H..H Prince Albert II of Monaco is a well-known in the automotive world for his love of cars in general, and of course his support for the Monaco Grand Prix. In recent years though he’s going greener and greener. That latest evidence of this evolution is his decision to get a Toyota Prius Plug-in hybrid, the first one produced in Europe, to replace his normal Prius. He’s also auctioning off his family’s car collection.
As a leader, Prince Albert kinda has to do this to persuade his people into buying more hybrids and EVs. He’s actually launched an incentive scheme that allows for subsidies of €5,500 for full hybrid vehicles emitting less than 60 g/km of CO2, while full electric vehicles can receive subsidies of up to €9,000. The Plug-in Prius falls in that category perfectly.
The Prius Plug-in Hybrid hasa lithium-ion battery which provides an EV driving range of 15.5 miles, and can be recharged in 90 minutes. It also works as a normal hybrid when the charge runs out, averaginf 78.5mpg on the combined cycle. The most important figure is CO2, and this car averages at 49 g/km which is astonishing.
Monaco has 424 free charging stations, which means His Highness can drive around the city solely on electric power, producing no CO2 at all.
“We are proud to deliver our first Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle in Europe to His Serene Highness,” said Didier Leroy, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe. “We are honoured to continue our long standing partnership to contribute to the environmental and sustainability objectives defined by H.S.H. Prince Albert II.”
