Plug-in Prius at Frankfurt

By Luke Madden

10th September 2009

The Toyota Prius is about to get greener! A new plug-in hybrid model due to be announced at the Frankfurt Motor Show emits less than 60g/km of CO2.

The car, currently still in concept form replaces the nickel-metal hydride battery of previous Prius iterations with a more efficient lithium-ion set-up which allows for a 12.5 mile range in electric only mode. This new battery also allows for quicker charging with Toyota claiming that from a 230V socket the battery will be fully charged in one and a half hours.

Power comes from the familiar 1.8-litre engine which produces 97bhp and 142Nm of torque whilst the electric motor puts out 79bhp and 207Nm.

Toyota plans to get 500 plug-ins on the road early next year as part of a lease programme. Out of these 500, 150 will make it to European countries where Toyota can evaluate real world performance and gain an insight into the reception from the public.

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