The NHW20 Prius was a completely redesigned vehicle that was unveiled at the April 2003 New York International Auto Show for the 2004 US model year. Between the Corolla and the Camry in size, it was transformed into a small liftback with much more luggage and rear-seat legroom as a result of redistributing mechanical and interior space. The EPA claims that the second-generation Prius is more ecologically friendly than the first model and is 6 inches (150 mm) longer. [38] [39] With a drag coefficient of Cd=0.26, its more aerodynamic Kammback body balances length and wind resistance. [40] Shigeyuki Hori, the chief engineer, oversaw the development process, which resulted in 530 patents for the vehicle. [41]
The Tsutsumi facility in Toyota, Aichi, began production in August 2003. The Fujimatsu plant in Kariya, Aichi, was added in October 2004.
[43]
The Prius employs an entirely electric air conditioning compressor, a first for the industry.
[44] The XW20 is more potent and effective than the XW10 when paired with a smaller, lighter NiMH battery. [45] In the US, the battery pack of models from 2004 and after is warranted for 100,000 miles (160,000 km) or 8 years elsewhere, and 150,000 miles (240,000 km) or 10 years in areas that have implemented the stricter California emissions control requirements. [46] [47] For hybrid parts, the guarantee period is 100,000 miles (160,000 km) or 8 years. [48]
It is recognized as a “Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle” and is categorized as a SULEV (Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle) by the California Air Resources Board (AT-PZEV).
[49]
The second-generation Prius was manufactured by FAW-Toyota in Changchun from 2005 to 2009 for the Chinese market.
[50] 2,152 Priuses were reportedly sold overall in 2006, and 414 in 2007. The exorbitant price, which was attributed to heavy levies on imported parts and was around $15,000 pricier than the comparable in Japan or the US, was blamed for the relatively low sales. [51]
Toyota reduced the cost of the Prius to CN259,800 (US$36,500) at the beginning of March 2008 by up to 8% or US$3,000. Sales were said to have decreased due to both a lack of acceptance and rising competition. Beginning in 2007, the Toyota Prius Hybrid was exported to China. [52] Around 1,192,000 second-generation Priuses were sold by Toyota worldwide. [9]
In This Article...
Has Toyota developed hybrid vehicles?
The Prius, the first hybrid vehicle to be mass-produced in the world, was introduced by Toyota in Japan 20 years ago. Our engineers continued to pave the way in the years that followed, incorporating hybrid technology into its vehicles all around the world.
Who built the initial hybrid vehicle?
In the year 1899, Ferdinand Porsche, a mechanical engineer, created the first hybrid vehicle. It was known as the System Lohner-Porsche Mixte, and it used a gas engine to fuel an electric motor that propelled the vehicle’s front wheels. Over 300 of the Mixte were created since it was warmly appreciated.
Who was the Toyota Prius’s inventor?
The executive vice president for technology Akihiro Wada gave Takeshi Uchiyamada the order to develop a hybrid version of the following-generation vehicle in November 1994.
Toyota started producing hybrids when?
But Toyota was the first to successfully address the numerous engineering difficulties and go on to introduce the Prius, the world’s first mass-market hybrid, in 1997. As a pioneer, the first generation model was made to stand out—a strategy that other iterations would duplicate as time went on.
Toyota started manufacturing hybrids when?
As the first mass-produced hybrid passenger car, the first-generation Prius was introduced in October 1997. The first-generation Prius was a stockier sedan than the current design, with a body small enough to be registered with a 5-series number plate. The first-generation Prius was introduced with the slogan “Just in time for the 21st century,” and it had a fuel efficiency rating of 28.0 km/L in the Japanese 10-15 test cycle.
What hybrid vehicle is the oldest?
The first hybrid electric vehicle is created. The Lohner-Porsche Mixte is the first hybrid electric vehicle in the world, developed by Ferdinand Porsche, the creator of the sports automobile bearing his name. A gas engine and battery that stores electricity power the car.
Since when does Toyota produce hybrids?
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]
How durable are hybrid vehicles?
Even though you may save thousands on fuel costs thanks to hybrid car batteries, nothing lasts forever. You will eventually have to pay for a repair or a new battery.
Leading hybrid automakers like Honda and Toyota often claim that the lifespan of a hybrid battery is between 80,000 and 100,000 miles. However, some hybrid car owners claim their batteries have lasted up to 200,000 miles with appropriate maintenance and repair!
However, just as with any car, how you drive with it greatly affects the battery lifespan. Frequent town driving with frequent starts and stops results in more cycles in a shorter amount of time, which has the effect of hastening battery deterioration. There is wear and tear, much like with tires. Your battery will last longer if you use it less frequently while commuting.
Like a regular automobile battery, the health of a hybrid battery is impacted by age and mileage. In some circumstances, you can need a new battery in as soon as 5 years. However, if you avoid long drives and high mileage, your battery may last up to 11 years.
How long do batteries in hybrid cars 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 caused Toyota to halt Prius production?
Why would Toyota discontinue the Prius given its enormous success? Why would the car manufacturer stop making it? One is that the Prius is selling a lot less than it did at its height. Compared to 236,655 units sold in 2012, Toyota only sold 43,525 Prius models in 2020.
The Prius is currently overshadowed by other hybrid vehicles, notably those from the Toyota brand. With the introduction of the Toyota Corolla Hybrid, speculation about the Prius being discontinued became even stronger. The Corolla Hybrid, another compact hybrid vehicle offered by Toyota, may render the Prius obsolete.
Electric vehicles are another factor that might make the Prius irreverent. Today’s consumers have a lot more environmentally friendly options with EVs, so hybrids like the Prius might not be as desirable. Toyota has waited a while to produce an electric car, but the carmaker just said that it will make a significant push for electric cars in the future, starting with the introduction of the Toyota bZ4X crossover EV in 2022.
What does the Japanese word “Prius” mean?
Prius means “before” or “previous” in Latin. One interpretation of its name is that it was the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle when the Prius was introduced in Japan in 1997.
Why does Toyota produce hybrid vehicles?
Every time a company in the automotive sector decides to build a new car, they must take the environment into account. All Toyota hybrid vehicles are the company’s effort to be environmentally conscious. You reduce your dependency on the environment for oil-based fuels with any hybrid vehicle from Toyota. Toyota sees hybrid technology as essential to achieving its objective of reducing carbon emissions.
The Corporation sells reasonably priced hybrid vehicles that have many power sources integrated into a single drivetrain. This makes it possible to achieve an outstanding track record for fuel efficiency and low carbon emissions. With each generation, the fuel efficiency of Toyota’s hybrid vehicles is known to increase by up to 10%. Users adore hybrid cars for their timeless quality, dependability, and low operating costs, which enable them to deliver outstanding performance when in use.
The Corporation outfits its hybrid cars with affordable technology that will benefit users in order to preserve the Toyota hybrid car’s capacity to reduce emissions. Since then, Toyota has added 44 hybrid cars to its lineup, up from just the Prius model. Toyota thinks that by expanding its hybrid product line, more people will have access to its cutting-edge technology. Toyota has sold 15 million hybrids globally and, as of 2020, its yearly hybrid car sales have averaged 1.5.
Toyota hybrid vehicles emit the least amount of NOx exhaust emissions that could harm air quality.
What was Toyota’s first well recognized hybrid vehicle?
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.