Reuters reports, "Toyota Motor Corp said on Wednesday it would begin leasing 500 plug-in hybrids based on the Prius model globally by the end of this year." Don't get too excited about getting behind the wheel, however. Only 150 of the cars are scheduled to come to the U.S., and all 500 will be designated "primarily for government and corporate use."
The small fleet will serve to test battery technology. Edmunds Inside Line reports, "For the first time, the plug-in Prius will use lithium-ion batteries that can be charged on household current or from a special charging station. The new 2010 Prius, which went on sale earlier this year in Japan and the U.S., uses less efficient nickel-metal hydride batteries."
The experimental battery means these first plug-in Prius sedans will be expensive for Toyota to build, and it might be impossible for the automaker to sell them to private customers at a profit in the near future.
Toyota may not have as much interest in Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) technology as some of its rivals. PhysOrg notes that Bill Reinert, Toyota's U.S. manager for advanced technologies, recently told a National Academy of Sciences panel that Prius sales "were almost 159,000 last year," while "Toyota estimates sales of hybrids that can be recharged at household outlets may be 50,000 units a year at most and could be as few as 3,500,." Reinert added, "A market for plug-in hybrids will emerge, but their success depends on advantages over existing hybrids." Today, he thinks, those advantages are not clear because "There is a great deal of variation on how current PHEVs perform in real-world conditions."'
There is some risk in that position, however. General Motors plans to release its long-awaited Chevy Volt extended-range electric vehicle in 2010. The Volt, GM claims, can charge from a standard wall outlet and travel 40 miles on battery power before starting its gasoline engine. If the Volt reaches market while Toyota is still experimenting with a small fleet of Prius PHEVs, Toyota could lose its reputation for green car leadership to GM.
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