When Consumer Reports tested out the Hymotion L5 plug-in Toyota Prius conversion earlier this year, they weren't overwhelmed with the results. Sure, the mileage they observed was boosted to about 67 mpg over the first 35 miles of the drive, but that didn't match the claims of 100 mpg (or more) that Hymotion and A123 Systems make about their product.

To be fair to Hymotion, their qualifies mileage talk about their plug-in Prius MPG "that can achieve up to 100 mpg for 30-40 miles" this way:

Hymotion PHEV fuel economy is based on independent testing performed at Argonne National Labs and Idaho National Labs. Actual mileage will vary based on each individual's driving style, route, traffic, climate conditions, terrain and other factors.

Unfortunately for Hymotion, there are new results of tests done at the Idaho National Laboratory now available and they might make the company a little less eager to promote the work done by INL. The lab drove two groups of Prius test vehicles (one 40-car fleet and another 75-car fleet) from early 2008 until March 2009 for almost 500,000 miles and found that the average fuel economy tallied 46 and 49 mpg, respectively. As you might expect, driving style and the battery mode (charge sustaining vs. charge depeleting) had a big impact on the figures. You can view the result data in these PDFs: 1, 2. Sounds like PHEV proponents could take former Tesla marketing boss Darryl Siry's advice to electric vehicle manufacturers to heart.

[Source: Idaho National Laboratory, Greg Blencoe]

Auto sales are down – that's not exactly a surprise to anyone anymore. But Toyota has revived a little something from last summer called a wait list – for people who are interested in buying a new 2010 Prius. According to a story in The New York Times, Toyota is running its Prius production plants in Japan 24 hours a day and offering overtime to workers – even bringing in workers from other areas of the country – to meet demand for the hybrid car. Panasonic EV Energy, the Prius' battery supplier, is also working constantly to keep churning out packs for the model.

This is the effect of those higher-than-expected sales numbers. The NYT says that the waiting list is "several months" long in Japan. While impressive considering the marketplace, Toyota is still warning that 2009 will not be a profitable year for the company.


[Source: The New York Times]

Either Toyota intentionally downplayed initial numbers or the sluggish economy is not affecting Prius sales as much as the company feared. Whatever the reason, Toyota apparently realized it wasn't building enough Priuses and will increase production to meet demand. When Toyota introduced the car to the U.S. media in March, company officials said that they were predicting sales of 100,000 units in 2009. Well, even before going on sale in Japan in the middle of May, 80,000 people had pre-ordered the world's most popular hybrid - and the car goes on sale in the U.S. very soon. Let's see, 100,000 minus 80,000 leaves 20,000 with seven months to go in 2009. Yeah, I think Toyota will beat its original public estimate. According to Green Car Advisor, Toyota will now make half a million Priuses a year (instead of 400,000) once the car is available in all the markets around the world.


[Source: Green Car Advisor]

When car buyers think of hybrids, the name that most often springs to mind is the Toyota Prius since it was the first really practical hybrid to come to market and has sold more than any other examples. Yes, of course, the original Honda Insight beat the Prius to market in the U.S. by about six months, but the tiny two-seater sold in equally tiny numbers and had limited appeal beyond hard core hyper milers.

In the coming weeks, Toyota dealers will start getting their first allotments of the all-new third-generation Prius, and while we got to spend a few hours with one on the west coast in March, we just spent a whole week with the new version of this iconic Toyota. While the efficiency of the Prius has never been in dispute, like many other cars from Brand T, it's appeal as a driver's car has been, to say the least, limited. For the generation three model, Toyota has not given up on minimizing fuel consumption, but it has sought to make the Prius a bit more appealing on other levels. Read on to find out if the company has succeeded.


Photos copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Last week, we heard a report that Toyota had received 75,000 pre-orders for the new third-generation Prius. Today, the day that the new iconic hybrid goes on sale in its home country, Toyota says that the number is actually 80,000. Not bad for a new car in this time of economic questions. Having a popular hybrid at a time like this certainly is not a bad thing for an auto company. Of course, selling the car at a lower price than originally expected (thank you, Honda Insight) and $3,000 less than the previous generation model helps make it attractive to buyers. 80,000 pre-orders is just the beginning; Toyota hopes to sell 400,000 Priuses in 2010.


[Source: Reuters]

What's the perfect military vehilcle? Humvees? The original Mini Moke? Nope. The British army has leased 50 Toyota Priuses for the White Fleet, the Army's 6,600 non-deployable administrative fleet of cars for administrative uses - did you think they would install a canon on top of it? The cars replace 50 Vauxhall Vectras, which emit 154 grams of CO₂ per kilometer compared to 104 from the Prius. White Fleet is determined to reduce emissions in 2011, reaching a 130g/km average target, something all British administrations have aimed to reach. The British Ministry of Defence says that the Prius purchase is a significant step towards reducing the Army's emissions. Press release after the jump.

[Source: Toyota UK]

We heard in March that Toyota would bring 100 plug-in Priuses to Strasbourg, France. The company has now spelled out more of its European PHEV Prius roll-out plans, and the highlight is a total of 500 new-generation plug-in Priuses in operation in Europe, Japan and the US by 2010. In Europe, the new-generation PHEV Priuses will come to Strasbourg first, and communities in the UK, Germany and the Netherlands are among the potential test areas that will get the next wave by mid-2010. Unlike the first-generation Chevy Volts, Toyota will be testing PHEV Priuses that can communicate with the grid. Tadashi Arashima, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe, said in a statment that, "There is no better time to put our new PHV (Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle) through its paces. We have to assess its performance in a variety of markets with different infrastructure constraints, driving conditions and customer expectations."


[Source: Toyota]

Apparently, all those flowers and talk of "harmony" in the first new Prius ad are working. According to the Japanese newspaper Nikkei, Toyota has received 75,000 orders or the 2010 Prius. Toyota is not confirming the number, which was mentioned in Automotive News (subs req'd). The Prius goes on sale in Japan on Monday, followed by European and U.S. sales later this year. Toyota sold 8,385 Priuses in April.

Honda says that it has sold abouat 20,000 units of the Prius' main competitor, the new Honda Insight, in the first three months that the vehicle has been on sale. Honda said in Februrary that it would increase production capacity so it could sell 200,000 copies of the Insight this year.


[Source: Automotive News (subs req'd)]

We Americans want hybrid leadership. We want to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Trouble is, most of us aren't willing to pay for it. Johnson Controls surveyed 2,309 adults on all matters hybrid, and it found that 84% of Americans believe the government should support the advancement of hybrid technology and fully 88% believe hybrid leadership is crucial to America's future. But the devil is in the details, and few things bring out the worst in people more than money.

The survey asked whether car buyers would expect to pay more, less, or about the same amount as a comparable gasoline-powered vehicle. 23% of the adults surveyed said they were willing to pay more for a hybrid, while 35% would only purchase a car with battery assistance if it cost the same as a comparable non-hybrid. 33% actually think they should pay less for a hybrid than a conventional vehicle. And the other 11%? They wouldn't purchase a hybrid at any price. Click through to the jump for more on the study and to read the official press release.

[Source: Johnson Controls]

Long dead are automotive advertising campaigns that focus solely on the technical aspects of cars. Advertising now focuses in on sensations, feelings, abstract concepts and that "special something" that makes a particular vehicle stand out. Toyota's campaign to launch the 2010 Prius in the States takes exactly this kind of approach, with advertisements that are full of nature, singing flowers and the slogan: "Harmony between man, nature and machine."

The campaign includes not only beautiful imagery, but also highlights cool technology like solar panels installed on the roofs of bus stops, surely to recall that the new Prius is fitted with them on its sunroof. The artsy side of the campaign comes from 12-foot-tall flower sculptures that host recharging stations for cell phones, laptop computers and other electronic devices.



[Source: Edmunds]