photo courtesy of Toyota
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It was just a matter of time before the hybrid giant, the Toyota Prius, added a few more tidbits of technology to continue its supremacy in the hybrid market. The 2010 Toyota Prius will mark Toyota's fourth generation of hybrid, which is a huge landmark considering that many manufacturers have just figured out how to spell "hybrid" and print it on the side of their car (whether or not it gets good gas mileage is beside the word).
But so far Toyota is staying true to its name, "Prius," which in Latin stands for "to go before." They have one of the most successful hybrid platforms in the world, and it is not just in the word they have achieved this, but how they have backed it up with an unheard of mass produced 45 city/48 highway mpg hybrid vehicle.
Solar Roof Panel:
The big news this week for Toyota according to several sources, is the addition of a solar roof panel on the Toyota for 2010. While it will not be used as a power source to help charge the battery, it will help to reduce some of the energy draw from some of the electrical components of the Prius.
One of the big comments that has been receiving a lot of attention is the quote by Kentaro Endo, director at Japan's Ministry of Economy, "Even if you laid solar panels out on the entire roof of a house (car), you only generate enough energy to run two hair dryers."
This has a lot of folks who believe in the future of solar energy up in arms.
But what we say to this, is in Episode 2 of Mean Green Machines, we have seen an entire vehicle drive completely around a race course using only the power of the sun to operate its motors. We are not sure exactly what Kentaro may have been getting at, but we think that solar power has a bit more potential than what is being referred to in this quote.
What else will be new for the Prius?
Well, not too much. You don't want to fix something that isn't broke, as our grandfathers say. According to Car & Driver, it will have the same basic design and shape, with the exception of being slightly longer and have a wider stance. The "Hybrid Synergy Drive" twin electric motors will remain much the same, but an improved 1.6 liter four cylinder will take the place of the current 1.5 liter. The new engine will offer slightly better economy, but there have been no exact statistics released by toyota on exactly how much more.
Expect a fully loaded 2010 Prius to run you about $30,000, which is well within the range of the cost of an average car these days. The full plug-in Prius will also make its debut in 2010 with a more powerful battery set up to hopefully carry the Prius over a much greater distance per charge than the current model will allow.
All is looking bright and green on the hybrid home front!
Source:
MSNBC Business/Autos
This post was inspired by Episode 2 of Mean Green Machines.
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