Toyota Joins Electric Car Market with Plug-in Prius

With electric cars from Chevrolet and Nissan grabbing headlines, Toyota is not ready to cede the ground it gained when it introduced the Toyota Prius, its highly-successful hybrid. So the company is set to roll out a new plug-in electric car under the Prius brand. The highly fuel-efficient Prius is designed to help Toyota compete with the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf.

The 2012 Prius PHV is one of several new models being introduced under the Prius brand, including a crossover version and a sportier model. Toyota is promoting the line of different models with an ad campaign that coins the word "Prii" as the plural form of Prius to signify the new choices.

Green technology

The plug-in version of the Prius will operate in much the same way as its predecessors, combining a gas-powered engine and battery power to achieve higher fuel efficiency. But the plug-in feature will tip the balance more toward battery, use less gas, and make the Prius even more eco-friendly.

The lithium ion battery in the plug-in Prius will have a range of 13 miles, and a top speed of 62 miles per hour when operating exclusively as an electric car. Beyond those ranges, the car will revert to the same hybrid system used in past Prius models.

Depending on the length of the commute, a driver using the new Prius to go moderate distances - to go to and from work, for instance - can expect fuel efficiency of anywhere from 60 to 80 miles per gallon.

Charging stations

Charging the new plug-in Prius should be easy. Toyota says the car will recharge from a standard 110- or 220-volt household outlet in 1.5 to 3 hours. That's significantly less than the Volt or the Leaf. Toyota will produce and sell its own charger system for customers to install in their homes. The company expects to produce enough chargers to service the estimated 50,000 plug-in Prius cars they say they'll sell each year.

Away from home electric car charging stations are springing up all across the country. According to the federal government, hundreds of them are currently open to the public. Many cities have begun substantial installation programs, often funded by federal stimulus money, to provide charging stations at convenient locations along highways, in parking garages and on street corners.

Going green

Curious drivers in some cities can get behind the wheel of a plug-in Prius already. In Boston, Portland, Oregon and San Francisco, the electric cars can be rented on a short-term basis from Zipcar.

"This project will allow companies to receive direct feedback from thousands of consumers in three cities and help evaluate how electric cars fit into a large-scale car sharing model," says Scott Griffith, chief executive officer of Zipcar.

So, for $7 per hour, you can rent the Prius PHV and see for yourself why there's a buzz about electric cars.