Report: Toyota to make plug-in technology standard in Prius

2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid

The Toyota Prius Plug-in hybrid will begin arriving at dealers in 15 launch states in spring of next year, with a nationwide roll-out in 2013. According to Nikkei business daily in Japan, Toyota plans on making plug-in technology standard in the Prius starting in 2014.

The Toyota Prius Plug-in hybrid is capable of driving about 13 miles on electric power alone at speeds up to 60 mph. It takes only three hours to fully charge on a 110 volt outlet, and only 1.7 hours on 220 volts. Once the battery is depleted, the Prius plug-in will go back to a standard hybrid powertrain, the same setup in the standard Prius.

Toyota opened the online registration process for the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid last month.

In October, Toyota said that cumulative sales of the Prius had reached 2 million units worldwide – a big punch in the face of many automakers that offer hybrids. The Japanese automaker is aiming to sell 1 million hybrid vehicles by 2015 on an annual basis.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Automotive News