2012 Toyota Prius PHEV (Plug-In): Features, Pricing and Release Date

Content courtesy of CarsDirect.com

The production version of Toyota’s exciting new 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid will release in just a few short months. Hybrid car buyers should consider waiting for the car’s release date in early 2012. The plug-in version’s chief advantage is its ability to run for around 13 miles, Toyota promises, before its gasoline motor kicks in at all.

Some new details are just in about a couple of new features not found on pre-production models, Consumer Search reports.
First, the Plug-In offers a driver-selectable electric-only mode which
drivers can utilize to achieve the best fuel economy for a given trip.
The car’s batteries are, for example, discharged much faster when on the
highway overcoming all that wind resistance.

2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid EV Jack

Another feature
is the car’s regenerative braking and engine braking with the ability to
charge the lithium-ion battery pack past the point it needs to run the
Hybrid Synergy Drive system while the car is in operation. For longer
trips this can extend the electric-only range for past 13 miles.

After
the EV range is exhausted Toyota promises fuel economy better than the
standard Prius’s 51 mpg city/48 mpg highway. Though the Toyota’s EV
range is less than half as long as the 2012 Chevrolet Volt’s 35 miles,
the Chevy achieves around 35 mpg city/40 mpg highway on premium fuel
once its EV range runs out. Toyota has confirmed the Plug-in Prius will
run off regular unleaded.

Electric-only Range: 13 miles
Post-EV Fuel Economy: Expected combined 55 mpg or greater
Production Version Unveiling: Sept. 2011
On Sale: Early 2012
Expected Base Price: $29,000