Toyota Prius 2012

Toyota prius 2012

Back in the waning years of the previous millennium, the Toyota Prius was born, becoming the first Toyota hybrid. Since then, of course, many other Toyota and Lexus hybrids have hit the roads, as have many from nearly every other automaker. But it’s the Prius—thanks to distinct (if unsexy) styling and industry-leading fuel economy—that remains the unofficial greenmobile for Toyota and the world.
Naturally, then, the Prius is set to become the first Toyota to make the next big leap in fuel efficiency for 2012 by going plug-in with the new Prius PHV, or “plug-in hybrid vehicle.” And since 2012 is a long way off—in our impatient minds, at least—we jumped at the chance to drive one of the 150 powder-blue preproduction Prius PHVs bound for the U.S. in 2010. All are part of Toyota’s Prius PHV pilot program that places these vehicles with various utilities and government agencies to gather data on vehicle performance.
So how exactly does it differ? Other than silver paint on the mirrors, door handles, and tailgate, the blue-and-white “PLUG-IN HYBRID” lower door decals, and a cutout in the left front fender that houses the plug, there are no visible distinctions between the regular Prius and the PHV. Ditto the interior, where a few PHV-specific info displays and a slightly raised cargo floor for the PHV’s larger battery pack represent the only notable changes.
The Prius PHV doesn’t differ much from the regular Prius from a dynamic standpoint, either. No surprise, really. The Prius PHV is essentially just a Prius whose nickel-metal hydride battery pack has been swapped for a far pricier, far heavier, and far more potent lithium-ion pack. (How potent is unclear, as Toyota won’t tell us how much it improves on the regular car’s 1.3-kWh capacity.) The new batteries can be fully charged in three hours from a simple household 110-volt outlet or an hour and a half from a 220-volt plug. The battery swap allows for more miles on electricity alone and a commensurate boost in real-world fuel economy.
And so the parallel-hybrid powertrain design, the squishy suspension setup, and the puny 15-inch wheels remain, giving the PHV the same lackluster driving characteristics as its non-plug-in sibling. That includes the way-overboosted electric power steering and a brake pedal that has yet to deliver anything close to accuracy.
Going Farther, Faster on Electrons
The most palpable difference between the standard and PHV Priuses, then, is how a judicious right foot can direct the PHV to achieve and maintain speeds of up to 62 mph using electricity alone. Like a regular Prius, though, the PHV will fire up its internal-combustion engine if you’re not careful. The PHV’s threshold is slightly higher than the regular car’s, but anything more than genteel pressure on the go pedal—say, as might be required to enter the freeway or accelerate up a slight hill—and the 98-hp, 1.8-liter four-cylinder stirs with a decidedly unsexy moan.
Keep your driving grandmotherly, though, and a Prius PHV with a full charge can travel up to 13 miles in electric mode, which becomes considerably more novel the faster one travels. Once the battery pack is depleted, the car reverts to the conventional hybrid function of the standard Prius.
Even under full throttle, the PHV remains far from quick, with a 0-to-60-mph time of 11.3 seconds, according to Toyota, versus 9.8 seconds for the non-PHV model. Blame the heavier battery pack and its ancillary hardware—which add about 330 pounds—for the more sluggish time. But then, the Prius never has been and never will be about driving delight, but rather is about maximum fuel economy. At the end of the day, the PHV proof was not in the proverbial pudding but rather neatly displayed on the dashboard. Over a short city-and-highway loop, we were powered solely by electricity about 39 percent of the time, and we averaged 56 mpg, according to the in-car readout.
Two things are worth noting here: First, in-car fuel-economy readouts are notoriously optimistic. Second, the route was heavy on hills and included several miles of freeway driving, during which we frequently exceeded 80 mph. So although that 56-mpg figure might not be entirely accurate, even with a 10-percent margin of error, we recorded impressive economy for our usage. After our stint, our driving partner took the helm for a city route and spent nearly two-thirds of the time on the electron feed, bringing overall fuel economy up to 68 mpg for the trip, an increase of more than 50 percent over the last test figure we saw in a Prius.
Plug-In Prius Won’t Be a Match for Every Environmentalist
So what’s the holdup? Bring it on, right? First, Toyota is dotting its i’s and crossing its t’s before offering the technology to customers. Toyota is using this limited PHV program to gather real-world data to see if a 13-mile electric-vehicle range is sufficient to satisfy customers or if perhaps it needs to look into more- or less-potent battery packs. Toyota is also buying time to bring the price of the Prius PHV closer to what it considers the hybrid “sweet spot” of $15,000 to $27,000, which, at this point, it surely exceeds on account of that high-tech battery.
Once such targets are met and the final product is introduced sometime next year, what will become of the standard Prius? All signs indicate that it will soldier on and keep its nickel-metal batteries for a long time. Toyota reps tell us, “In conventional hybrid vehicles, Toyota will continue to use nickel-metal hydride batteries in the near term. The technology has proved its value over 12 years of mass production and is extremely reliable.”
Furthermore, Toyota says, the viability of plug-in technology can depend on an individual customer’s geographic location, drive cycle, and access to charging facilities. We would add income to that as well, since the Prius PHV will command a sizable premium over a comparably equipped standard Prius, although if Toyota hits its price target, it won’t cost as much as the Chevrolet Volt. Assuming costs go down, Toyota says lithium-ion batteries could be considered in the future for the many other hybrids found throughout the Toyota and Lexus lineups. Still, we consider this just another rest stop on the way to bigger and better technologies.

Toyota prius 2012

Toyota prius 2012

Toyota prius 2012

Toyota prius 2012

Toyota prius 2012

Toyota prius 2012

Toyota prius 2012

Toyota prius 2012

Toyota prius 2012

Toyota prius 2012

Toyota prius 2012

Toyota Prius Best-Selling Car in Japan Stay

Toyota Prius hybrid car remains the best-selling car in Japan during February 2010 although still recall the storm hit the world's automotive giants.

Based on data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association (Jada), more than 27.000 units of Prius sold in Japan as well Were changed from best-selling car in Japan for 10 consecutive months. The popularity of the Prius was still unshakable Remembers 'disaster' recall of 8.5 million units of Toyota cars in the entire world.

Prius sales success thanks to its reputation for providing exceptional mileage by switching between the gasoline engine and electric motor as well as Japanese government incentives if people buy environmentally friendly cars.

The popularity of the Prius did not even make the Japanese people who bought this phenomenal car waiting (pivot) until about six months. However, Toyota officials acknowledge some consumers to cancel the purchase since the recall issue erupted. Toyota began to repair the new software to overcome the braking problems since last month.

In Japan, Honda Fit (Jazz is also called) became the second best-selling car in Japan in February with record sales numbers about 14,000, followed by three other Toyota cars, the Vitz, Passo and Corolla.

Toyota Prius Name

"Prius" is not a verb but a Latin comparative adjective or adverb, the neuter nominative singular form of the adjective whose corresponding masculine and feminine nominative singular forms are prior (see also Latin declension - Irregular adverbs and their comparative and superlative forms) with meanings "ahead, in front, leading; previous, earlier, preceding, prior; former; basic."

A Toyota spokesperson stated that "Toyota chose this name because the Prius vehicle is the predecessor of cars to come."




Toyota Prius


Toyota Prius




Toyota Prius


Toyota Prius


Some enthusiasts enjoy using "Prii" as the plural, which would be correct if "prius" were a regular second declension Latin noun. The actual Latin plural of the adjective is "priora" (Reference is slightly in error here). All of these forms are nominative case and there are several other forms for the other cases. As for the plural of "Prius" in English, Toyota has said that it is simply "Prius" and also that owners are welcome to use whatever they like.

Toyota Prius




Toyota Prius


Toyota Prius




Toyota Prius


Toyota Prius


Toyota Prius


Toyota Prius






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Toyota Prius Best-Selling Car in Japan Stay

Toyota Prius hybrid car remains the best-selling car in Japan during February 2010 although still recall the storm hit the world's automotive giants.

Based on data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association (Jada), more than 27.000 units of Prius sold in Japan as well Were changed from best-selling car in Japan for 10 consecutive months. The popularity of the Prius was still unshakable Remembers 'disaster' recall of 8.5 million units of Toyota cars in the entire world.

Prius sales success thanks to its reputation for providing exceptional mileage by switching between the gasoline engine and electric motor as well as Japanese government incentives if people buy environmentally friendly cars.

The popularity of the Prius did not even make the Japanese people who bought this phenomenal car waiting (pivot) until about six months. However, Toyota officials acknowledge some consumers to cancel the purchase since the recall issue erupted. Toyota began to repair the new software to overcome the braking problems since last month.

In Japan, Honda Fit (Jazz is also called) became the second best-selling car in Japan in February with record sales numbers about 14,000, followed by three other Toyota cars, the Vitz, Passo and Corolla.

Custom Cars: Toyota Prius

Modification of the Toyota Prius

Custom Cars | Toyota Prius

A hybrid car battery
A hybrid car battery is like any other battery—except that it is rechargeable and has enough juice to move a large heavy vehicle down the road for a few feet or a few miles.

How Does It Work?
Like all batteries, hybrid batteries have two electrodes (which collect or emit an electric charge) that sit in an ion-rich solution called the electrolyte. (An ion, by the way, is an atom or group of atoms with an electrical charge.)

The electrodes are typically very close, so a polymer film, called a separator, prevents them from touching, which would create a short circuit. An on-off switch in whatever device is powered by the battery—your phone or laptop—bridges the cell’s electrodes to generate power. That’s when the electrochemical reaction begins.

Keep in mind: What we commonly call “a battery” is actually a battery pack that houses many individual cells. Your mobile phone battery is just one single cell, but anything larger—even a laptop battery—uses multiple cells working together.

Ionized elements in one electrode are in a chemical state where they are easily attracted to combine with other molecules, emitting electrons (energy) in the process. Those elements are tugged through the electrolyte and the separator toward the opposing electrode. The ions of the negative electrode (anode) give up electrons; the positive ions coming toward the anode accept them. The electrons released during this process travel through the external circuit (e.g. your phone), producing a flow of charge in the opposite direction to the flow of ions. During recharge, current is forced into the cell, reversing the process.

As we take a tour of hybrid batteries, remember one thing: Total energy determines the vehicle’s electric range, whereas available power determines its acceleration.

Today's Hybrid Car Battery: Nickel Metal Hydride
The battery pack of the second generation Toyota Prius consists of 28 Panasonic prismatic nickel metal hydride modules—each containing six 1.2 volt cells—connected in series to produce a nominal voltage of 201.6 volts. The total number of cells is 168, compared with 228 cells packaged in 38 modules in the first generation Prius. The pack is positioned behind the back seat.

The weight of the complete battery pack is 53.3 kg. The discharge power capability of the Prius pack is about 20 kW at 50 percent state-of-charge. The power capability increases with higher temperatures and decreases at lower temperatures. The Prius has a computer that’s solely dedicated to keeping the Prius battery at the optimum temperature and optimum charge level. The Prius supplies conditioned air from the cabin as thermal management for cooling the batteries. The air is drawn by a 12-volt blower installed above the driver’s side rear tire well.

Fortunately for us and for the environment, hybrid cars do not use the typically problematic Nickel-Cadmium batteries, which you most commonly see as rechargeable batteries in small devices such as cell phones, digital cameras and remote-controlled toys. These batteries contain lead, which is highly toxic, harmful to the environment, and difficult to recycle. They also have a small energy capacity, which makes them inappropriate for the heavy-duty usage needed to run a hybrid car. These types of batteries can be found under the hood of almost every conventional gasoline-run vehicle, the image of which comes to mind when picturing what’s under the hood of a typical car.


Lithium Ion Battery - For Next Generation Hybrids and Electric Cars
Lithium ion (or Li-ion) batteries are important because they have a higher energy density—the amount of energy they hold by weight, or by volume—than any other type. The rule of thumb is that Li-ion cells hold roughly twice as much energy per pound as do the previous generation of advanced batteries, nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH)—which are used in all current hybrids including the Toyota Prius. NiMH, in turn, holds about twice the energy per pound of the conventional lead-acid (PbA) 12-Volt battery that powers your car’s starter motor. It’s Li-ion’s ability to carry so much energy that makes electric cars possible.

Compare the batteries from GM’s legendary EV1 to those for its upcoming Volt extended-range EV. The 1997 EV1 pack used lead-acid cells; it was almost 8 feet long and weighed 1200 pounds. But today’s Volt pack, using lithium-ion cells, stores the same amount of energy (16 kilowatt-hours) in a 5-foot-long container weighing just 400 pounds.

There’s Not One Lithium Ion Battery
Crucially, there is no one lithium-ion battery, although this mistake is often seen in the press. Several different chemical formulations for the electrodes compete; each has its pros and cons. “No chemistry will be the perfect one,” says Klaus Brandt, the chief executive of Gaia, a German cell maker. The anode (or negative electrode) is typically made of graphite, but the cathode (positive electrode) chemistry varies widely. As much as any other factor, what the cathode is made from determines the cell’s capacity. The critical feature is the rate at which the cathode can absorb and emit free lithium ions. Each of several competing cathode materials offers a different mix of cost, durability, performance, and safety. Let's take a look at the most important cathode contenders.

Cobalt Dioxide
Cobalt Dioxide is the most popular choice today for small cells (those in your mobile phone or laptop). It’s been on the market for 15 years, so it’s proven and its costs are known, though like nickel, cobalt is pricey. Cobalt is more reactive than nickel or manganese, meaning it offers high electrical potential when paired with graphite anodes, giving higher voltage. It has the highest energy density—but when fully charged, it is the most prone to oxidation (fire) caused by internal shorts. This can lead to thermal runaway, where one cell causes its neighbors to combust, igniting the whole pack almost instantly (think YouTube videos of burning laptops). Also, the internal impedance of a cobalt cell—the extent to which it “pushes back” against an alternating current—increases not just with use but with time as well. That means an unused five-year-old cobalt cell holds less energy than a brand-new one.


Cobalt dioxide cells are manufactured by dozens of Japanese, South Korean, and Chinese companies, but only Tesla Motors uses them—6,831 of them to be specific—in an electric car. Their pack uses sensors, cell isolation, and liquid cooling to ensure that any energy released if a cell shorts out can’t ignite any of its neighbors.

Nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM)
Nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) is somewhat easier to make. Manganese is cheaper than cobalt, but it dissolves slightly in electrolytes—which gives it a shorter life. Substituting nickel and manganese for some of the cobalt lets manufacturers tune the cell either for higher power (voltage) or for greater energy density, though not both at the same time. NCM remains susceptible to thermal runaway, though less so than cobalt dioxide. Its long-term durability is still unclear, and nickel and manganese are both still expensive now. Manufacturers include Hitachi, Panasonic, and Sanyo.

Nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA)
Nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA) is similar to NCM, with lower-cost aluminum replacing the manganese. Companies that make NCA cells include Toyota and Johnson Controls–Saft, a joint venture between a Milwaukee automotive supplier and a French battery firm.

Manganese oxide spinel (MnO)
Manganese oxide spinel (MnO) offers higher power at a lower cost than cobalt, because its three-dimensional crystalline structure provides more surface area, permitting better ion flow between electrodes. But the drawback is a much lower energy density. GS Yuasa, LG Chem, NEC-Lamilion Energy, and Samsung offer cells with such cathodes; LG Chem is one of two companies competing to have its cells used in the Chevrolet Volt.

Iron phosphate (FePo)
Iron phosphate (FePo) might be the most promising new cathode, thanks to its stability and safety. The compound is inexpensive, and because the bonds between the iron, phosphate, and oxygen atoms are far stronger than those between cobalt and oxygen atoms, the oxygen is much harder to detach when overcharged. So if it fails, it can do so without overheating. Unfortunately, iron phosphate cells work at a lower voltage than cobalt, so more of them must be chained together to provide enough power to turn a motor. A123 Systems—which is competing for the Volt contract as well—uses nanostructures in their FePo cathodes, which it says produces better power and longer life. Other manufacturers include Gaia and Valence Technology.

The Future of Hybrid Battery Use
As technology becomes more and more sophisticated and streamlined, so will the batteries. They are likely to become smaller and safer, and have more energy. The fact that they can be made less expensively is on the horizon too, and could make hybrid vehicles more affordable for everyone.
by HybridCars.com