Toyota's Gary Smith recounts the legacy of the longest running, modern electric car in existence

RAV4 EV: Exceeding Expectations

Informative interview with Gary Smith of Toyota. At the end of the interview he comments on the Prius and battery technology.

"Asked about when we can expect to see lithium-equipped Priuses, Hanson explained that Toyota's President has announced that a "fairly sizable" fleet of plug-in Priuses equipped with lithium ion battery packs will debut early in 2010 as part of an ongoing R&D program. These will be leased to fleets initially. Also, the company is adding a dedicated lithium battery production line to its joint-venture plant with Panasonic. "We pretty much have a first generation lithium ion battery that we've figured out," he stated, adding "the hard part is building them en masse."

You can download the 36 minute audio interview with Gary Smith.