Toyota’s newest Prius model, the 2012 Prius c, is set to hit dealerships next month. The Prius c is now the smallest Prius model available and sits at the opposite end of the lineup from the “versatile” Prius v. The Prius c five-door hatchback is about the same size as the Toyota Yaris and is powered by Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system, which in this case mates a 1.5L DOHC four-cylinder engine with a 60-hp electric motor and a 144-volt nickel-metal hydride battery. The total hybrid system has an output of 99 horsepower and gets 53 mpg in the city and 46 mpg on the highway meaning its city fuel economy is the highest of any vehicle currently on the market that doesn’t use a plug.

Read the rest of 2012 Toyota Prius c Has the Highest City MPG Rating of All Plugless Vehicles

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Hard to believe the Toyota Prius is 15 years old as a brand. After only a few tweaks in design over the years, Toyota is finally letting loose some new form factors of the proven technology. They just announced the launch of the Model C, a Yaris-sized eco rocket, will happen at the Tokyo Motor Show. While Toyota has been head and shoulders above the pack with the gas sipping Prius, it’s amazing that it took so long to get a compact car out there with the killer hybrid drive-train. The wait may have been worth it, as this little four-door is going to get more than 51 miles-per gallon in town. That’s the best non-electric number in the industry, just shaving the performance of the standard Prius, and sure to reignite the fire for younger and urban car buyers.

Read the rest of Tiny Prius Model C to Debut at Tokyo Motor Show

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The brochure for the Japanese domestic market Toyota Prius C was just leaked ahead of the vehicle’s official intro at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show, giving us a sneak peak at its real-world numbers. Japan’s Prius C retains many of the styling details we saw in the Detroit auto show concept car unveiled last year, but it’s Yaris-small and claims a combined output of 100 horsepower from its hybrid drivetrain.

Read the rest of Japan’s Prius C Brochure Leaked Ahead of Official Introduction [PICS]

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Post tags: alternative transportation, green automotive design, green car, green transportation, green vehicle, hybrid car, hybrid vehicle, Japanese Prius C photos, prius, Prius C brochure, Prius C sneak peak, Toyota, toyota prius, Toyota Prius C

We’ve been following Google’s awesome self-driving car since the search giant broke the news last fall that it was developing an autonomous, robotic car that drives itself. By using sensors and specially designed artificial intelligence software, the automated cars are supposed to sense objects around them to be able to avoid them, thus making the ride safer and more fuel efficient. But last week, one of Google‘s self-driving cars rear ended another Prius, which set off a chain reaction, ultimately involving a total of five vehicles. As it turns out, a person was manually driving the car, but still — what does this mean for self-driving cars? The accident, and the questions surrounding it, certainly make you wonder if it’s possible for robot vehicles to actually be safer conventional driving.

Read the rest of Google’s Self Driving Car Crashes – But It May Not Be How You Think

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Read the rest of Pure Air: Prius Solar Power Ventilation System Modified to Clean Air in Huts

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Toyota and Pittsburgh-based Deeplocal have teamed up to create a Prius-powered hybrid roller coaster. The idea was to see if the car’s braking energy could be harvested to power other parts of a theme park. “There’s energy everywhere,” said energy and battery expert Jay Whitacre, Ph.D, in the video on the project, “and if we have the right kinds of technologies and implement it properly, [we] can catch it. Instead of just losing all this energy to friction, we can harvest it and put it back in the roller coaster somewhere else, or we can put it back in the amusement park or somewhere on the grid.”

Read the rest of Prius-Powered Roller Coaster is Made Up of Toyota Parts

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Post tags: alternative transportation, green automotive design, hybrid roller coaster, prius, Prius roller coaster, Solar Power, Toyota

Yesterday we reported on Toyota’s hybrid car sales topping 3 million vehicles worldwide and this morning the automaker announced that there’s a lot more where those came from. In their “Toyota Global Vision,” which was unveiled today, they outline a plan to launch 10 more hybrid vehicles by 2015. The Japanese auto giant also revealed that more fuel cell and fully electric cars are on the way, including some “genuinely exciting models.” Guess the new pluralized form of Prius (Prii) will be coming in handy after all.

Via Engadget

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So far it’s been a big year for the Toyota Prius – not only did the world’s most popular hybrid car receive an official pluralization (Prii), but Toyota just announced that its hybrid sales have topped 3 million vehicles worldwide. From August 1997 to February 2011 Toyota Motor Corporation has sold 3.03 million hybrid cars, marking a milestone in the adoption of more fuel-efficient vehicles and a reduction of 18 million tons of CO2 emissions compared to gasoline-powered cars.

Read the rest of Toyota Hybrid Car Sales Top 3 Million Vehicles Worldwide

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After much talk, Toyota will debut its brand new Yaris HSD concept at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show this March, dedicating its entire stand at the show to the new hybrid technology. The Yaris will mark Toyota‘s initiative to bring full hybrid technology to the B segment – the biggest automotive volume segment in Europe. While no specific specifications were revealed for the hybrid version of the Yaris, the Japanese manufacturer did state that the gas-electric concept will sport hybrid-specific styling cues, that will let it stand apart from the conventional Yaris.

Read the rest of Toyota Will Debut Their New Yaris Hybrid and Prius+ at the Geneva Motor Show

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Though no official announcement has been made, a source close to Toyota has stated that the company will manufacture a hybrid with a lithium-ion battery “in the very near future.” This will be the first time the Japanese automaker will outfit standard hybrids with lithium-ion cells — as opposed to heavier, bulkier, and less powerful nickel metal hydride batteries.

Read the rest of New Toyota Hybrid Will Feature Lithium-Ion Battery

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Read the rest of Top 7 Sexiest Green Cars From the 2011 Detroit Auto Show!

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Just minutes ago, Toyota unveiled their new family of Prius vehicles at this year’s Detroit Auto Show. Once the gold standard for energy-efficient cars, the company has faced rapidly growing competition over the last few years from rivals interested in both hybrid and electric vehicle technology. Never one to shy away from forward-thinking, eco-innovation, their new line of Prius vehicles not only grows upon an established name, but brings forth a three-piece collection that will accommodate all size needs – be it spacious or small. Amongst the three new game-changing hybrids, it’s their new, tiny prototype that’s really anticipated to make heads turn when it hits the market next year. Designed with young drivers in mind, this urban mobility vehicle is not only more compact than the standard Prius, but boasts a significantly more fuel-efficient hybrid engine.

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The Prius might be good for the earth, but it’s a bane to many pedestrians and bicyclists because it has an almost-silent engine. Many people (especially the blind) have been concerned about accidents — if you don’t hear the car coming, how are you supposed to get out of the way? Pedestrian lobbyists even introduced a bill — that was passed last year — that requires the government to conduct studies on just how dangerous silent electric vehicles are and how to address the problem. Well, Toyota has decided to test their own solution — all next-generation Prius vehicles sold in Japan will now come with an optional sound package. For 12,600 yen (or $148) you can protect pedestrians around you with an add-on that makes your engine sound like a real gas guzzler.

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This weekend, San Francisco hosts the major — and pricey — music festival Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park. The main attraction (besides the tunes)? Toyota and nonprofit Global Inheritance will give fans a chance to use some “sweat equity” to create energy on bikes and see-saws, earning as a reward a sno cone they’ve made with their own power.


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This probably won’t come as a surprise to you but Californians weren’t buying Priuses just because of their fuel efficiency – they were also in it to gain Clean Air Vehicle status and get a handy HOV lane sticker. Up until 2007, 85,000 stickers were given out for hybrid vehicles, but soon those stickers won’t mean anything. Effective as of January 1st, 2011, the prized yellow HOV sticker on hybrid vehicles like the Prius will be defunct, but will still work for more efficient natural gas and electric vehicles through 2015. Prius and hybrid car owners are likely to be quite miffed by the status downgrade, but the new law will help encourage people to buy even more fuel efficient vehicles.

Read the rest of California Hybrids To Lose Their HOV Status Next Year

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Us East Coasters are green with envy once again this morning. Word on EV street is that Coulomb Technologies is expected to announce today that it’ll be installing 1,600 new electric vehicle charging stations across California. The brand new Chargepoint stations will be funded by a $3.4 million grant from the California Energy Commission (CEC), and are sure to be yet another reason for Californians to ditch their gas guzzlers and hop in an EV.

Read the rest of California to Get 1,600 New Coulomb EV ChargePoint Stations!

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Toyota is capitalizing on the success of its hybrid Prius by releasing 8 new body styles–the first of which will be a compact van. Dubbed “Alpha”, the MPV will launch in Spring 2011. Now larger families will finally be able to use the Prius, too!

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The Toyota Prius revolutionized the world of hybrid cars. Now Toyota is set to dominate hybrid minivans with the upcoming Prius minivan, set to hit showrooms early next year! According to Toyota, the lithium-ion powered minivan will feature a high fuel economy and a large interior, with 3 rows of seats that can hold 5 to 7 people.

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If you’re one of many greenies who recently purchased a 2010 Toyota Prius, turn that ride right around. The Japanese company has just announced that it’s recalling 437,000 of its hybrid cars because of a braking system glitch. The company says that the recall applies to 223,000 Japanese vehicles, 155,000 American vehicles and 53,000 European cars.

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Toyota is leasing 500 prototype plug-in hybrid Prius’s to lucky recipients in the U.S, Europe, and Japan next year, but what about all the other Prius owners who want to provide some plug-in juice to their cars? Enter 3Prong Power, a Berkeley, California startup that offers plug-in hybrid conversions for first, second and third generation Prius’s as well as the Ford Escape Hybrid.

Read the rest of 3Prong Power Upgrades Any Prius to Plug-in Status

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Post tags: 3prong power, ev, ford escape hybrid, green design, Green Transportation, phev, prius, sustainable design, vehicles