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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%
BMW developing laser headlights, officially over LEDs
We know, our whip doesn't have LED headlights either, but that's not stopping BMW from pressing on with its laser powered successor. Purportedly ready "within a few years," the updated beams boast an intensity a thousand times greater than their forebearers, all while consuming less than half the power -- helping EV drivers eke out a little more range. With each laser diode one hundred times smaller than its LED counterpart, Bavaria reckons the tech will help it design and package future light fixtures that are more bodacious than those from its competition in Ingolstadt. There's no firm date for availability, but the company says the new lighting tech will debut on the production version of its i8 concept. Sounds great, so where do we sign up for our frickin' laser bimmer?
LED headlights can add up to six miles of electric vehicle range
We've been charting the progression of in-home lighting, CFLs replacing incandescents but themselves slowly walking the path obsolescence as LED bulbs get cheaper and more common. It's much the same on the vehicle lighting front, with LEDs taking over more and more automotive lighting, and now OSRAM Sylvania is giving us another reason to make that happen sooner. LED bulbs can provide the same amount of light as traditional incandescent car bulbs with less than 25 percent the energy draw. On a gas-powered auto that's not such a big deal, where LEDs are being used primarily because of benefits like cooler temps, longer life, and greater stylistic freedom, but on an EV that reduction in current draw can offer as much as a six mile boost in range on a single charge. That may not sound like much, but if you ever run out of juice five miles from home you might just change your mind.
Honda's "Let it Shine" commercial turns a grid of Insights into giant LED display
ASIMO and his Earth-loving robot compadres pulling the strings at Honda have once again managed to find a way to save us humans from ourselves. All it took was an affordable hybrid, apparently, and Honda is showing off its new Insight by turning those LED headlights into one gigantic animated Lite-Brite in an upcoming commercial. The spot's called "Let it Shine," and the video's after the break. Hit up the read link for the making of video and a detailed carbon footprint breakdown of the shoot -- you know you want to.
Audi R8 boasts LEDs aplenty
Audi has already managed to work some LEDs into a few of its cars (concepts and otherwise), but the automaker has gone all out with its latest Audi R8, which employs LEDs for seemingly every lighting function. That includes the 24-LED running lamps the R8 had before, along with some brand LED high and low beam headlights, and LED turn signals, which add up to some 54 LEDs in all. Of course, given the prices that single LED bulbs demand these days, it should come as no surprise that this is quite the pricey option, with it adding a full €3,590 (or about $5,560) to the R8's already lofty sticker price.
