Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid coming to Frankfurt Auto Show

Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Concept

The Toyota Prius could be regarded as the most successful hybrid car till now. The Toyota hybrid became popular especially with the rich and the famous from Beverly Hills in California. It became a style statement over the months following its launch. The Toyota Prius could became a must have for Hollywood stars and this became good press for the car itself. However, some have criticized the concept for the being what it was meant to be, a tree-hugging runabout.

The Hybrid Prius employs a 1.8 litre gasoline powered engine along with electric motors to propel the car. A stack of lithium-ion batteries provide the juice needed while the gasoline engine recharges the batteries while on the go. During the Frankfurt Motor Show later in the month of September, Toyota will debut its plug-in hybrid version of the Prius. The new car will feature the same 1.8 litre engine and the 60kW electric motor as the standard Prius Hybrid.

Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Concept

But, unlike the standard car, the plug-in hybrid will come with an on-board charger which can be connected through a socket to the mains which will recharge the batteries over a period of time. This would result in more fuel savings. Also, Toyota has upgraded the battery pack with an extended 5.2 kilowatt-hour battery pack and revised software enabling it to travel at up to 60 mph on electric power alone.

There are unconfirmed reports that Toyota has also worked on increasing the all-electric range which was one of the issues with the Prius Hybrid. The current model of the Toyota Prius can cover 13 miles on its batteries alone which, might go up in the new Plug-in Hybrid. Since, the top speed of the car (all-electric) is also set to increase to 60 mph, the new Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid might be the next big- practical green car.

Along with the new developments, the new Prius is expected to pack-in a few more features that could improve the plug-in hybrid experience. Recently, the technology came under serious criticism when TopGear aired their real world road test of electric cars. We’ve been bombarded by the opinions of some who think electric car and hybrids are the way forward. But are these technologies ready to tackle real-world conditions?

Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Concept

Still, this won’t deter automakers from trying. If this is really what the future motoring looks like, then the brainy chaps at Nissan, Toyota, Honda or even GM would come up with the solutions to the shortfalls of these cars. The concept of plug-in electric will take a bit more to catch up as this technology needs special infrastructure. But, plug-in hybrids could be the answer to this as, at least you won’t get stranded if you run out of juice and there are no charging stations around.

Toyota also announced new versions of the Prius which will include a Prius V which will be an MPV and a Toyota Prius C Concept which will be a sporty hatchback. The Prius V has already arrived while the sporty Prius C is still undergoing final tests. The Toyota Prius C is expected to arrive in the second half of 2012. A few months back, hybrid cars were thought to be boring but now, with more exciting models coming up not just from Toyota, the future does seem bright for these cars.

Via GreenCarReports

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