There are still no hard details on the Plug-In (PHEV) Prius, but we at least finally have a picture of what it'll look like. Toyota has chosen the 2009 Frankfurt Auto Show as the place to release more details, but it doesn't start until September 15th. What we do now know is that the charging port for the Plug-In Prius will be just below the driver's side mirror (same side as the gas tank door). We also know that Toyota will release 200 test vehicles to Japan, 150 to the US, and another 150 to Europe to commercial and government fleets by early 2010.
The plug-in Prius will be the first Toyota to use lithium-ion batteries, which are smaller, lighter and hold more charge than the nickel metal hydride cells the company has used to date.
The car will charge directly from main supply, and should allow an electric-only range of about 20 miles. More importantly, the use of lithium-ion batteries will improve efficiency over the current Prius when used in conjunction with the gasoline engine.
We've also learned that Toyota USA's Prius Product Manager, Doug Coleman, will be in Japan this week to learn the ins and outs of the PHEV demonstration models, and possibly more information that he'll hopefully be sharing with us soon.
