The Prius prototype is ready to make its test run
Unless you know someone who knows someone, chances are you will just have to wait around like all the rest of the plebeians to get a taste of the Toyota Prius plug-in set to go on sale in 2012. While everyone takes a minute to manically scroll through their PDAs (didn’t that Toyota Kenosha dealer say he’d owe you a major if you bought that ’98 Avalon from him?), let it be known you’re really gonna need to know a guy because Toyota Motor Sales has announced they will be loaning only 150 of the Prius plug-in prototypes to various organizations around the country.
The plug-in Prius will still use gasoline, but it arrives with a stronger lithium-ion battery pack that can be recharged in the living room or at the office. On a full charge, the plug-in Prius is supposed to be able to run 13 miles and it should be able to reach highway speeds of up to 60 mph in the electric-only mode. The increased all-electric cruising range and its top speeds and, uh, it being a plug-in, distinguish it from the conventional hybrid. For longer travel, the Prius will revert to standard hybrid mode, so this really is the best of both worlds. Did you ever hear back from that Toyota Kenosha dealer?
The purpose of TMS’s charity, beyond a nice marketing boost, of course, is for these 150 vehicles to serve as a mass test drive. You know, so the plug-in upon official release doesn’t immediately end up in a lot full of used cars in Waukegan. All of these prototypes Toyota sends out will be equipped with data retrieval systems that will measure and watch the activities critical to the functioning of the vehicle, such as how often it is charged, where it is charged, and its all EV driving range. So, perhaps letting others have first run at it is in fact good news if you don’t see yourself as the guinea pig type, but Toyota did recently present the Silicon Valley Leadership Group with the first three vehicles and those guys (and gals) are smart. Chances are probably pretty good you won’t be finding the Prius plug-in in a Waukegan used cars lot anytime in the near or distant future.
