My Perfect Automobile » Prius

Toyota Switching to Lithium Batteries?

Larry Bell — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:18:08 +0000

Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid car

Japanese media sources are reporting that Toyota Motor Co. will soon ramp up its production of lithium batteries by at least six-fold. The company apparently wants to use the packs in its Prius hybrid automobiles. Eventually, a jointly owned Panasonic-Toyota battery facility will build 200,000 packs per annum and will cost almost $200 million to build. In order to reduce vehicle size and weight, and to improve mileage, Toyota will likely be replacing the current nickel-metal hydride batteries in Prius cars with the new lithium units. Exact timing for the change has not been announced.

Toyota Prius: Video

While there is no specific word on how the eventual battery switchover will affect Prius range and charge time, the video clip above offers a nice overview of how the current version of the plug-in works. The 15-mile all-electric range in today’s Prius plug-in is sourced from a battery pack that can be recharged from a 220-volt outlet in about 90 minutes. The car’s dash display shows progress of the charge.

Toyota Batteries

Japan’s influential Nikkei Business Daily newspaper reported the basic facts about Toyota’s apparent switch to lithium power, but did not cite sources for the information. It is possible that Toyota is intending to sell the batteries to other carmakers, or offer them for sale on the open market. However, rumors have been adrift in the auto industry for several years that the maker of the best-selling Prius hybrid would soon switch to lithium battery packs for reasons of efficiency if nothing else.

Toyota sold more than 1 million hybrid cars last year, and its popular Prius typically makes up about 70 percent of the company’s total hybrid sales. Since 1997, Toyota hybrid sales have exceeded 5 million units.

For more about Toyota, see the Japanese carmaker’s official corporate website:
http://www.toyota.com

Larry Bell

Larry Bell + is My Perfect Automobile’s Genius Author, but we call him ‘The Expert‘. Here is his full Blog: My Perfect Automobile. Larry lives in San Jose, CA and is also the Expert Author. Larry is a lover of the Automobile as well and shares a passion for Concept, Hybrid and Electric Cars…

Toyota Prius V a Top-Ten Family Car

Larry Bell — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:25:40 +0000

Toyota Prius V

Kelley Blue Book’s list of the top ten best cars for families includes the Prius V hybrid in the number-three slot, just behind number two Honda Accord and top choice Nissan Pathfinder. In fact, Toyota notched two of its models on the prestigious list. The company’s Avalon placed sixth on KBB’s ranking. While the Prius V shows an average sticker price of $28,752, the Avalon’s price comes in at $35,610.

Toyota Prius: Video

For a substantive, though humorous, car review, watch the clip above, where Ford’s C-Max hybrid faces off against the Toyota Prius in a tandem road test of sorts. Each driver makes the case for the car he drives, with a total of five points at stake. Without spoiling the ending, know that the C-Max wins the mileage category, though only by a slim margin. Toyota’s Prius is a hands-down victor when it comes to rear cargo space, which is one factor that helped it snag a position on the KBB Best Family Car listing. Overall, the review delivers a lot of laughs but also much substance about the two cars.

Toyota Prius V

Fourth and fifth on the KBB Best Family Cars list were the Volkswagen Passat and the Honda Odyssey, respectively. Places seven through ten were, in order, Ford Fusion, Honda CR-V, Nissan Altima and Chevy Suburban. A spokesperson for KBB noted that all cars on the list ranked high in the categories of comfort, value, spaciousness and of course safety. The annual listing typically includes vehicles in a wide range of prices and sizes. This year’s selections covered the pricing spectrum and featured several multiple corporate entries; three Hondas, two Toyotas and two Nissans. Chevy, Volkswagen and Ford each had one car on the list.

For more about Toyota Motor Co., and the Prius V in particular, see the official corporate website for Toyota below, plus a specific site for the Prius V hybrid.
http://www.toyota.com
http://www.toyota.com/priusv/

Larry Bell

Least Stolen Car is a Popular Hybrid

Larry Bell — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 22:35:11 +0000

Least Stolen Car: Toyota Prius

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) has just released its latest report, which shows that the Toyota Prius hybrid is the least stolen car in America. Between the years 2000 and 2012, the Prius accounts for approximately 50 percent of all hybrids sold in the U.S., but ranks at the bottom of the list when it comes to cars that thieves want to snatch. Criminals have, according to the NICB, several reasons for disliking the car, though the uniqueness of its engine system seems to be a primary factor.

Least Stolen Car: Video

When it comes to car theft and vandalism, there is plenty that you can do to prevent those crimes from happening to your vehicle. Tim Shaw and the guys at Fifth Gear are featured in the video clip below. They comically but effectively discuss the three most common types of car crime and show how to beat the thieves at their own game. Valuables in plain sight are the number one target of crooks, while license plates rank second. The anti-theft team at FG does a funny demonstration of how car-nappers can be deterred when they try to bash in windows and snatch your tags. In fact, worldwide there is a huge market in products that reduce the chances of car theft and vandalism. And with post-1996 models that feature hard-to-defeat alarm systems, it is no wonder that theft rates have been cut in half over the last decade.

Least Stolen Car

Besides the difficulty in transplanting the engines, thieves dislike the fact that there is a relatively small secondary market for Prius parts. So many of the cars are still under warranty that car thieves find it hard to sell what they do manage to steal. Interesting factoid: According the official statistics, the very first theft of a Toyota Prius occurred on Sept. 4, 2000.

For all things Toyota, see the Japanese carmaker’s official corporate website:
http://www.toyota.com

Larry Bell

Ford C-MAX vs. Toyota Prius: Round One Complete

Larry Bell — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 22:58:33 +0000

Ford C-MAX hybrid

With just one month of sales data behind it, the Ford C-MAX Hybrid has topped the Toyota Prius by approximately 400 unit sales for the period. For Ford Motor Co., October was the best month ever for hybrid sales, as the automaker notched 4,612 units compared to less than half that in October of 2011. For the past 10 years, in fact, Ford has not had an October that saw as many small cars sold. Fully a quarter of all C-MAX Hybrid sales were in California, while 70 percent of all the car’s buyers are new customers for Ford.

Ford C-MAX: Video

See the video link below for a quick interview with a Ford Motor Co. representative who talks about the debut of the Ford C-MAX Energi as well as the car’s plug-in version, the C-MAX Hybrid. The 5-passenger, multipurpose vehicle has been introduced for the 2013 model year, and gets 47 mpg in both city and highway driving, making it one of the most fuel-efficient vehicles of its size. With the many positive early reviews of the C-MAX cars, it appears that Ford has a contender that is ready to go against its chief competitor, the Toyota Prius.

Ford C-MAX vs. Toyota Prius

Ford Motor Co. literature calls the C-MAX Hybrid the most fuel efficient utility vehicle in the U.S. Ford also claims the overall hybrid sales crown based on the one-month comparison to sales of the Toyota Prius V, its closest competitor. October’s sales figures for the company outpaced last October’s numbers by 142 percent. A key marketing advantage for the C-MAX is its 47 mpg number, which is about 7 mpg better than Prius V.

For more about C-MAX hybrid and all the other vehicles made by Ford Motor Co., see the official corporate website:
http://www.ford.com

See the following link for Toyota’s website:
http://www.toyota.com

Larry Bell

Toyota Prius C: College Grads Get Rebate

Larry Bell — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 13:37:50 +0000

Toyota Prius C: Rebate-ready

Toyota announced this week that the Prius C hybrid has been added to the list of cars eligible for the company’s College Grad Rebate Program, which gives $1,000 rebates to recent and soon-to-be college grads. Until now, there were seven cars on Toyota’s rebate roster, so Prius C makes eight. The 53-mpg city car was built for the young urban demographic, hence the graduation rebates. Even pre-grads get in on the action since the program gives rebates to anyone six months away from graduation and for two years after snagging a diploma.

Toyota Prius C: Video

The video clip below takes you on a first drive of the Prius C, with a couple interviews of Toyota executives thrown in for good measure. The big tradeoff with the C is horsepower for mileage. If you are shopping for a large, muscular car, this is not your game. However, for young singles, students, and small families, the 50-plus mpg and all-around efficiency is just the right fit. Be sure to watch the whole video for some funny outtakes at the end.

Toyota Prius C: Rebate Facts

If you are interested in the rebate program, it is easy to qualify if you are near diploma time, or have just gotten one. Degrees must be obtained from four-year colleges, two-year colleges, grad schools or nursing schools. Since Toyota did not want to leave out the automotive profession, they included all auto and electrical programs to the pool of eligible participants. If your diploma is coming up within the next six months, or if you earned it less than two years ago, this is like free money from Toyota to you. In addition, grads that qualify for the program are also able to take advantage of extremely competitive APR rates, no payments for 90 days, and several other incentives.

For more about the Prius C and all the other vehicles from Toyota, see the company’s official corporate website:
http://www.toyota.com

Larry Bell

Billy Joel: Hybrid Man

Larry Bell — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 03:59:10 +0000

Billy Joel: Interior of Prius C

Billy Joel is just one of many celebrities who own a Toyota Prius hybrid car. The list of famous folks who own the popular vehicle is getting so long, the New York Times and other major publications are taking note. Joel, of course, is a mega-star, who has been famous for almost four decades, but the recent batch of stars, starlets, pop icons, and actors keeps growing. Famous people just love the Prius.

Billy Joel: Toyota Prius Video

For a simple yet informative walk-around of a new Prius C hybrid, check out the video link below. The car made its debut at this year’s North American International Auto Show in Detroit and was an instant hit. Already a best-seller in Japan, the C is a smaller version of Toyota’s flagship hybrid-electric entry.

Billy Joel: Hybrid Pre-Owned Cars

Now that hybrids have been around long enough to populate an active used car niche, Toyota remains the only car maker to offer a stand-alone Certified Pre-owned program for hybrids, though other hybrid makers are sure to follow. Honda has two hybrids that have been showing up on the pre-owned lots, namely the Insight and the Civic Hybrid. Although the Chevy Volt has only been around for a couple of years, the sleek hybrid from GM is already making a name for itself as a pre-owned, green vehicle.

Nissan’s all-electric Leaf has not yet appeared in the company’s pre-owned programs, but is expected to debut very soon. Those in search of luxury, pre-owned hybrids will not be disappointed. Lexus has an entire lineup of green, pre-owned cars. Both the GS 450h sedan and the RX 450h crossover are popular on the second-hand market. One of the biggest draws of the pre-owned vehicles is price. Buyers can sometimes get nearly-new hybrid cars for many thousands of dollars less than new versions.

For more about the world’s most popular hybrid car, see the official corporate website for the Toyota Prius:
http://www.toyota.com/prius-hybrid/

Larry Bell

Hybrid Car Sales Shock Experts

Larry Bell — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 14:56:22 +0000

Hybrid car: Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in

According to conventional wisdom, when gasoline prices rise, sales of electric and hybrid cars go up too. When gas falls, so do sales of alternative fuel vehicles. That makes good economic sense, but does not match recent reality. Though gasoline prices dropped recently, electric and hybrid car sales went up, which is a statistic that is currently causing industry analysts to do a double take. June’s 164 percent sales increase for alternative fuel vehicles might have been much higher if the price of gasoline had in fact gone up. No one can say for sure how high sales might have soared, but something on the order of 200 percent is a reasonable guess.

Hybrid Cars for 2014: Video

If you would like a tiny peek at the future of hybrid cars, have a look at the video clip below, which features some top secret (sort of) footage from the Mercedes-Benz S-class 2014 testing. Actually, the 2014 S-class cars will come in five varieties, based on what information has already been released. There will be the 6-, 8-, and 12-cylinder versions, of course, plus a diesel and hybrid drive model as well. The video shows some of the car’s high-altitude testing of the 2014 S-class prototypes.

Hybrid Car Sales

An instructive side note: When the sales numbers are broken out into hybrid and electric separately, it is obvious that buyers gravitated toward hybrids much more than the all-electric cars. It seems that consumers are hedging their bets for now, hanging onto a bit of range anxiety, and opting for the “range-extender” design of hybrid cars.

Ford will soon be bringing out its plug-in version of C-MAX hybrid, while Toyota continues to create variations on the hybrid theme with its own plug-in. From June 2011 to June 2012, Prius sales were up 300 percent.

For more information about the company that builds the best-selling hybrid car, see:
http://www.toyota.com

Larry Bell

Guess the Current ‘Car Sales Champs’

Larry Bell — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 21:20:19 +0000

Toyota Avalon hybrid

Aggregate data for the first half of 2012 shows that the big winners in car and truck sales were among high-mileage cars, hybrids, mid-sized sedans, and minivans. The main theme is that small, fuel-efficient vehicles are gaining much traction among buyers in all demographic groups, while the big SUVs, and even the luxury roadsters, are falling off the favorites’ lists of most buyers.

When data is broken down by product segments, the light-vehicle market increase of 15 percent for the first half of 2012 shows some distinct trends. Alternative fuel vehicles have out-performed the entire industry, with the Toyota Prius leading the way. The world’s best-selling hybrid propelled its segment to record levels, even in a year when the overall economy is not exactly robust.

The video clip above shows just how popular the topic of alternative fuel vehicles has become. The television show Frontline will begin airing a reality series later this month which follows a group of high school kids who build a hybrid super-car. With a side-story about the kids involved, the series discusses various aspects of the hybrid car market and why alternative fuel vehicles have become so popular.

When alternative fuel vehicles are measured as one group, consisting of electric cars, hybrids, and plug-in hybrids, then the numbers are even more impressive. From the beginning of 2012 to the middle of the year, alternative vehicle sales rose 71 percent, which is far greater than any other segment of the car or truck market. The Prius was, of course, the standout among that bunch, showing a 90 percent increase in sales from 12 months ago. Analysts point to the addition of several new models within the Prius family as a primary reason for the stellar sales numbers.

Toyota is no longer the dominant player in the hybrid market, however, as 37 such vehicles are now offered to U.S. consumers.

For more:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hybrid_vehicle

Larry Bell

Hybrid Wars! Ford Takes on Toyota

Larry Bell — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 12:39:18 +0000

Ford C-Max ‘SmartGauge’

Ford Motor Company is going all out with marketing for its new 2013 C-Max Hybrid, pitting the sleek entry directly against its number one rival, Toyota’s Prius V. Sources at Ford say they hope about half of all new C-Max owners are “captures” from Toyota, in other words, buyers who would otherwise have purchased the Toyota product. Marketing aside, how do the two stack up against each other on an objective basis? That is what most consumers want to know.

In the area of fuel efficiency, C-Max wins out by a few points, with its 47/44 mpg, against the Prius V’s 44/40 statistic. Other basic comparisons show the Ford on top as well, with its 2.0-liter engine cranking out 188 horses and boasting a 500-mile total range. Prius V has a slightly smaller, 1.8-liter engine, 134 horse power, and nickel-metal-hydride batteries (as opposed to Ford’s more common lithium-ion pack).

Most consumers make price a large part of their car buying equation, and in this case, the C-Max wins out by more than $1,300, since the Prius V starts at $27,310, and the C-Max at $25,995. The C-Max has some unique Ford tweaks too, like a hands-free liftgate and the company’s patented Active Park Assist technology.

Ford C-Max hybrid

To be thorough, for drivers who want cargo space, the C-Max definitely does not come out on top of the comparison. Prius V has about 10 more cubic feet of space than Ford’s hybrid, along with the advantage of proven reliability. Hard to quantify, objectively anyway, reliability and a proven track record are golden assets that the Prius possesses. C-Max is a new entry into the hybrid arena and will have to spend at least a couple of years earning its reputation. If all goes well, though, Ford will likely have a decent share of the lucrative hybrid market by the middle of this decade.

For more about the C-Max hybrid from Ford, see the official website for the vehicle:
http://www.ford.com/cars/cmax/2013/

Larry Bell

A Prius for the Prince!

Larry Bell — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 12:46:26 +0000

Toyota Prius V

The first Toyota Prius plug-in to roll off a European assembly line has landed on the driveway of Monaco’s Prince Albert II. Right now, the Prince has a standard version of the Prius, but is looking forward to driving the new plug-in, his spokesperson said. The Monaco government has just begun an incentive arrangement for car buyers who opt for hybrids and electric models.

A few years ago, the Prince gave some clues in an interview with an Internet journalist about his environmental frame of mind. A soft-spoken man with an American accent (he learned English from his mother, Princess Grace), Prince Albert II is committed to doing whatever he can to keep Monaco’s air clean. His role in that effort is to drive a hybrid car, and he certainly seems to love the Toyota Prius, because this recent addition to his fleet is the second one he has driven. A short segment of the interview is linked below.

The Prius more than meets Principality requirements for the purchase incentive, since its lithium-ion battery pack prevents the gasoline engine from having to work too hard. In pure EV mode, the car is able to travel for about 15 miles. The new Prius plug-in can be driven like the older version, if a driver prefers the more conventional, original hybrid system. The combined-cycle hybrid allows for fuel efficiency of 78 mpg.

The Principality of Monaco has over 420 charging stations for electric cars. The plug-in Prius only takes 90 minutes to charge completely, and the Prince has said that he will be using the new car for non-official driving. In his case that often means a trip to the running club, where he jogs laps around a track.

For more about the Toyota Prius, see the official corporate website for the car:

http://www.toyota.com/Prius

For information about Monaco, see the following information page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monaco

Larry Bell

‘Top Green Company’ Award Goes to …

Larry Bell — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 18:39:57 +0000

Toyota Tundra

The second annual Best Global Green Brands report has named this year’s winner, and it turns out to be a replay of last year’s results, with the trophy going to a Japanese automaker that pioneered hybrid vehicle development, Toyota Motor Corporation. The prize recognizes companies that actually live up to their public image in the area of environmental responsibility.

Global brand consulting firm Interbrand hands out the awards each year, and noted that Toyota is at the top of its game due to expansion of the legendary Prius family of hybrid cars. Not only did they revolutionize the auto industry with the car’s introduction, according to Interbrand, but Toyota also kept going, creating more models, and even came up with a plug-in version of the wildly popular Prius.

Now, there is a smaller version of a Toyota hybrid in the European Toyota Yaris hybrid. For those who want larger cars that are still green, the company builds the luxurious Camry. Next year, the Toyota Avalon hybrid will be available in showrooms all over the world. Interbrand was also impressed with the Japanese automaker’s comprehensive efforts to make its entire manufacturing process greener. Toyota has recently instituted ongoing systems to cut carbon emissions in its factories and office buildings.

At this rate, Toyota is on target for one of the world’s first green “three-peats,” if it wins the Interbrand award again next year.

Global best-seller: Toyota Corolla

Just having a green reputation will not garner votes for the top spot. Instead, those who vie for the prize must be as green as they are perceived to be. In other words, no hypocrites allowed! It is a sad fact that numerous manufacturing and retail corporations talk the green talk. Toyota has now won this award twice in a row because they walk the walk when it comes to green efforts and practices.

For more info about the world’s greenest automaker, see their official corporate website:
http://www.toyota.com

Larry Bell

Solving the Riddle of Prius

Larry Bell — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 18:03:47 +0000

A 2012 Toyota Prius v

Toyota marketing representatives say that one of the most common questions they get about their Prius v hybrid car concerns its EV driving mode. To make the point crystal clear, the company produced a number of short video spots, one of which is linked below. With a voice-over description of just how EV mode works in the car, the video very simply lists the main requirements for using the all-electric capability of the Prius v.

Demographic research studies have demonstrated that many consumers incorrectly think the Prius is an electric car, which it is not. In fact, according to official company literature, the Prius v (which stands for “versatility”) is a full-hybrid, gasoline-electric vehicle. The car was introduced in 2011. What some consumers wonder about is the capability of Prius v’s electric driving power and range. The video does a good job of clearing things up.

The main thing to keep in mind is that the Prius v is not an all-electric car like the Leaf, nor is it a range-extended hybrid like the Chevy Volt. The Prius v offers four drive modes; EV, Eco, Power, and normal. As the narration points out, the Prius can run at low speeds for short distances in EV mode, as long as you don’t press too heavily on the accelerator. In addition, the battery needs to be charged up and the defoggers should be in the off position. EV mode in a Prius v is meant as a short-term choice when you need to drive without using the gasoline engine, for whatever reason.

The 2012 Prius v made the final five for Green Car Journal’s “Green Car of the Year” award, and the vehicle’s Japanese version, called Prius Alpha, made the finals for the 2012 “Car of the Year, Japan.”

For more about the amazing Prius V, see Toyota’s official corporate website for the car:
http://www.toyota.com/priusv/

Larry Bell