Toyota Will Offer a Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle by 2010

[jkash]

Toyota Will Offer a Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle by 2010

The Toyota Motor Corporation, which leads the world’s automakers in sales of hybrid-electric vehicles, announced Sunday night that it would build its first plug-in hybrid by 2010.

The move puts Toyota in direct competition with General Motors, which has announced plans to sell its own plug-in hybrid vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt, sometime around 2010.

Katsuaki Watanabe, the president of Toyota, announced the company’s plans at the Detroit auto show as part of a series of environmental steps.

Mr. Watanabe said Toyota, best known for its Prius hybrid car, would develop a fleet of plug-in hybrids that run on lithium-ion batteries, instead of the nickel-metal hydride batteries that power the Prius and other Toyota models.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/14/business/14plug.html

[efusco]

Not a suprise, but it's good to see it confirmed and it'll force GM to back up it's plans for the Volt or will clearly eliminate them from the chase for the alternate energy vehicles.

Unfortunate there's not some information about the anticipated range or other drive train specifics for the Toyota PHEV.

This is gonna be a fun next couple of years for us PHEV hunters!

[nmrickie]

"Plug-in hybrids differ from the current hybrid vehicles in that they can be recharged externally, from an ordinary power outlet. In a conventional hybrid the battery is recharged from power generated by its wheels."

Are we sure this guy knows what he's talking about?

[FL_Prius_Driver]

I like this quote out of the article:

"But some experts say plug-ins may not be the ultimate answer to cutting pollution, if the electricity used to charge them comes from coal-fired power plants."

Where does one find such knowledgable experts?

[Chrome]

I'll believe it when I see it. Until then, Toyota is doing what it once criticized GM for doing: Engineering by Press release.

No specs, no specifics, no nothing; and yet it'll be on sale in 2 years.

In spite of Toyota’s decision to pursue PHEV technology, the company is still hedging its bets, saying that they’re not really certain if consumers will be wiling to pay the extra money for a plug-in, or for that matter, hassle with plugging the vehicle in all the time. In that vein, Toyota plans to offer the PHEV technology as an option level on the existing hybrid models.

AUTOSAVANT: Toyota Says It Will Offer Plug-In Hybrid in 2010

Seems like the same backpedaling a lot of you accuse GM of doing.

[drash]

Originally Posted by Chrome

No specs, no specifics, no nothing; and yet it'll be on sale in 2 years.

3 years. If they make it in 2010 it'll be 2011 model year.

[FL_Prius_Driver]

Is PriusChat a corporation? (Read article to make sense of my question.)

[drash]

I'm more excited about the new hybrid they plan to introduce for the 2009 model year at Detroit.

[ken1784]

Following is the Toyota's press release.
TOYOTA: News Releases

Ken@Japan

[burritos]

Originally Posted by Chrome

I'll believe it when I see it. Until then, Toyota is doing what it once criticized GM for doing: Engineering by Press release.

No specs, no specifics, no nothing; and yet it'll be on sale in 2 years.

AUTOSAVANT: Toyota Says It Will Offer Plug-In Hybrid in 2010

Seems like the same backpedaling a lot of you accuse GM of doing.

Except toyota has a record of making a fuel efficient line of vehicles and mass producing them. GM has a record of destroying similar vehicles.