The new plug-in version of the Prius hybrid will go on sale in the UK priced at £31,000. But it’ll probably cost a lot less.
You see this car is qualified for the £5,000 government incentives through the Ultra-Low Carbon Vehicle grant scheme. It will also offer big tax advantages for company car users.
The powertrain in the Prius plug-in consists of an electric motor, a lithium-ion battery and a petrol engine. It can run for 14 miles in the EV mode, and when the battery charge level gets low, the 1.8-litre VVT-i petrol engine kicks in. This means the driver need suffer no “range anxiety” about the distance the car can cover.
2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid has an estimated 49g/km of carbon dioxide rating, and 134.5mpg combined cycle fuel economy.
The advantages of the Prius Plug-in Hybrid are being measured in real-world demonstration programmes with 200 prototype Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) in Europe – 20 of them in London. Initial data are showing how the car can achieve significantly better urban driving performance than the best-in-class diesel and petrol models of comparable size. The London demonstration, in partnership with EDF Energy, is also monitoring battery recharging patterns and how motorists can time recharging periods to make best use of the power supply in terms of cost and emissions.
