The Toyota Prius (/pris/) is a hybrid vehicle that Toyota manufactures. Its drivetrain combines an internal combustion engine with an electric motor. It was first made available as a four-door sedan, but has only ever been made as a five-door liftback.
According to smog-forming emissions, the Prius was classified as one of the cleanest cars sold in the United States in 2007 by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
[1] Following the Hyundai Ioniq Blue hybrid, the Prius Eco for the 2018 model year was the second-most fuel-efficient gasoline-powered vehicle offered in the US during that year. [2] [3]
The Prius was the first mass-produced hybrid car, and it first went on sale in Japan in 1997. It was offered at all four Toyota Japan dealership chains.
In 2000, it was subsequently made available everywhere [4].
[5] Toyota sells the Prius in more than 90 countries, with the United States and Japan being its two biggest export markets.
[6] The milestone number of Prius liftback vehicles sold globally was one million in May 2008, two million in September 2010, and three million in June 2013.
[9] The United States surpassed a cumulative sales milestone of one million by early April 2011[10], while Japan did the same in August 2011.
[11] With nearly 4 million units sold as of January 2017[update], the Prius liftback was the most popular hybrid vehicle worldwide. [12]
In 2011, Toyota added the Prius v, an extended hatchback, and the Prius c, a small hatchback, to the Prius family. The Prius plug-in hybrid’s production model was unveiled in 2012. In November 2016, the Prius Prime, the second generation of the plug-in model, was made available in the United States. [13] Of all the vehicles certified by the EPA with internal combustion engines, the Prime achieved the greatest miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) rating while operating entirely on electricity. [14] [15] During the first half of 2015, the Prius c variant’s global sales surpassed one million units. [16] In January 2017, the Prius family had cumulative global sales of 6.1 million units, or 61% of the 10 million hybrids Toyota had sold globally since 1997. [12]
In This Article...
Toyota began producing hybrids when?
Beginning in the late 1990s, hybrid automotive technology gained popularity. The Toyota Prius, which debuted in Japan in 1997, was the first hybrid car to be mass-produced. The Honda Insight, which debuted in the US and Japan in 1999, came next. [4] In the year 2000, the Prius was introduced in Europe, North America, and other parts of the world. [57] According to estimates, the first-generation Priussedan can go 45 miles per US gallon (5.2 L/100 km; 54 mpgimp) on the highway and 52 miles per US gallon (4.5 L/100 km; 62 mpgimp) in the city. 61 miles per US gallon (3.9 L/100 km; 73 mpgimp) in the city and 68 miles per US gallon (3.5 L/100 km; 82 mpgimp) on the highway were the estimated fuel economy ratings for the two-door first-generation Insight. [4]
In 1997, the Toyota Prius sold 300 units, and in 2000, 19,500 units were sold. The one millionth Prius was sold globally in April 2008.
[57] Early in 2010, it was estimated that 1.6 million Prius units had been sold worldwide. [58] [59] In 2004 and 2009, Toyota introduced the Prius models of the third generation. [60] The 2010 Prius has a combined fuel economy cycle evaluated by the US EPA at 50 miles per US gallon (4.7 L/100 km; 60 mpgimp). [60] [61]
The only Duo to ever enter series production, the Audi Duo III was unveiled in 1997 and was based on the Audi B5 A4 Avant.
[3] A 21 kilowatt (29 PS; 28 horsepower) electric motor and 1.9-liter turbocharged direct injection (TDI) diesel engine were both employed in the Duo III. Only roughly sixty Audi Duos were made because to limited demand and its expensive price,[clarification needed]. The Duo was the sole hybrid vehicle produced in Europe up until the 2008 debut of the Audi Q7 Hybrid. [3] [62]
The seventh-generation Honda Civic served as the foundation for the Honda Civic Hybrid, which debuted in February 2002 as a 2003 model.
[63] The 2003 Civic Hybrid looks just like the non-hybrid model and gets 50 miles per US gallon (4.7 L/100 km; 60 mpgimp), which is a 40% improvement over a standard Civic LX sedan. [63] In addition to the standard Civic, it had a stylistic upgrade for 2004. The second generation Toyota Prius was completely revamped in 2004, enhancing power output, passenger space, and payload capacity while lowering pollutants and improving energy efficiency. After production ceased in 2006, the original generation Honda Insight nevertheless had a strong fan base of owners. In 2010, a second-generation Insight was introduced. Honda also introduced a 6-cylinder hybrid version of the Accord in 2004. However, Honda abandoned it in 2007 due to poor sales, and in 2012, production of a 4-cylinder hybrid started. [64]
The first hybrid electric sport utility vehicle (SUV), the Ford Escape Hybrid, was introduced in 2005. Ford and Toyota struck into a licensing arrangement in March 2004 that allowed Ford to use 20 Toyota-owned hybrid technology patents, despite the fact that Ford’s engine was independently created and constructed. [Reference needed] Ford granted Toyota patents relating to its European diesel engines in return for the hybrid licenses. [Reference needed] The Toyota Highlander Hybrid and Lexus RX 400h with 4WD-i, which use a rear electric motor to power the back wheels and eliminate the need for a transfer case, were introduced by Toyota as hybrid electric versions for the calendar year 2005.
The 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line, which used GM’s Belted Alternator/Starter (BAS Hybrid) technology along with a 2.4-liter L4 engine and a FWD automatic transmission, was the first mild-parallel hybrid vehicle that General Motors Saturn Division put on the market in 2006. The 2008 Saturn Aura Greenline and Malibu Hybrid versions were both powered by the same hybrid drivetrain. Only the BAS-equipped Malibu is still in (limited) production as of December 2009[update].
The GS 450h, a hybrid electric variant of Lexus’ GS sport car with 335 horsepower, was debuted in 2007.
[65] In the summer of 2006, the 2007 Camry Hybrid was made available in the US and Canada. In 2007, Nissan introduced the Altima Hybrid, which used Toyota-licensed technology. [66]
Fall 2007 saw the launch of General Motors’ 2008 Two-Mode Hybrid versions of the GMT900-based Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon SUVs, which were swiftly followed by the 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid[67] model.
[68] The 2009 Chevrolet Silverado[69] and GMC Sierra[70] Two-Mode Hybrid models, which are half-ton pickup trucks, were produced by General Motors with the same technology.
The second-generation Honda Insight, the Mercury Milan Hybrid, and the Ford Fusion Hybrid were all introduced to the US market in March 2009 after making their official debuts at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2008[71].
[56]
What model of hybrid vehicle did Toyota debut?
The Toyota Prius was the first gasoline-electric hybrid car to be mass-produced. A five-year effort by Toyota Motor Corporation to create and market a usable, low-emission family vehicle culminated with its domestic launch in late 1997.
Contrary to popular belief, Toyota did not invent the idea of a hybrid vehicle. As early as 1898, there were automobiles with both internal combustion engines and electric motors. To put this powertrain into mass production, however, various technical and engineering challenges had to be resolved first, and Toyota was the first company to do so. The requirement to extend the high-voltage battery’s lifespan to match that of the rest of the car’s components was foremost among them.
The groundbreaking Toyota Hybrid System, an integrated package whose mechanical components could still fit within a regular-size engine bay, was at the heart of the new Prius (XW10 chassis).
A four-cylinder, 1.5-liter NZ-series engine with a simulated Atkinson combustion cycle was the system’s driving force. It was connected to a separate generator as well as a small, highly torqued electric drive motor. A strong nickel-metal hydride battery pack concealed beneath the back seats was the last piece.
How effective are hybrid Toyota cars?
The Toyota Prius, the hybrid crossover that launched the entire trend, will always be associated with hybrid cars. Over the course of two decades, it has even demonstrated its dependability, solidifying its place in the market and winning over customers.
Toyota is known for producing some of the most dependable engines, and the Prius is no exception. A remarkable 10-year/150,000-mile warranty is included with its hybrid battery. It is one of the most trustworthy automobiles available because to its low operating expenses and smooth hybrid powertrain.
What hybrid vehicle is the oldest?
While the industry’s ups and downs in the latter part of the 20th century helped demonstrate to the world the potential of the technology, the actual resurgence of the electric car didn’t occur until the early years of the 21st. Depending on who you ask, one of two things caused the interest in electric automobiles that exists today.
The launch of the Toyota Prius has been cited as the first pivotal moment. The Prius was the first hybrid electric vehicle to be mass-produced when it was introduced in 1997 in Japan. The Prius was introduced to the world in 2000 and was an instant hit with celebrities, which helped to increase awareness of the vehicle. The Energy Department’s research helped develop the nickel metal hydride battery, which Toyota used to create the Prius. Since then, escalating petrol prices and growing concern about carbon pollution have made the Prius the most popular hybrid vehicle globally during the past ten years.
(Historical footnote: Honda produced the Insight hybrid in 1999, making it the first hybrid sold in the U.S. since the early 1900s, before the Prius could be introduced here.)
The 2006 news that a small Silicon Valley startup, Tesla Motors, would begin manufacturing a luxury electric sports car that could travel more than 200 miles on a single charge was another event that contributed to the transformation of electric automobiles. For the purpose of establishing a manufacturing facility in California, Tesla secured a $465 million loan from the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office in 2010. Tesla paid back the loan entirely nine years early. In the brief time since then, Tesla has garnered widespread praise for its automobiles and grown to become the largest employment in the California auto industry.
Many major automakers accelerated work on their own electric vehicles as a result of Tesla’s announcement and subsequent success. The Nissan LEAF and the Chevy Volt entered the U.S. market at the end of 2010. The Volt, the first commercially produced plug-in hybrid, includes a gasoline engine that complements its electric drive once the battery is discharged. This allows users to travel on electricity for the majority of trips and fuel to increase the vehicle’s range. In contrast, the LEAF is an all-electric car, which means that its only source of propulsion is an electric motor (also known as a battery-electric vehicle, an electric vehicle, or simply an EV for short).
Other automakers started releasing electric vehicles in the U.S. during the following few years, but consumers were still faced with one of the early issues with the electric vehicle: where to charge their cars while they were on the go. The Energy Department contributed more than $115 million through the Recovery Act to support the construction of a national charging infrastructure, deploying more than 18,000 residential, business, and public chargers across the nation. The number of public electric vehicle chargers now stands at more than 8,000 distinct places with more than 20,000 charging outlets, thanks to the installation of their own chargers by automakers and other private companies at strategic U.S. locations.
A plug-in electric vehicle’s range was also improved at the same time by new battery technology, which was sponsored by the Energy Department’s Vehicle Technologies Office. The Department’s research contributed to the development of the lithium-ion battery technology utilized in the Volt in addition to the battery technology used in practically all first-generation hybrid vehicles. In the previous four years, the Department’s investment in battery research and development has reduced the price of electric car batteries by 50% while also enhancing the performance of the vehicle batteries (meaning their power, energy and durability). As a result, electric car prices have decreased, making them more accessible to consumers.
When it comes to purchasing an electric vehicle, consumers have more options than ever before. There are currently 36 hybrid and 23 plug-in electric vehicle types available in a range of sizes, from the luxurious BMW i3 SUV to the two-passenger Smart ED. With more than 234,000 plug-in electric vehicles and 3.3 million hybrids currently on American roads, electric vehicles are becoming more and more popular as gas prices continue to climb and their prices decline.
How long do batteries in hybrid cars last?
How long do hybrid batteries actually last as you relax in your hybrid while listening to the buzz of your engine?
A hybrid battery has a different lifespan than a car battery, which you may already be aware of. Read on to find out how long your hybrid battery should last and what you can do to prolong it.
How Long Do Hybrid Batteries Last?
You will save tens of thousands of dollars annually on fuel thanks to a hybrid battery. Others rush to fill up at the petrol stations. You use the garage outlet to charge your car and go to the gas stations half as often as your neighbor.
However, you will eventually need to pay money to either fix or replace the pricey hybrid battery that has been so helpful to you for thousands of miles.
The majority of hybrid vehicle producers claim that a battery will last 80,000 to 100,000 kilometers. However, hybrid owners have reported that some batteries live up to 150,000 miles and even up to 200,000 miles with the proper maintenance and fundamental vehicle repairs.
An owner typically keeps a hybrid vehicle for 5 to 15 years when the battery mileage is high.
What Affects Your Hybrid Battery Life?
How frequently you drive your automobile directly affects the battery’s longevity. For instance, if you drive for Uber or Lyft, you probably log several hundred miles in your car each week. The same holds true if you work as a salesperson or are a road warrior who uses their automobile as their office.
Compare a salesperson who logs 100 miles per day in his automobile to a person who commutes 20 miles per day. A long commuter won’t put as much strain on a hybrid battery as a road warrior. The battery will age more quickly if it does more cycles in a shorter period of time.
Your battery will appear to last considerably longer if you merely cycle it a few times per day while you commute.
Age Matters
In as little as five years from the time you first bought the battery new, you could need to replace your hybrid battery. The length of time, though, mostly relies on how you utilize your car.
In as little as five years, the battery in a car that is used often on lengthy trips will need to be replaced. However, if you use your car exclusively and don’t frequently take it on lengthy drives, your battery may endure for 10 or 11 years.
Milage Matters
It’s only a number, age. Battery life depends on both age and the number of miles you put on it.
In principle, a battery in a 2005 Prius with 150,000 miles will be better than one in a 2011 Prius with the same amount of miles. The 2011 automobile has completed more cycles in a shorter amount of time. This indicates that the 2011 Prius has experienced faster, more intensive cycling.
Because the 2011 Prius was driven more vigorously than the 2005 Prius, its battery has suffered more damage.
Is Your Battery Balanced?
Several factors can cause hybrid batteries to malfunction. They frequently fail because the equilibrium of particular cells with other cells is off.
For instance, a standard Toyota Prius from the 20-series has 28 separate cells that have about 6500 mAh. Over time, the battery’s capacity will decrease to as little as 1500 mAh.
However, the disintegration may not always occur equally. Some batteries can go as low as 1500 mAh, while others can still reach 5000 mAh.
The hybrid battery will wear out more quickly if you have unbalanced cells than if you have a battery with balanced cells.
Do You Service Your Hybrid?
In hybrid automobiles, an electric battery and a gasoline engine are two separate power systems that cooperate with one another. Your engine will consume more fuel than necessary if it is not operating efficiently. You’ll get better fuel economy.
If your engine isn’t working properly, your hybrid battery will have to put in more effort. As a result, if you don’t give your engine routine maintenance, your hybrid battery will wear out sooner.
Ironically, you could be tempted to forgo routine maintenance on a car like a Prius because its mechanical condition is normally rather good. After all, the engine will sound nice and appear to not require routine maintenance from a mechanic.
But as a result, your Prius battery can degrade more quickly. Your battery will last longer if you place your automobile on a regular maintenance schedule.
You should have your automobile serviced every 5,000 miles if you use it for business purposes, such as driving for Uber, or if you frequently travel great distances for work. Have your car serviced every 6,200 miles if you only use it for short commutes.
According to Toyota, a hybrid battery will last for roughly 8 years. The battery’s lifespan will most likely depend on how you treat your car.
You could be deterred from sending your automobile to the mechanic on a regular basis by the cost of routine maintenance. Consider the price of a new battery, though. This should motivate you to frequently invest a few dollars on maintenance in order to extend the lifespan of your hybrid battery.
Consider getting your battery refurbished and rebalanced from the start if you’re going to buy a secondhand hybrid. Giving a hybrid battery a proactive reconditioning and rebalancing will ensure the longest life possible.
Recharge Responsibly
Your hybrid battery’s lifespan is also impacted by how quickly you recharge it. A hybrid battery will degrade more quickly the more you recharge it. On the other hand, your battery depletes more quickly the more you drive.
The manufacturer’s recommended charging time should be followed. Never charge less or more than what the automaker suggests.
Think of your car’s battery as being similar to your phone’s. When you originally bought it, it operated perfectly, keeping a charge for more than a day. By mid-afternoon, you must plug it in because the battery is running out of power.
The battery on your car is no different. It will lose charge over time and require extra charging. Charge it only as much as necessary, though, to make the most of what you already have.
Weather Matters
A hybrid battery’s longevity is significantly impacted by extreme cold and heat.
Owners have found that hybrid engines perform less effectively in cold temperatures than they do in settings that are more comfortable. If you reside in a chilly area, you are aware of the necessity of starting your car to warm it up before leaving on a trip. Car owners often let their vehicles run for 15 to 20 minutes before pulling them out of the driveway in really cold conditions.
In bitterly cold temperatures, it takes a while for hybrid engines to warm up. However, an early start will merely warm up the gas engine. On very chilly mornings, hybrid owners claim that it takes them longer to warm up their vehicles than the average motorist.
Even then, the engine often operates below its optimal fuel efficiency once the automobile is ready to move.
Hybrids generally struggle in the snow and ice. Snow calls for a vehicle that is heavier and has more rolling resistance than a typical hybrid tire.
Because of this, a hybrid needs to work more to go through snow, and its owner will need to fill the tank more frequently.
Additionally, to keep the roads dry and clear in a snowy environment, road workers utilize snow-clearing chemicals. These substances will accumulate on the car’s exterior and may clog the grill. Due to the engine’s reduced ability to breathe, the hybrid once more experiences low fuel efficiency.
Your battery won’t freeze even if you live in a very cold climate. Your battery might not last as long as it would if you lived somewhere with a constant temperature, though. Hybrids also dislike conditions that are too hot.
At 110 degrees, a hybrid battery can start to lose its effectiveness. Ensure the ventilation of your hybrid battery. Some hybrid vehicles include batteries underneath the passenger seat; as a result, the ventilation system in the vehicle keeps the battery aired.
As a result, you must always ensure that your car has a clean air filter.