Repair Costs of a Hybrid Now Equal to Non-Hybrids
February 11, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Repair costs for hybrid models, which initially were higher than average, have now fallen in line with those of non-hybrids.
These days, a Toyota Prius, or any other hybrid shouldn’t cost more to repair, on average, than your Corolla or Camry.
The study has been carried out by Audatex, a company that automates processing for insurance claims. Its survey looked at the costs of auto repairs for cars from model years 2001 through 2008. Read more
USA Today Prefers Ford Fusion Over Toyota Prius
February 9, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Ever since Ford revealed the Fusion hybrid at the LA Auto Show, the debate amongst Prius fans has become quite heated. While Ford has proclaimed the Fusion as the most fuel efficient mid-size “sedan,” Prius fans reiterate that the Toyota is classed as a mid-size car based on interior volume. While that is certainly true, based on body styles, the Fusion’s natural competitor is actually the Toyota Camry, not the Prius. Read more
Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Gets 65 MPG
February 2, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
The Toyota Prius plug-in hybrids are averaging 65 miles per gallon in real world testing according to Toyota. This is a lot better than the 2010 Prius, 15 mpg better in fact. The battery is reportedly lithium-ion technology, but they are testing a variety of configurations and types before finalising the specification.
There is no release date for a plug-in prius, but it is widely expected to be available in 2010. Read more
Toyota Unveils Electric Car Concept FT-EV at Detroit 2009
January 11, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Toyota has announced that it will bring a plug-in extended range Prius to market by the end of this year. Prior to the opening of the Detroit show, Toyota sent out a press release with some news about its electric vehicle plans. It will introduce as many as ten completely new hybrids by the early 2010s, and will bring a fully electric car to market in 2012.
Toyota will be showing a battery electric concept here in Detroit called the FT-EV, in addition to the new third generation Prius and its sibling the Lexus HS250h. As previously suspected, the car is based on Toyota’s new iQ mini-car (pictured above). Read more
Hybrid Sales Drop 42.7% in December
January 6, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Reported sales of hybrids in the US dropped 42.7% in December 2008 year-on-year to 17,698 units—the lowest December figure since 2004, when there were only four hybrid models on the market. Overall light-duty vehicle sales in the US dropped 35.5% in the month. For the full year, total reported hybrid sales dropped 10% to 313,781 units, while total light duty vehicle sales were down 18%.
The hybrid percentage share of new vehicles sold dropped to just below 2% (1.97%) in December. For the year, hybrids held a 2.4% share of the new vehicle market. Read more
2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid Teaser Video
January 5, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
The next-generation Prius hybrid is scheduled to make its world debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January, however new images of the car, plus this latest teaser video, showing up-close details of the interior and exterior of the new hybrid from Toyota.
Read more
Hybrid Rental Fleet Coming to Denver International Airport
December 7, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Enterprise Rent-A-Car, the US’s largest car rental company, is putting about 100 hybrid vehicles at its Denver International Airport branch, which will be designated as the company’s second “hybrid branch.”
It’s part of a major upgrade in the St. Louis-based company’s national rental fleet, adding nearly 5,000 vehicles that can run on electricity assisted by a gasoline engine. Customers will be able to reserve the hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry and Ford Escape, online or by phone. Read more
PHEV Toyota Prius’s to undergo testing in the Southeast US
November 10, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
Two southeastern U.S. electric utilities will start testing a fleet of converted plug-in Toyota Priuses to evaluate a smart charging system.
Duke Energy Carolinas and Progress Energy will be evaluating both cross utility charging and billing and vehicle-to-grid technology. The project will look at the issues of tracking energy usage and billing when a car that is subscribed to one company charges on another’s network. Similarly, energy fed back to the grid from the cars will need to be tracked so that drivers get appropriate credit. V2Green will provide the communications modules that will identify the car when plugged into the grid for billing purposes.
