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Toyota makes CarPlay and Alexa standard in the 2020 Prius
Toyota has revealed Apple CarPlay will come as standard in all of its 2020 Prius models, along with Alexa and its Safety Connect system. Back in May, Toyota said the plug-in Prius Prime would include CarPlay and Alexa in the 2020 model, but it's expanding availability across the board. Drivers who've been hoping for better connectivity in the Prius will surely welcome CarPlay and Alexa, though it seems Android Auto isn't on the cards just yet.
Toyota recalls 2.4 million hybrids over stalling risk
Toyota is facing a fresh setback after having to deal with a long line of faults relating to its hybrid cars over the past few years. Some Toyota Prius or Auris cars manufactured between 2008 and 2014 could be at risk of stalling when entering a fail-safe driving mode. The Japanese carmaker is now recalling 1.25 million cars in Japan, 830,000 in North America and 290,000 in Europe in order to fix the issue.
Toyota recalls over a million hybrid vehicles due to fire risk
Toyota is recalling more than a million Prius and C-HR hybrids worldwide due to a fire risk. Around 192,000 Prius vehicles in the US and more than 550,000 cars in Japan are involved in the recall, which is related to wiring connected to the power control unit. Insulation may wear down over time, potentially leading to a short circuit that could ultimately cause a fire.
Six vehicles powered by coffee, saltwater, sewage and other crazy fuels
By Cat DiStasio When it comes to advances in automotive technology, the search for alternative fuels is pretty exciting. Of course, you've heard about biodiesel engines converted to run on used vegetable oil that sputter out little more than water and the faint smell of French fries. However, there's a slew of vehicles out there that run on all sorts of other fuels too. There's an electric car powered by caffeine, as well as a hot rod that runs on air. Other curious fuel sources include plain old saltwater, crude made from algae, and (inevitably) there are even a number of vehicles designed to run on biogas generated from livestock waste (or, in layman's terms, cars that run on poop). Although some may be smellier than others, these inventive energy sources offer an intriguing alternative to conventional fossil fuels.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: The first freeform 3D-printed house
After 20 years of construction, Switzerland just completed the world's longest and deepest rail tunnel. The 35-mile Gotthard Base Tunnel runs 1.5 miles under the mountains connecting northern and southern Europe. In other transportation news, Paris just banned all cars made before 1997 in a bid to reduce air pollution. Tesla's battery Gigafactory is set to host its grand opening on July 29th, while a new report claims that Volkswagen is spending $15.5 billion to build a gigantic battery factory of its own. Consumer Reports ranked the Toyota Prius as the car with the best gas mileage it has ever tested, and Ford announced that the Fusion Energi can travel further than any other plug-in hybrid on the market.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: The new Prius and a two-legged puppy
2016 is shaping up to be a tremendous year for green transportation. This week Honda announced plans to launch its Clarity Fuel Cell car next year in the US, while Gogoro is getting ready to roll out its battery-swapping Smartscooters in Europe. Chevrolet scored a grand slam as the 2016 Volt won the Green Car of the Year award, and we jumped behind the wheel of the completely redesigned 2016 Toyota Prius to give you the scoop. We also showcased two wild pedal-powered vehicles: a folding bike that weighs less than a watermelon and the world's longest bicycle, which stretches an absurd 117 feet.
Toyota recalls 1.9 million Prius hybrids to fix flawed software
Toyota has shipped over 3.5 million Prii since the first models hit streets in 1997, and now it wants more than half of them back. The company announced today that it's recalling 1.9 million hybrids (713,000 of which are in North America) thanks to a nasty software issue that could affect cars made between March 2009 and February 2014. The glitch may cause parts of the car's hybrid system to overheat and malfunction. That would normally put the car into a failsafe mode where it can still be driven with reduced engine power, though it's possible it could shut down entirely. The bug was first reported back in 2011 but, miraculously, it doesn't appear to have caused any accidents yet. You can check to see if your Prius is one of the afflicted on Toyota's recall site and schedule an appointment at your local dealership. Thankfully, you wont waste your whole day in the waiting room: a spokesperson told Automotive News the update process only takes about 40 minutes.
BMW and Toyota to collaborate on future lithium-ion tech, love notes
What kind of doors open when you're Toyota and you sell over three million hybrids? Apparently a partnership with BMW on "next-generation" lithium-ion packs and all sorts of future green debauchery. Whether the collaboration will bear fruit in time for München's upcoming lithium-ion powered i3 and i8 remains to be seen, but the tie-up should save the duo mucho dinero as they pool development time and cut costs with economies of scale. The memorandum will also grant Toyota's European outfit with access to BMW's 1.6 and 2.0 liter diesel engines come 2014. Does that mean we're a little over three years from the bimmer powered oil burning Prius of our dreams? Guess we'll have to find out, but we can't imagine things are exactly peachy over in France right about now.
Toyota Prius C undergoes name change, comes out feeling 'Aqua' blue
Ladies and members of the so-hip-it-hurts demographic, Toyota's got a Prius hybrid just for you. The curved, futuristic-looking EV first did the dais spin for us at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year and now, armed with a hue-matching 'Aqua' moniker, is prepping to rollout to lots in January of 2012. A report in Nikkei indicates this fuel efficient gas / electric car will get just about 40km/l (or 94mpg), besting its current Prius family member's 32km/l (about 75mpg). And as for that price tag, look for it to retail at around 1.7 million yen (or $22,000) when it makes its eventual splashy blue bow in the Japan and US next year.
Toyota demos Prius' proximity notification system, touts 'futuristic' purr (video)
Silence may be a virtue under most circumstances, but not when you're driving around a leafy, residential neighborhood in your Toyota Prius. That's why the manufacturer came out with its very own vehicle proximity notification system last year -- a "futuristic," underhood noisemaker designed to alert pedestrians and the visually impaired to the plug-in's presence. Now, Toyota has offered more details on its safety system, in a freshly released demo video starring the 2012 Prius V. The car's artificial engine noise, as the company explains, only kicks in at speeds below 15 miles per hour, allowing it to broadcast its audible heads-up across parking lots or other low-speed zones. The sound itself, meanwhile, emanates from external speakers and consists of a blend of high and low frequencies that won't be by muffled by background noise or physical obstacles. The vehicle's pitch shift technology also enables the tone to rise in pitch as the car speeds up and to fall as it slows down, giving others an idea of how fast it's approaching. Accelerate past the break to see the full video for yourself, while John Kerry nods in silent approval.
Hands-on with Toyota's Prius plug-in hybrid (video)
Yesterday we attended Toyota's Green Drive Expo where we were given the opportunity to take the production version of the Prius plug-in hybrid (PHV) -- and its smorgasbord of technology -- for a spin. We spent a couple hours driving interfacing with the computers aboard the Advanced model, which besides being outlet-friendly, includes some unique features within the Prius lineup. Explore our gallery below, and hit the break for our impressions and hands-on videos with the latest incarnation of Toyota's iconic vehicle.%Gallery-134091%
Toyota officially unveils production Prius plug-in hybrid, available March 2012 for $32,000
Prius fans, that long road to a promised plug-in hybrid's coming to an end. Toyota rolled out its production model PHV at the Green Drive Expo, announcing a March 2012 availability for the car, and a $32,000 price tag for the base model. The partial EV will be offered in two trim versions with a touchscreen audio / navigation display and Toyota's Entune in-car entertainment system to come standard, with the Heads Up display reserved for the advanced models. Expect to get about 87 MPGe with the auto in combined drive mode, and 49MPG when it switches to hybrid. As for that old NiMH battery, the new 4.4kWh Li-ion replacement gains a full charge after about three hours on a 120v source, and can re-up the juice in less than two hours on a 240v connection. You can dive into the PR for all the details after the break, and look forward to our in-depth hands-on in a few.
Plug-in Prius pulling into American driveways in February or March of 2012
Good new PHV fans, the plug-in Prius you've been promised should start pulling into American driveways in February or March of 2012 -- at least according to a startup date chart at Donlen. The fleet management firm claims initial orders will be taken on November 10th of this year, with the vehicle scheduled to into production in January. An Autoblog tipster also claims to have some rather vague details about trim and color options, as well as its estimated MSRP, which should be below $30,000. Now we've just got to figure out how many extension cords it'll take to reach from our apartment window to the street below.
Toyota Prius Project's concept bike lets you shift gears with your mind
Got mind control on the mind? Check out this new concept bike from Deeplocal -- a Pittsburgh-based design house that's adding a neurological twist to the art of cycling. As part of Toyota Prius Project No. 11, the company outfitted the seat post of a Parlee PXP aero road bike with a wireless transmitter, allowing users to remotely shift gears with a smartphone. Deeplocal's designers then added a set of neuron transmitters to a helmet and re-programmed the PXP to communicate with them -- meaning, in theory, that riders could control the bike's gears by simply thinking about it. Theory, of course, isn't the same thing as practice, but perhaps the concept will become a reality if we think really hard about it.
2012 plug-in Prius to include selectable EV mode, full battery regeneration
We already know to expect Toyota's Entune infotainment system in the dash of the 2012 Prius, but the hybrid's monster EV batteries will be powering much more than a touchscreen and apps. According to ConsumerSearch, next year's plug-in vehicle will include two new features aimed at improving the car's electric-only range for local driving, especially when your commute also includes a trip down the freeway. The first improvement comes in the form of an EV mode button, allowing you to turn off EV for highway driving, which tends to drain those batts faster than a Thunderbolt in Hotspot mode. The Prius will also offer full battery regeneration, so power-off activities like braking and driving downhill will restore the hybrid's EV-only range -- especially helpful if you live in a hilly area or tend to make frequent stops. Both new features should have a fairly significant impact on efficiency, so you'll soon be able to drive further in the city without tapping a single drop of crude.
Toyota sells one million Prii in US alone
Thank you Toyota, for teaching us the plural of Prius, because somehow, "Toyota sells one million Priuples" just doesn't jive. That's right, the Japanese automaker announced Wednesday that it has officially sold its one millionth Prius on American soil. It's reportedly also reached a couple of other sales milestones in the last six months, with worldwide Prius sales reaching two million in October and overall Toyota hybrid sales exceeding three million in March. Now that's a whole lot of Prii. Full PR after the break.
CE-Oh no he didn't!: GM's Dan Akerson says he 'wouldn't be caught dead in a Prius'
Think GM's CEO sees the Toyota Prius as a worthy competitor that, in many ways, paved the way for the Chevy Volt? Think again. Speaking to the Economic Club of Washington, D.C. this week, GM CEO Dan Akerson described Toyota's hybrid as a "geek-mobile," and flatly declared that he "wouldn't be caught dead in a Prius." Not surprisingly, it didn't long for Toyota to respond to that slam, with a company spokesman telling The New York Times that "Toyota has sold more than two million Prius hybrids worldwide, and counting. Those buyers can't all be geeks." What's most troubling to us about all of this, however, is the implication that a "geek-mobile" is somehow a bad thing -- it sounds pretty awesome to us... geeks.
Toyota Prius PHEV preview: three days in plug-in paradise
The future of modern transportation awaits us. By 2012 we expect to have multiple proper, reasonable choices for fully electric vehicles, but check your calendar and you'll see it's still 2010, leaving us still waiting for cars like the Leaf and the Volt to make their proper appearances. Toyota would like to remind you that the Prius is still here, celebrating an amazing tenth year of availability in the US and teasing us with the upcoming plug-in model, offering a taste of EV with the practicality of a hybrid. We just spent three days with one and managed a quite impressive 91mpg average -- no hypermiling required. Click on through for our detailed impressions of this five-door eco-warrior. %Gallery-105286%
Google and TU Braunschweig independently develop self-driving cars (video)
There's a Toyota Prius in California, and a VW Passat halfway around the globe -- each equipped with bucket-shaped contraptions that let the cars drive themselves. Following their research on autonomous autos in the DARPA Urban Challenge, a team at Germany's TU Braunschweig let the above GPS, laser and sensor-guided Volkswagen wander down the streets of Brunswick unassisted late last week, and today Google revealed that it's secretly tested seven similar vehicles by the folks who won that same competition. CMU and Stanford engineers have designed a programmable package that can drive at the speed limit on regular streets and merge into highway traffic, stop at red lights and stop signs and automatically react to hazards -- much like the German vehicle -- except Google says its seven autos have already gone 1,000 unassisted miles. That's still a drop in the bucket, of course, compared to the efforts it will take to bring the technology home -- Google estimates self-driving vehicles are at least eight years down the road. Watch the TU Braunschweig vehicle in action after the break. Update: Though Google's cars have driven 1,000 miles fully autonomously, that's a small fraction of the time they've spent steering for themselves. We've learned the vehicles have gone 140,000 miles with occasional human interventions, which were often a matter of procedure rather than a compelling need for their human drivers to take control. [Thanks, el3ktro]
The state of the electric automobile, in pictures
You've heard the announcements. You know the specs. You may even be able to guess how the showdown will play out. But unless you were in San Jose, California, this week for Plug-In 2010, you've probably never seen six contenders for our future electric vehicle dollars all in one room. We hopped in our late-80s gas guzzler and hit the show floor in your stead, snapping enough pictures of the Leaf, Volt, Focus, Prius PHEV, fortwo Electric Drive, and the i MiEV to give you a virtual tour. See what we saw after the break.
