Toyota develops plug-in hybrid car

By YURI KAGEYAMA, AP Business Writer Wed Jul 25, 1:27 AM ET
TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it has developed a plug-in hybrid vehicle for public road tests in Japan and plans tests for the United States and Europe.
Other major automakers, including General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., are developing plug-in hybrids, a key technology that reduces the gases causing global warming.
Plug-in hybrids, including Toyota's, generally have batteries that power an electric motor, with an internal combustion engine for use when the batteries run low. The batteries can be recharged by plugging them into a standard wall outlet.
The plug-ins run longer on electricity, especially for shorter distances, than the more common hybrids on the roads such as Toyota's Prius.
Toyota is the first manufacturer to receive government approval to conduct tests for a plug-in hybrid on Japanese public roads, it said, and will collect information about the tests from eight plug-in vehicles for the government about emissions and fuel efficiency.
The Toyota executive in charge of technology, Masatami Takimoto, said the approval came Wednesday morning.
Takimoto declined to say when Toyota will bring a plug-in hybrid to market. Innovation in battery technology is needed, he said.
"We still need some time," he said.
The vehicle displayed Wednesday, called Toyota Plug-in HV, runs on the same nickel metal hydride battery as the Prius and has a cruising range of 8 miles on electricity. Takimoto said tests will help in deciding the range consumers want.
Mass production of plug-ins is so far being held back by costs and battery technology that limit the vehicles' range. Manufacturers are racing to bring the technology to market as consumers seek alternatives to traditional engines and high gasoline prices.
Although most automakers are working on hybrids, Toyota has the advantage of 10 years of experience in selling the technology — and 10 years of feedback from drivers on which to base improvements, rather than relying on information from labs.
Toyota has placed a large emphasis on hybrid technology: It offers several hybrid models besides the Prius, including the hybrid Camry and hybrid Lexus models. It has set a target of selling a million hybrids a year sometime after 2010.
The more common hybrids such as the Prius switch between an electric motor and gas engine to deliver better mileage. They don't need to be plugged in to recharge because they recharge the motor as they run, converting energy from the wheels and braking.
Toyota said in June its cumulative sales of hybrids passed 1 million vehicles since it began selling the Prius a decade ago.
Details of its plug-in hybrid tests for the U.S. and Europe are still undecided, Takimoto said.
General Motors is developing the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, and says it hopes its plug-ins can reach showrooms by 2010.
Earlier this month, Ford announced a partnership with Southern California Edison to test rechargeable hybrid vehicles and hasten mass production of plug-in hybrids. Ford has been testing plug-in hybrids based on the Escape sport-utility vehicle, for one, but has not said when it plans to start mass producing them.