM) who are least mulling the idea. Unfortunately, we've no idea if the still-elusive plug-in Prius will land before / after the Volt, but we're sure folks at Toyota won't sit idly while Chevy cashes in for too long.

[Tyler Strembitsky @ Nov 11th 2007 4:50PM]

I'm afraid the days of Speed Racer are gone.

[Abuzar @ Nov 11th 2007 6:22PM]

I'm sorry but am I the only one that doesn't see politics when discussing pollution. Steve, honestly, are you a retard?

[Ipaq3115 @ Nov 11th 2007 5:02PM]

What's so bad about gas?

[Rob @ Nov 11th 2007 5:09PM]

High cost, pollution during extraction, delivery, and consumption. The list goes on and on. Plus, why would I want to finance revolutions against me in countries in the Middle East, Africa, and South America.

[huh @ Nov 11th 2007 5:22PM]

Your other points are valid, plus the particular detail that it's a finite non renewable resource, but I've read that refining is actually a pretty environmentally friendly process. The drilling is very contained as is refining (if there aren't any spills, that is), most by products are used and cars have low emissions these days. My source is Jared Diamond's book, "Collapse."

[Ipaq3115 @ Nov 11th 2007 5:28PM]

I get the high cost but who cares about pollution???

Unless your one of those people who that Global warming is going to drown us...

[huh @ Nov 11th 2007 5:46PM]

Maybe it's not going to drown us (or maybe it is?) but pollution is still harming people and destroying the environment. You'd have to be a pretty self absorbed to deny the value of seeking more environmentally friendly solutions.

[GJP303 @ Nov 11th 2007 5:54PM]

Who cares about polution? Me, I am 13, so i will have to face the devastating effects of the world that you incompetent people have caused upon us.

You sir, suck.

[SteveMB @ Nov 11th 2007 5:58PM]

Direct quote by GJP303, "Lets not get political on a gadget site." Can you say hyp-o-crite?

[dj-kenpo @ Nov 11th 2007 6:22PM]

good call steveMB, you attack that that 13 year old you manly man stud you.

[Abuzar @ Nov 11th 2007 6:23PM]

I'm sorry but am I the only one that doesn't see politics when discussing pollution. Steve, honestly, are you a retard?

[Ipaq3115 @ Nov 11th 2007 7:22PM]

@huh
Give me proof...
Research that statement and see what you come up with. At least five quotes from reputable sources... then we'll talk.

@GJP303
I'm 14 and if you think that pollution is going to have "devastating effects" on this generation you need to listen to someone other than Al Gore...

@SteveMB
Nice!!!

[BigD145 @ Nov 11th 2007 8:32PM]

@huh Refining is bad. Your risk of cancer if you live within a few miles of a refinery jumps to about 1 in 10. That happens to be several thousand times more likely than if you were a few hundred miles from said refinery. Crude is bad enough, but refineries add in all sorts of other nasty chemicals.

[paul @ Nov 11th 2007 9:52PM]

Awww. Are we having a contest to see who's younger and dumber? You both win! Hooray!

[huh @ Nov 11th 2007 10:30PM]

@Ipaq3115, it would take me a lot of time to assemble proof that pollution is harmful, because there is so much proof. I'm a born skeptic and I realize the earth is big and plentiful, but from killing older people/asthmatics in cities to destroying forests to every other possible harm pollution and waste cause, there is simply no denying that reducing pollution and waste is a good idea.

There will be other emergent effects of electric cars too, for example perhaps since they are much quieter we won't need such loud emergency vehicles. It will be a whole new experience. But it does have to happen carefully, there's bound to be a lot of mistakes in transition.

GJP303, whiners like you have always annoyed me. People who can't figure out that there is no "them" and there as many "good guys" in "them" as there are "bad guys" in "us" are the only bright ones. I know an 80 something year old man who would put most teens to shame in thoughtfulness, that's just one example.

By the way, in my original point about gas extraction, I was only referring to best case, tar sands type oil extraction is incredibly wasteful.

[SteveMB @ Nov 12th 2007 8:01AM]

dj-kenpo, I don't care how old he is.

[Mark @ Nov 11th 2007 5:13PM]

I want to know the range and top speed of the batteries. If they go less then 30 miles, and can't go at least 60km/hr (37 miles per hour), then there's no point in getting one.

[Temple @ Nov 11th 2007 6:27PM]

Thats why its still a "hybrid", for the highway you'll probably use the internal combustion motor, and when you run out of juice from the battery the car will become a normal hybrid with the fuel efficiency of a Prius.

The issue is that current Ni-cad batteries don't have the capacity or range for plug-in usage. Lithium-ion batteries are better but they have a safety issue and take long to charge(a problem when regenerative braking is concerned). Toyota is currently selling Li-on Vitz hybrids in Japan under very tight supply, the cars sold (around 30 per year) are used to test Li-on for future use.

[Boris Lipchin @ Nov 11th 2007 5:14PM]

Google has been doing research in this for a while now. Check out www.google.org and www.rechargeIT.org. Go Google.

[sisedi @ Nov 11th 2007 5:19PM]

They should send a model to the Art institute, maybe they can make it look less ugly.

[SteveMB @ Nov 11th 2007 5:46PM]

The stupid Toyota fanboys will low rank you in 3, 2, 1...

[BuGG @ Nov 11th 2007 5:19PM]

Screw Toyota. There are several companys that sell plug in kitsfor both the prius and the highlander. Both net 50 miles per charge. They put the extra batteries in the truck below the floor panel. Why wait when you can take advantage of this plug in feature now.

[- @ Nov 11th 2007 9:30PM]

Because without all these exhaustive research studies, they'd be opening themselves up to lawsuits from everyone that wants to blame them for a regional energy blackout to those that try to drive around the neighborhood with a really long extension cord. The bigger the company, the bigger the litigation target, the slower they have to move.

I'd love the see the Chevy Volt produced, but I have very little faith GM will go through with it. After all, why should they? Look at all the positive press they're getting for just coming up with the concept vehicle. By 2010, they just have to produce another vapor-car to get us oohing and ahhing again while they continue to wrap fancy sheet metal around the same gas-powered engines.

[Justin B @ Nov 11th 2007 5:27PM]

Even though Davis didn't get one (Srsly, we're probably the most hippiest campus aside from UCB), I'm glad the UCs are getting some love.

[Mars @ Nov 11th 2007 8:24PM]

Don't we have ten of them? Last time I heard, we were renting out ten plug-in Priuses to families for four weeks at a time.

Davis? Hippie-school? No way! Aside from the project compost and domes, I haven't seen anything that would make us a hippie school.

[memsense @ Nov 11th 2007 6:06PM]

Go Eater Nation! i'm waiting to check it out.

[spaceb @ Nov 11th 2007 6:18PM]

Will it be able to charge from an USB port?

[Zephir365 @ Nov 11th 2007 6:41PM]

so inconvenience :(

[m @ Nov 11th 2007 10:03PM]

what's convenient about waiting in line at a ^&#$ing Arco station that doesn't even take credit cards to pay over $3 gallon? are you crazy? the alternative is plugging it in overnight, at home, while you sleep! true, you won't be able to drive your souped-up civic at 190mph on the freeway anymore, but i see that as another plus. california is becoming unlivable, the way things are going now.

[Samwise @ Nov 11th 2007 10:10PM]

Your drive it into your garage, you plug it in, you unplug it, you drive it out of your garage.
It thats inconvenient your too lazy.

[fred @ Nov 11th 2007 7:05PM]

"I want to know the range and top speed of the batteries. If they go less then 30 miles, and can't go at least 60km/hr (37 miles per hour), then there's no point in getting one. "

cost benefits must be weighed
if battery cost exceeds budget of most buyers than its range is worthless.
half a loaf is better than none.
if you only have30 miles range thats good to cut the emissions of most commutes. many commutes are under 30 a day, or only a little more. chopping off the first 30 miles of car trip per day for many is useful, even if you have a longer commute. if only for the convenience of having to visit the gas station on fewer occasions. most people don't drive 2 hours a day for work, although admittedly some do.

[Frank @ Nov 11th 2007 7:34PM]

Preventing polution is not a political issue.

[gjp303 @ Nov 11th 2007 7:46PM]

Thank you, Frank, for seeing the light.

[crescentdavid @ Nov 11th 2007 10:15PM]

Here's a few folks who also agree with your self-evident statement: http://www.thinkingpeace.com/pages/Articles/Archive1/arts069.html

[Frank @ Nov 11th 2007 7:36PM]

I want a car that runs on a WIFI connection.

[steveo @ Nov 12th 2007 3:05AM]

That'll be fun when driving down the street around dinner time.

[Suhag Patel @ Nov 12th 2007 6:47PM]

but then we'll have to worry about wifi radiation killing us instead of carbon monoxide! ;)

[Ekauq @ Nov 11th 2007 7:56PM]

I'll just be afraid of the people who drive it like it is in the picture :)

[mike @ Nov 11th 2007 8:16PM]

Great. Thanks to Toyota from all of us who actually care about the future of our next generations. With continuous and innovative research I am sure Toyota will build a car that is gentle on both the air and the budget.. Go Toyota.

[pcgecko85 @ Nov 11th 2007 8:29PM]

cool, ill be looking for it. I've already seen some Hydrogen cars around campus.

[BigD145 @ Nov 11th 2007 8:36PM]

I would hate to see them go the 'lease' route. It costs more in the long run for consumers and makes more money for the business. All it does is make the media want to say, "Oh woe. This whole conversion process to renewable energy is too darn expensive. Let's go back to oil. You know, that resource we're almost out of and will never have again once it's gone."

[peestandingup @ Nov 11th 2007 8:39PM]

If you ask me, Toyota is losing its edge & playing it too safe these days, first with the new Scion models & now this. Screw that. The market is clearly ready for a mainstream plug-in vehicle of some sort. Its actually LONG overdue, especially after the demise of GMs EV1.

Whoever develops one & brings it to market first affordably gets my money.

[Scott Neary @ Nov 11th 2007 9:24PM]

Bottom line is that there are just too many people.

[skip jack @ Nov 11th 2007 11:16PM]

I agree with Scott, something must be done about it right away!

[Palmtree3000 @ Nov 12th 2007 12:23AM]

I agree. Let's start with you...

[rmikejav @ Nov 11th 2007 11:40PM]

Hee hee, hey Beavus- he said Anteater.. huh, huh!

[a @ Nov 12th 2007 12:53AM]

for me it's not about saving the world from pollution or any of that.
For me, it's about not giving ANY MORE money to people in countries that HATE us. I want a renewable fuel that can be developed, produced and sustained without importing. I don't want to depend on other nations.

Just you wait; before most of us grow old and die, there will be wars, world wars, fought over this resource if we don't find something else. China's thirst, India's thirst will lead them to go anywhere to get their oil; sell and trade anything secure suppliers to fuel their economies....
It's not about polution, it's about demand for rseources.

[JBDragon @ Nov 12th 2007 1:03AM]

Where do you think all that Electricity comes from? In the US it's mostly COAL!!! The Tons of Radiation in the form of uranium and thorium, thrown up into the Air that's in Coal is incredible. Yet the Nuclear Freaks go all up in arms for Nuclear Plants that are clean! You can also Reprocess the spent fuel and reuse it. Except we can't do that in the US either. Other countries like France are like 80% Nuclear. These safe plants are designed in the US, and yet We aren't using them ourselves. 3 mile was one mistake after another, and the Plant did what it was designed to do and that is contain the Radiation. The one in Russia was a half ass, cheaply designed plant which is why it failed.

If you expect to run all your Electric Cars and not just put YOUR pollution is someone Else's backyard, this is the ONLY way. Coal plants are nasty, the Slag heaps are getting into ground water.
For a good read, and to learn a little something about the problems with COAL, take a read here!!!
http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/rev26-34/text/colmain.html

There's NO magic solution to the problem. There's no free lunch. As for Al Gore, he's a total Hypocrite. Owns Multiple Mansions, and just to heat and cool one of those in enough for a Family for a year at least. The Private Jets. Why Not go commercial like everyone else? There's still 1st class. I saw a picture of him in his office in front of his computer with 3 Monitors running!!! Al's a ass!

[huggles @ Nov 12th 2007 4:59AM]

Increasing the mileage is silly. Keep it low and make people think about that next trip to the big box store on the other side of town with the crazy low low prices.

We want people to drive less, fly less. consume less. That's the way, think before you act and stop being a lazy mindless consumer.

[Galley @ Nov 12th 2007 8:30AM]

Give me a plug-in hybrid and I will go six months without stopping for gas. Just watch me!