Toyota exec attempts to cool hybrid expectations

Posted Thu Jun 12 2008 9:35 AM by Viknesh Vijayenthiran

Popular hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid are lucky to get mileage figures above 50mpg (4.7L/100km) in real world tests, and in some cases are beaten by conventional diesel vehicles, but talk of next-generation hybrid models achieving up to 100mpg (2.35L/100km) are already rampart. Toyota revealed yesterday that its third-generation Prius will be launched next year and its first plug-in hybrid will arrive in 2010, but the carmaker also stressed that some of the mileage claims being spread are overly optimistic.

Speaking with Automotive News, Toyota technology expert Bill Reinert explains that the demands of real-world driving, such as rapid acceleration on freeways, can dramatically reduce the all-electric range of plug-ins. “Not everybody's going to get 100mpg," he said.

According to Reinert, the expected 40 mile all-electric driving range for future plug-in hybrid vehicles will suffice for most customers. However, he also warned that the technology may not live up to the hype and some customers may be disappointed, as was the case with the Prius, which was originally rated by Toyota as offering up to 60mpg (3.92L/100km) in city driving.

Reader Comments

Thu Jun 12 2008 9:48 AM
bambam says

consumers don't expect much, even if its 5L/100Km, as long as the price or others such as safety matches the prices of the car. Even then We expect better batteries in a few years or so later. which should give the results tended for.
The issue here is oil, money and climate change.
Thu Jun 12 2008 10:13 AM
Gus says

The issue here is driving.
My wife spends less on gas and payments overall in her paid-off Expedition than her coworker does in his new $500 a month payment Prius.
She lives 10 miles from work, he lives 50.
This "crisis" is only an impact to those who have not planned ahead.
My new Mustang GT is fun to drive and has a folding roof. I don't see the Prius being anything more than a tool for quite some time to come.
Fri Jun 13 2008 10:54 AM
chris says

exactly gus; the problem here is excessive lifestyles. why are you commuting 2 hours a day? The problem here is suburbia. plain and simple. the cost of living in a city is very high, and most people working in the city cannot afford it. it makes more sense financially to live far away, and commute. and you have to live FAR away because as is the case in most cities, you have very wealthy people living inside the city, the very poor living just outside of the city, and the middle class living far outside the city.

but people's perception of what they can and cannot afford will change when gas hits $6/gallon. by christmas.

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