U.S. News and World Report's Rick Newman recently got the chance to interview Mike O'Brien, head of product planning for Toyota North America, and walked away with some interesting thoughts on features that may appear in the 2009 Prius. [Disclosure: this website shares ownership with USNWR, but neither has editorial control over the other] "Toyota closely guards its development strategy," Newman cautions, "but a few hints from planners -- plus a bit of informed speculation -- suggest some possible innovations that could raise the bar for hybrids once a new version of the Prius arrives next spring." Among the possibilities:
"A button in the cabin" that "could allow the driver to switch off the gas engine entirely and travel solely by electric power on short trips"
Power outlets inside the car that offer "enough juice to power a laptop and other devices that require a regular two-prong outlet, even when the car is off"
And, perhaps most intriguing (though probably rarely used,) the ability to use the Prius "to keep the house lights on and the refrigerator running if a storm knocks out the electricity." O'Brien tells Newman, "There's enough power in a Prius battery to power a 1,200-square-foot house."
Autoblog notes that the generator feature "would be an option down the road - i.e., not in the Prius we'll be seeing in Detroit in January."
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