The third concept Toyota will have on display at the Tokyo Motor Show is the Prius Plug-in Hybrid - the first Toyota vehicle brand that uses a lithium-ion battery as the drive battery.

Thanks to the lithium-ion battery, the Prius Plug-in Hybrid has a fuel efficiency of at least 55km/l (target); that's quite an improvement compared to the 38km/l of the model now on sale.

Charged from an external power source such as a household electrical outlet, it extends the cruising range in electric vehicle mode, maximizing the benefits as an environmentally-considerate vehicle. As the cruising distance as an electric vehicle increases, environmental benefits that surpass those even of the regular Prius can be expected including lower CO2 emissions and air pollution and reduced consumption of fossil fuels. Approximate charging times using ordinary household electricity are 180 minutes at 100V and 100 minutes at 200V.

Press release after the jump.

toyota-prius-plug-in-hybrid

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  • Model: toyota-prius-plug-in-hybrid

2010 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid

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Press release

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has positioned a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHV) as the ideal environmentally-considerate vehicle best suited for widespread use given its responses to the diversification of energy sources at present.

The PRIUS PLUG-IN HYBRID Concept is the first Toyota vehicle brand that uses a lithium-ion battery as the drive battery. It is a PHV concept model that can be charged from an external power source such as household electricity.

Since PRIUS PLUG-IN HYBRID Concept has a lithium-ion drive battery, charging to many times higher than a nickel-metal hydride battery is possible. As a result, the cruising range in electric vehicle mode is longer than that of a Prius with a nickel-metal hydride battery. The fuel efficiency of the third-generation Prius is 38km/l, and that of the PRIUS PLUG-IN HYBRID Concept is at least 55km/l (target). Charged from an external power source such as a household electrical outlet, it extends the cruising range in electric vehicle mode, maximizing the benefits as an environmentally-considerate vehicle. As the cruising distance as an electric vehicle increases, environmental benefits that surpass those even of the regular Prius can be expected including lower CO2 emissions and air pollution and reduced consumption of fossil fuels.

Approximate charging times using ordinary household electricity are 180 minutes at 100V and 100 minutes at 200V. TMC set a minimum electric vehicle (EV) cruising range target of at least 20km on a full charge. Enabling the vehicle to be recharged externally allows it to operate as an EV for short trips and as a hybrid vehicle (HV) for longer ones. In other words, the PRIUS PLUG-IN HYBRID Concept is the ideal combination of an EV and a HV.

TMC plans to participate in the EV & PHV Towns program sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to encourage the widespread use of EVs and PHVs, and the PRIUS PLUG-IN HYBRID Concept brings TMC one step closer to the ultimate environmentally-considerate vehicle.