Toyota Prius Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
The Toyota Prius is one of the world's first commercially mass-produced hybrid automobiless. Manufactured by Toyota, the Prius first went on sale in Japan in 1997. Since then, there have been over 120,000 units sold in Japan, Europe, and North America as of September 2003. The Prius (2000–2003 model years) is certified as a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The 2004 model is certified as an Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (AT-PZEV).
| Toyota Prius | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Toyota |
| Production: | 1997 – present |
| Class: | Economy car |
| Body Styles: | 5-door Hatchback 4-door sedan |
| Engines: | Gas:Hybrid Synergy Drive – 1.5L I4 DOHC 16 valve Electric:500V 50 kW motor |
| Length: | 4450 mm (175.33 in) |
| Width: | 1725 mm (67.97 in) |
| Height: | 1490 mm (58.71 in) |
| Curb weight: | 1325 kg (2921 lb) |
| Predecessor: | none |
| Successor: | none |
| Also known as: | Toyota Hybrid |
| Shares components with: | none |
| Similar models: | Honda Civic Hybrid Honda Insight VW Jetta GLS TDI-PD |
| This article is part of the automobile series. | |
| Table of contents |
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2 2004 Prius 3 Notable facts 4 Sales 5 Other hybrid-engine vehicles 6 See also 7 External links |
The Prius has been called a true hybrid vehicle, designed from the bottom up. Toyota's goal for the Prius is to reduce the amount of emissions it produces and to be as energy-efficient as possible. They used several methods to try to achieve this goal, including:
The engine is permitted to shut down once the engine has warmed up and the catalytic converter in the exhaust system has reached operating temperature. Once this occurs, the Prius can be driven on electric power only; this is sometimes referred to as "stealth mode" due to the lack of engine noise. This further reduces gasoline consumption and wear and tear on the engine. When driving conditions demand additional power from the engine, it is designed to start up automatically.
Frequent starting up and shutting down of the engine should not cause additional wear and tear, as in conventional automobiles, because the drive motors have enough power to quickly and smoothly spin the engine to optimal rpm (around 1,000) before the engine actually begins to "fire up". This avoids wear when the engine is "running" (with fuel and spark) at very low RPM, as happens in most vehicles.
The Prius gets better fuel efficiency in the city because the batteries get used more, whereas on the highway, the engine is used in order to recharge the batteries, and the wind resistance is higher.
The Prius 2004 model year is a complete redesign of the previous generations of Prius. The first generation (1999–2003) Prius was based on the compact Echo and could not run its air conditioning unless the motor was running. In contrast, the 2004 model is specifically designed for this application and uses an all electric heat pump for heating and cooling. This allows more extensive use of the "stealth" mode (operation on electric motor only).
The new drag coefficient of 0.26 is the lowest in the industry.
The new (third generation) Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) replaces the earlier Toyota Hybrid System (THS) technology.
The new 2004 Prius is a midsize car with more room than the previous compact and is a five door model (4 doors plus a rear hatch). In general the car is conveniently narrow on the outside, rather flat sided, and relatively tall (several inches taller than a Camry). The profile is much more continuous, with a short sloping nose transitioning to a highly sloped windshield and an arcing roofline ending in a cut-off Kammbak. The additional height allows a more erect seating position and a higher eye point, giving a better view of the road to the driver. There is also a surprising amount of rear seat leg room, resembling that available in a much larger vehicle. Fold down rear seats with a 60/40 split make for easy carriage of most parcels.
With a smaller but higher voltage NiMH battery the new model is more powerful (2 seconds faster in 0 to 96 km/h acceleration) and is 15% more fuel efficient than the previous generation Prius, with 59 mpg city and 51 mpg highway (according to the EPA). As the EPA city test is more consistent with downtown Manhattan then it is with most suburban driving, your milage may vary. When driven appropriately, commuting and mixed suburban drivers are reporting realistic milages of 45 to 50 mpg. See also
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The display shows mileage bars for each five minute segment of driving and this can encourage economical driving. It would be useful to have these even in gas guzzlers as they increase a driver's awareness of the effect of technique on mileage. The display also indicates instantaneous milage, which is useful for detecting when the vehicle has switched from electric-only to electric plus ICE. At this time it can usually be advantageous to accelerate rather than lug the vehicle, in an attempt to get to a more favorable location or speed range for electric-only mode.
The vehicle is classified as a SULEV (Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle), 90% cleaner than conventional gasoline-only automobiles. It comes with an Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (AT-PZEV) certification by CARB (California Air Resources Board).
As an interesting side note, a $2,200 option package offered in Japan for the 2004 model gives it the ability to perform parallel parking by the on-board computer. Eighty percent of the Prius buyers in Japan have chosen this option. The system is not intelligent, though, so it is very limited. [1]
When the vehicle is started it will operate for seven seconds before starting the engine. This can allow you to remove the vehicle from a garage before starting and so reduce the pollution in the house. Unfortunately it is much too quick to start the engine in most cases, as in some locations a complete downslope trip could be made without starting the ICE engine - actually putting energy into the battery. The Japanese and European version of this vehicle provide a button that maintains stealth mode after startup under most low load conditions. The US model does not provide this button although it is supported internally by the computer. It is likely that this has not been included in the interest of retaining the warranted battery life, for misuse of the button could certainly shorten that. As the battery is an integral part of the drivetrain, and that is warranted for low smog performance, up to 150,000 miles in California, these could be good reasons for not providing the button.
A driving trick: Often you will pull up at a stop light that has just changed. In some suburban areas this may entail a wait of several minutes, as the lights cycle through various simultaneous or sequential left turns, cross traffic, pedestrians, etc. If the gasoline engine is running when you approached the stop it will take the better part of a minute before the computer recognizes the situation and shuts off the engine. There is a trick to getting the engine to shut off promptly. If you approached the stop in B (energy recovery braking), you may then when stopped with the brake on, command N (neutral), then D (drive) - the engine will stop immediately - at least in 2004 US versions.
Passengers of the Prius can use their Bluetooth-enabled cellphone via the car's audio system without taking the phone out of their pocket. It is the first car released with this feature.
This is an Article on Toyota Prius. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About Toyota Prius How it works
Touted advantages of the Prius over previous energy-efficient designs include never needing to be plugged in, all power being delivered ultimately from the gasoline engine. This means it drives like a traditional ICE automobile, the onboard computer in the Prius taking care of shifting power to and from the engine and motors, automatically determining the most efficient use of the engine or the electric motors (or both) based on driving conditions, and when to charge the battery.2004 Prius
Notable facts
Sales
Other hybrid-engine vehicles
See also
External links