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.
posted November 11th 2007 4:21PM
There's NO problem with everyone plugging in their cars at night. If they have no problem with people leaving their HDTV, DVD player, Computers, cell phones, and other appliances and gadgets in a stand-by/charge mode all night, they won't have any problem with a few extra volts drawn for a car.
The next step, however, is to convert most communities to electricity derived from something other than coal. I suggest nuclear power. It's mostly clean, it's fairly safe, and the people who object to it haven't paid attention to any of the research in that field since the 1980s. Most people simply don't understand how nuclear energy works (and probably pronounce it "nuke-yoo-lur").
Readers who'll be in NYC on WED., NOV. 14 may be interested in hearing Toyota chairman Fujio Cho speak at a noontime event at Japan Society. James McDonald, CEO of Rockefeller & Co., will preside.
The luncheon is sold out but seats still available for the lecture 1-2 pm; http://www.japansociety.org
(Japan Society is on E. 47th St. between 1st & 2nd Aves.)
Is it just me or is this whole "save the earth" thing fairly exclusive to home owners/renters? For example, if I want to grow my own food, switch to solar/wind, upgrade my appliances, etc. I can't because I live in an apartment. Same goes for plug-in cars. What am I going to do with a plug in car when I HAVE NO ELECTRICAL OUTLETS? What percentage of the US population lives in apartments/condos anyways? 25%?
@ joseph
WHAAAAT???
Screw GM and Toyota.They are all in bed with the oil companies. I just want to get my hands on the hybrid synergy drive components. I want to build my own plug in hybrid, perhaps in a Subaru platform(?) and recharge it with my photovoltaic and wind turbine battery bank (at night). It's predominately techno-economic. I can make electricty, I can't make gasoline,diesel or hydrogen, and certainly not cheaply. If I can help the environment and clean up the air, even better! We can land a rover on Mars, but we can't build a cost effective PHEV for the masses ? BS!