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"Already seen and driven in prototype form, the Prius plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (what many term a PHEV) made its official debut at the 2009 Frankfurt International Motor Show. Also announced was a worldwide leasing and evaluation program, with more than 500 Prius PHEVs involved early next year.   Conceptually similar to the Hybrid Synergy Drive in the production Prius model, this one swaps the standard car&amp;#039;s nickel/metal-hydride battery for one of advanced lithium technology that&amp;#039;s more compact yet packs more power and energy. Unlike a conventional hybrid, a PHEV also allows the option of charging its battery from a remote electrical hookup.   Fully chargeable within 1 1/2 hours from a 230-volt line, the new Prius is designed to travel 12.5 miles (i.e., to be precise, a PHEV12.5) at speeds reaching 62 mph. After this distance, its 1.8-liter inline-4 gasoline powerplant fires up and the car operates as a conventional hybrid.   By contrast, the standard Prius gets less than half this distance in pure electric-vehicle mode. Chevrolet&amp;#039;s larger (and heavier) Volt is said to be a PHEV40; that is, with an EV range of 40 miles. Obviously each of these performance parameters depends profoundly on driving conditions. Also, in general, greater EV range comes with more battery, increased weight and added cost.   Recharging depends on the voltage of the available electrical connection. Toyota has a 3-hour target for recharging on a 100-volt hookup; 1 2/3 hour is cited as a 200-volt target.   Frankfurt attendees were appraised of the Prius PHEV&amp;#039;s CO2 output, said to be less than 60 g/km and all important in the latest of European regulations. By contrast, a current conventional car&amp;#039;s CO2 output is on the order of 140 g/km.   The worldwide lease program will include more than 150 cars in Europe, with others in the U.S. and the car&amp;#039;s home market of Japan. It&amp;#039;s expected these will give Toyota an opportunity to assess real-world use (not to say potential misuse!) in advance of bringing a PHEV to actual market. Prius PHEVs are already being evaluated by government and academic groups.   Journalists, your author included, have driven them at several locations and stages of development. Obviously for much of the drive, the car behaves like a conventional Prius. The important difference is its enhanced EV operation, at speeds considerably higher than the light-footed 40 mph achievable in an ordinary Prius now and then.   The benefit of a PHEV is clear: essentially pure electric mobility for those who travel less &amp;quot;from plug to plug&amp;quot; than its designed range. Toyota notes that fully 80 percent of car journeys in surveyed France and the U.K. involve a distance less than the Prius PHEV&amp;#039;s 12.5 miles. In the U.K. specifically, the 80th-percentile distance is perhaps half this.   The Prius PHEV and others of its kind give drivers a choice: Like a conventional hybrid, it replenishes its own electricity underway. But, uniquely, it can also take advantage of the available plug-in. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-shows/frankfurt-auto-show/news/a14926/2010-toyota-prius-plug-in-hybrid/>