Notable facts on Wikipedia

Found this interesting list on wikipedia about the Prius and thought I'd share it

Notable facts

-Drivers of the Toyota Prius, or other Hybrid-Engine automobiles are allowed to drive by themselves in Carpool (High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes in some US states such as Virginia, California (requires $8 one-time fee for a decal) and Florida (requires $5 per year decal).

-Los Angeles city and San Jose, California allow free parking at meters for hybrid vehicles within the posted time limits, including the Prius.

-Prius drivers in London, UK, are exempt from the £8 ($14) daily congestion charge (requires £10 per year registration).

-Due to the success of both the engineering and sales of the Prius, in 2005, Toyota has released a hybrid V-6 engine for the Lexus RX400h and a hybrid engine version of the Highlander.

-The Prius fuel tank holds 45 litres (11.9 US gal), although the internal bladder in American models limits the fill, giving a range of up to 600 miles (1,000 km).

-In August 2004, Toyota began a Special Service Campaign (SSC 40G), affecting most previous generation Prius cars manufactured between 2001 and mid-2003. This repair involves re-sealing
terminals on the high-voltage battery to avoid minor electrolyte leakage. Repairs will be performed free of charge on affected automobiles.

-Starting with the 2004 model, Toyota is now producing the Prius on a standard mass production assembly line, resulting in one being produced every minute instead of one every 8 to 10 minutes. The use of a standard assembly line has dropped the manufacturing cost significantly, allowing Toyota to deliver a substantially upgraded model, which in turn has generated publicity and popularity. The limiting factor in Prius (and Lexus RX400h) production now appears to be third party component availability, particularly batteries.

-The battery pack of the 2004 Prius is guaranteed for 100,000 miles (160,000 km) or 8 years, although Toyota has stated that they expect it to last 15 years. The warranty is extended to 150,000 miles (240,000 km) or 10 years for Prius in California and several other states that adopted the Californian emission control standards.

-In May 2005, Finnish anti-virus firm F-Secure Corp. has tested a Prius for Bluetooth vulnerabilities in the on-board mobile telephony and computer systems and found the car has performed "admirably".

-On June 1, 2005, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the US started an investigation on the 33 reported cases of engine stalling when the Prius travels at highway speed. The cars were still operatable under battery power with substantial loss of power when the internal combustion engine failed to run. Toyota believes it was due to a computer programming error that was fixed in a recall (SSC-40D) issued back in September, 2004. The investigation needs to verify if all the reported cases occurred to the cars that didn't receive the software fix. Some supporters argued that 33 cases (of which some were duplicate reports and/or valid out-of-gas conditions) among 75000+ cars sold was not an alarming percentage figure compared to the millions other auto makers have recalled. Besides, the Prius is safer than any other car with a failed engine, as the Prius can still run with its electric motor until it can stop at a safe location.

-Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, drives a Prius.

-Larry David, co-creator of Seinfeld and star of Curb Your Enthusiasm drives a Prius.

-Bill Maher, host of the HBO series Real Time with Bill Maher, drove a Prius for 3 years before trading it in for the Lexus RX 400h hybrid.

-Not only did actor Leonardo Dicaprio buy himself a Prius, he bought several for others in his family.

-In Gilmore Girls, Rory drives a first generation Prius which she received as a high school graduation gift from her grandparents.

-Brian Griffin of the show Family Guy drives a Prius (which inexplicably appeared in the fourth season of the show).

-Claire Fisher of the show Six Feet Under drove a Prius to NYC after crashing her Cadillac Hearse.

-Actresses Kirsten Dunst and Cameron Diaz both drive Priuses.

-A Prius is featured in the movie Must Love Dogs, as the car of John Cusack's character, Jake.
-In June 2002 the Prius became the first ever hybrid car to complete an FIA rally. Driven by UK journalist Nik Berg and co-driver Tim Bampton the Prius finished the 2002 Midnight Sun to Red Sea Marathon in 15th place after completing 5,000 miles in 20 days of rallying.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prius