Toyota Testing Plugin Hybrid in Europe

Toyota and EDF (Électricité de France) has had a partnership to test plug-in hybrid Prius vehicles (PHEV) for over a year now. The testing is now expanding to the UK. The hybrids will be driven by EDF employees and tested under everyday driving conditions. To make charging the cars easier, EDF has helped install 40 charging stations across UK. The plug-in hybrid currently uses 60 percent less fuel than a conventional Prius during short trips (less than 25 km).

Toyota to boost Hybrid Prius production by 70%

Toyota plans to increase its Prius hybrid car production by 70%, bringing the production to a total of 480 000 units per year. Toyota build its gasoline-electric car production mostly in its Tsutsumi plant in central Japan. Toyota sold 281,300 Prius cars worldwide in 2007. Toyota is the world’s largest auto maker. It cannot make enough hybrid models to meet the demand. Toyota has a goal of selling at least 1 million hybrid vehicles annually soon after 2010.

Hybrid Combined With Solar Power

Prius is the high-end models of Toyota hybrid cars, and it is planned to add solar-powered air conditioning to make it more fuel efficient. This new feature is part of the third-generation Prius, and it will be launched next year. The solar panels will be used to provide the air conditioning system. There has been some doubts about the amount of electricity that can be obtained by solar panels. According to Kentaro Endo, a specialist on renewable energy from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, laying solar panels out on the roof only gives energy that can only be used to power 2 hairdryers.