Wall Street Journal reported that safety concerns were driving Toyota Motor Corp. to delay the launch of it’s next-gen hybrids that use lithium-ion battery technology in its hybrid cars instead of the currently used Nickel Metal Hydride batteries. The journal says that the Lithium-ion batteries Toyota is developing use particles of lithium cobalt oxide that have shown a tendency to overheat, catch fire or explode in some cases such as in accidents. The journal also claims that Toyota had planned to use the lithium-ion batteries in a re-designed Prius starting 2008. The first Toyota hybrids to use the lithium-ion batteries will likely not come out until 2011, the journal goes on to say.

Lithium-ion batteries are the same type of batteries that are used in laptops and though they hold the charge longer, they produce a lot of heat.

In response to the WSJ article, Irv Miller, VP of Communications at Toyota had this to say on his blog:

continue reading "Next-gen Toyota Prius delayed?"

Wall Street Journal reporter Joseph White, wrote an article titled “Plugging In to the Future - Getting 100 Miles Per Gallon While Driving to Work In a Modified Toyota Prius”. He starts the article with “I drove to work one day last week in a prototype car that is either a harbinger of a far more fuel-efficient future, or another in a long line of technological insurgencies that will fail in the end to crack the auto industry’s century-old status quo.”. He is referring to a Toyota Prius that was modified to house a Litium-ion battery pack and plug-in capability to recharge this battery pack through an electrical outlet. As I reported in one of my previous posts, there are numerous experiments being conducted by scientists as well as by automobile manufacturers on plug-in hybrids.

Watch this video of WSJ’s Joe White test driving a Toyota Prius modified by a lithium-ion battery pack, to see if it can operate for 40 miles almost entirely on electric power.

continue reading "Getting 100 miles per gallon in your Prius"

Toyota Prius:
The car rated as the “Most efficient overall” for 2007, is the Toyota Prius. It’s mileage of 48 mpg in the city and 45 mpg on the highway is the best among all. Previous mileage estimates had rated the Prius as high as 60 mpg in the city. Those estimates have been since revised after a new calculation method was introduced by the EPA. Starting in model year 2008, estimates will reflect the effects of:
- Faster Speeds & Acceleration
- Air Conditioner Use
- Colder Outside Temperatures

The Prius also gets a Air Polution Score of 8 out of 10, which is excellent. The Prius produces abnout 4 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year and consumes only 7.4 barrels of gasoline per year.

continue reading "The two most fuel efficient cars of 2007"

2007 Toyota Camry hybrid, the powerful redesigned version of a 4-door sedan, tops the safety rating for front and side crash protection on the driver as well as the passenger sides, with a 5-star rating. The Camry hybrid comes equipped with standard curtain bag for rows 1 and 2 for head protection, standard torso bag from the seat for row 1 and even a knee bag.

The Camry hybrid has a 2.4L, 4-cylinder engine and the hybrid system net horse power rated at 192 HP. The Camry weighs over 3,600 Lbs and is rated to provide mileage of 40mpg in the city and 38mpg on the highway, which amounts to about 700 miles on one tank. The car interior is spacious and comfortable, though the trunk loses about 5 cubic feet of space due to the battery.

continue reading "2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid review"

Author: Anthony Fontanelle

Why is the Toyota Prius much-loved? One answer may be that Prius shoppers want everyone to know that they are driving a hybrid. But there are numerous reasons to add to the list.

Only a third of Prius owners cited that reason just three years ago, according to CNW, which tracks auto shopping trends. “I really want people to know that I care about the environment,” said Joy Feasley of Philadelphia, the owner of a green 2006 Prius. “I like that people stop and ask me how I like my car.” Dan Becker, the head of the global warming program at the Sierra Club added, “The Prius allowed you to make a green statement with a car for the first time ever.”

This spring, over half of the Prius owners surveyed by CNW Marketing Research of Bandon, Ore., said that the main reason they bought their car was that it makes a statement about them.

continue reading "Why is Prius the Much-loved Toyota?"