Toyota delays next-gen Prius
December 31st, 1969
The 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid has officially been revealed at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Click here for all the details and images.
Despite being at the forefront of hybrid technology, even Toyota is having trouble bringing next-generation models to market using lithium-ion battery technology. It was expected the new drivetrain would be released towards the end of next year, but the latest reports out of Japan place them firmly in 2009.
Current Toyota hybrids use nickel-metal hydride batteries, but it was hoped that moving to lithium-ion would increase the capacity and decrease weight as well as cost. The company developing the new battery tech, Matsushita Industrial, has said that the development has been delayed due to safety concerns about how the batteries would react in case of an accident or fire, reports Reuters.
Toyota has been coy about the release date, but they must surely be feeling the heat as the rest of the world’s top carmakers gear up their own plans for hybrid production.
The 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid has officially been revealed at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show. Click here for all the details and images.
Despite being at the forefront of hybrid technology, even Toyota is having trouble bringing next-generation models to market using lithium-ion battery technology. It was expected the new drivetrain would be released towards the end of next year, but the latest reports out of Japan place them firmly in 2009.
Current Toyota hybrids use nickel-metal hydride batteries, but it was hoped that moving to lithium-ion would increase the capacity and decrease weight as well as cost. The company developing the new battery tech, Matsushita Industrial, has said that the development has been delayed due to safety concerns about how the batteries would react in case of an accident or fire, reports Reuters.
Toyota has been coy about the release date, but they must surely be feeling the heat as the rest of the world’s top carmakers gear up their own plans for hybrid production.
Toyota delays next-gen Prius
June 15th, 2007
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June 15th, 2007
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June 15th, 2007
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Despite being at the forefront of hybrid technology, even Toyota is having trouble bringing next-generation models to market using lithium-ion battery technology. It was expected the new drivetrain would be released towards the end of next year, but the latest reports out of Japan place them firmly in 2009.
Current Toyota hybrids use nickel-metal hydride batteries, but it was hoped that moving to lithium-ion would increase the capacity and decrease weight as well as cost. The company developing the new battery tech, Matsushita Industrial, has said that the development has been delayed due to safety concerns about how the batteries would react in case of an accident or fire, reports Reuters.
Toyota has been coy about the release date, but they must surely be feeling the heat as the rest of the world’s top carmakers gear up their own plans for hybrid production.
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Comments (2 total)
Meet the top commenters on the LeaderboardBy RideTheFuture #1, Posted: 6/16/2007
We all (or maybe except the deniers, both amateur or professional) know, why Toyota is not giving it the go:
Because they would literally kill the US automobile market with MPG's as high as the plug-in could provide.
They're being either stifled or holding it back intentionally, as AltairNano already is implying the Lithium Nano batteries.
My 10 cents.....
By PatSparks #2, Posted: 7/8/2007
That may be true if Toyota wasn't a competitive manufacturer and if Americans really cared about fuel consumption with cheap petrol everywhere there.
When your petrol prices match the prices in Europe then Americans might care. I think Toyota would love to dominate the US car market with hybrids, at the moment they are aiming for 1 million cars a year, a drop in the global bucket.
It may be more likely they are happy with sales of the current model so why change? Or they may be waiting for another improvement in battery technology which is near, to prevent being overtaken by another maker.
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