Little Tokyo Design Week (LTDW): Future City, this coming July 14-17 in Little Tokyo (Los Angeles, California), proudly presents the Toyota Advanced Technology Vehicle Display which will feature the future of green consumer transportation.
The Prius Plug-in, the RAV4 EV battery-electric vehicle and their fuel cell hybrid electric car will be at the event. The listing can be found at http://www.ltdesignweek.com.
With the addition of the Prius Plug-in Hybrid electric vehicle is following the trends like I talked about in Build Your Own Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicle.
You see, depending on driving conditions, the Prius Plug-in can be driven approximately 13 miles on battery power at speeds up to 60 mph. Now, while that number does need to increase over time, 13 miles is the average amount of miles a person drives in any given day.
To have the Lithium-ion batteries, they get the opportunity to recharge on a 110 volt outlet or they can go in 1.7 hours on 220 volts (like a dryer plug). The 110 volt opportunity though really gives people the ability to “top off” anytime. Also, given the Toyota hybrid drive system the vehicle goes to after the PHEV batteries are depleted.
Currently, more than 160 Lithium-ion-battery powered Prius Plug-ins are part of a demonstration program in several U.S. cities. The program’s goal is to demonstrate plug-in technology, educate and inform the public, evaluate performance, and better understand the benefits to future customers. This will help pave the way for an on-sale target in the first half of 2012.
The Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle will launch first in 14 West and East Coast states (Arizona, California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Virginia and New Hampshire) where nearly 60 percent of all Prius models are currently sold.
Also, back in May 2010; Toyota Motor Corporation announced a collaboration with Tesla Motors to work together on the development of electric vehicles, parts, production systems, and engineering support. This relationship gives the companies an opportunity to learn from each other, with Toyota aiming to learn from Tesla¹s EV technology, quick decision making, and flexibility. Tesla looks to Toyota to learn and benefit from Toyota¹s engineering, manufacturing, and production expertise.
In July 2010, the two companies jointly announced an agreement to initiate the development of an electric version of the RAV4 as a demonstration vehicle with the intent to bring a RAV4 EV to market in 2012. In November 2010, the RAV4 EV Prototype Phase Zero debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show where Toyota announced that it would work with Tesla to convert 31 conventional RAV4s to full electric drive. For this vehicle, Tesla was responsible for building and supplying the powertrain, including the motor, battery, and other related parts and components that meet Toyota engineering specifications in performance, quality, and durability. Toyota was responsible for development and manufacturing leadership, and the integration of the powertrain.
In February 2011, Tesla began delivery of the 31 converted demonstration vehicles. The purpose of the demonstration program is to educate the public about electric vehicle technology and to promote the development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The technical and cosmetic features on the
vehicle are targets for the fully engineered, market-ready RAV4 EV, planned to debut in the 2012 calendar year. Many aspects of the program are still in the development stage, but continue to visit http://www.toyota.com/esq for the latest information on this exciting collaboration.
