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You could be driving a rechargeable car as soon as 2010

by Parm Mann on 14 January 2008, 14:43

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Toyota's plug-in hybrid electric car set for 2010

Surely to the dismay of Jeremy Clarkson, the 2008 Detroit auto show has had its fair share of environmentally friendly cars on show. Though stunning new models from Lamborghini and a new petrol-guzzling V12 iteration of the Audi R8 are just some of the super cars on the show, the spotlight this year has been cast on cars that sacrifice MPH (miles per hour) for MPG (miles per gallon).

Honda unveiled its new stand-alone small hybrid which the company plans to put into production in 2009. Smart was on hand to demonstrate its new "Stop-Start Hybrid" technology, a system which switches off the engine inside a Smart car when the car drops below 5mph when braking. The result, a Smart car that achieves 58mpg.

These however are all evolutions of technologies available today. Taking it a step further, Toyota announced its plans to build its first plug-in hybrid in 2010. By doing so, Toyota will be going head to head with GM and its plug-in Chevrolet Volt which also aims to reach the market in 2010.

Toyota president, Katsuaki Watanabe, revealed that Toyota's plug-in hybrid would run on lithium-ion batteries and be chargeable from any power outlet. With its design based on Toyota's popular Prius, a few alterations are immediately noticeable. One side of the car has a small cover that reveals a petrol cap and the other side of the car has a small cover that reveals a three-pronged plug, not what you normally expect to see on a car.

Charging the car takes approximately four hours and whilst driving, an "EV" button on the dashboard allows the driver to switch to "Electric Vehicle" mode. When in EV mode, the car achieves an impressive 99.9mpg.

There is a downside however, the car's batteries are only capable of holding enough power for a seven mile journey which will result in constant recharging. The Volt, General Motor's plug-in car scheduled for 2010, on the other hand claims a six hour charge will keep the Volt going for 40 miles.

Though the reduced use of fossil fuels makes plug-in hybrid cars seem a greener solution, the electricity required to charge doesn't grow on trees and the practicality of plug-in cars remains to be proven. One thing's for certain, the automotive industry aims to go green sooner rather than later.



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