2011 is set to see the introduction of a plug-in capable Toyota Prius, capable of charging it’s lithium-ion cells from either a 110v or 220v household electrical outlet. Toyota currently has 500 of the plug-in hybrids on the road in Japan, Europe and the US for testing purposes, all of these test vehicles are fitted with “black box” data recorders that transmit detailed telemetry on daily activity back to Toyota in order to gauge how the vehicles will be used when they hit the market in early 2011.

The first generation plug-in hybrid will offer a somewhat limited electric only range of 13 miles, enough for a trip down to the supermarket or soccer practice perhaps but not much else. Toyota seem to be very concerned about the potential impact that these cars will have on electrical grids, if hundreds of them all plug in at around the same time everyday it’ll overload the grid and blow the local transformer. It has been noted that hybrids seem to “cluster” in certain neighbourhoods, usually wealthier suburbs which in turn tend to be older and thus reliant on older electrical infrastructure, this could tend exacerbate the grid-overload problem.

This car is a great step into the plug-in market for Toyota, at the moment there seem to be so many people ready to buy plug-in capable cars who are frustrated at the lack of models to choose from. We’d like to see an electric only range of at least 50 miles but otherwise this Prius seems like the perfect midsize family car. It’ll need to come in at under $30,000 before mass adoption can occur, current pricing estimates are $39,500 USD, but we’ll see significant price reduction as production volume increases and lithium-ion battery systems begin to come down in cost.

What do you think? Will you buy one?

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2011 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Specifications and Price

ENGINE

Displacement – (cm3) 1798

Max. Output (hp(kW) / rpm) – 98 (73) / 5200

Max. Torque (Nm / rpm) – 142 / 4000

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PRICE

Estimated – $39,500 USD (before $2,500 tax credit)

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MOTOR

Motor Type – Permanent magnet synchronous motor

Max. Output (hp / kW) – 80 / 60

Max. Torque (Nm) – 207

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HV BATTERY

Battery Type – Lithium-ion

Maximum EV Cruising Range – Approximately 13 miles

Recharging Time – 1½ hours @ 220V or 3 hours @ 110V

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EXTERIOR DIMENSIONS

Overall Length (in) 175.6

Overall Width (in) 68.7

Overall Height (in) 58.7

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Official Toyota Product Information – Prius Plug-in