A
plug-in Prius never in the works?
Updated April 8, 2012
Will
the Prius ever be a plug-in hybrid?
Editors Note: This article was written back in 2008, when plug-in hype was just starting to explode and many started criticizing Toyota for not being more aggressive. In hindsight was Toyota right or wrong? I'd say, based on sales, Toyota was right.
There have been a lot of interesting comments coming out
of the Tokyo Auto Show regarding hybrid
cars. In an earlier post,
I wrote that Toyota finally confirmed that the Prius would be powered by a NiMH battery, rather than a lithium
battery.
Executive Vice President Masatami Takimoto told
reporters that "the next-generation Prius won't
need a lithium-ion battery because the nickel-metal
hydride battery it has now is well-suited for the car.
Instead, the next Prius can offer better mileage by
improving its motor and other parts."
Yet, Takimoto made a few other interesting comments
regarding lithium and the Prius that makes me wonder, was
the Prius ever intended as a lithium plug-in hybrid?
"Work on the next-generation Prius and work on the
next-generation lithium-ion battery are both moving
forward according to our plan," Takimoto said.
According to the DetroitNews, "Takimoto also said a
move to the lithium-ion battery would be more attractive
for a product other than the Prius, such as a plug-in
hybrid, which recharges from a household socket, or an
electric car.
The advantages of the
lithium-ion battery, how it's rechargeable and packs more
power in a smaller size, will be "more fun" in a
plug-in or an electric car, he said."
So, will Toyota's first plug-in
hybrid vehicle - if such vehicles ever happen - be
something other than a Prius? It seems so, and upon
refection that seems a good marketing idea. Prius sales
are cruising. Why mess that success up with numerous Prius
buyers waiting for the Prius plug-in before buying a Prius?
A Toyota plug-in hybrid might be a Prius derivative, but
by giving it its own name and identity, Toyota can take
their green halo to another level.
Thus, here's my prediction. A Toyota plug-in hybrid - a
non-Prius, plug-in hybrid only - concept debut at either
the LA Auto Show or at NAIAS.
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