TOKYO: Toyota Motor said that it plans to begin commercial sales of its first plug-in hybrid vehicle in about two years, aiming to meet growing demand for fuel-efficient cars.

The world’s largest carmaker hopes to sell several tens of thousands of the plug-in Prius car, which it says will have an affordable price tag.

Presently a gasoline/electric hybrid car, a plug-in feature—meaning the car can be plugged in to a common household electric outlet to charge its batteries—will lessen even more the car’s dependence on its gasoline engine.

In part to gauge demand for the cars, Toyota said it would start leasing some 600 plug-in hybrids in the first half of 2010 to government agencies and businesses; 230 in Japan, 200 in Europe and 150 in the US.

The plug-in hybrid runs 23.4 kilometers in the electric mode alone on one charge and has an average fuel efficiency of 57 kilometers per liter, based on Japanese road conditions. The efficiency is an improvement on the conventional Prius which boasts an average fuel efficiency of 30.6 kilometers per liter. Combining the plug-in system with a conventional hybrid technology allowed the company to keep down the production cost compared with a full electric car, said Toyota Vice President Takeshi Uchiyamada.

“The plug-in hybrid also solves users’ concern about an electric car running out power,” he said, adding that Toyota is also considering to start marketing a fuel-cell hybrid in 2015.

Toyota has sold more than 1.25 million Prius vehicles since the first model’s launch in 1997, making it the world’s most popular hybrid.
AFP