Hybrid cars have become intriguingly more popular over the years as they are environment-friendly, and are falling into much more affordable price ranges, even here in Baton Rouge.
Among many of the hybrid cars being produced, the Toyota Prius has earned the most popularity for being the first two-door sedan when it was first introduced in 2000.
In 2004, Toyota released the Prius II, which went on to win the 2004 Car of the Year Awards from the Motor Trend Magazine and the North American Auto Show.
“Basically with the Toyota hybrid, it has a gas engine, internal combustion engine and electric motor,” said Michael Boudreaux, Certified Sales Representative for Coleman Toyota in Baton Rouge. “The car will automatically determine which to use.”
The Prius combines a “super-efficient gasoline engine with a powerful electric motor,” said ColemanToyota.com
When accelerating, Boudreaux said, all three sources will be powering the car.
“When you are stop and go driving, like in Baton Rouge traffic, the gasoline engine will cut off,” Boudreaux said. “You think the engine has died, but [the car] is still running. It’s very quiet because the electric motor is propelling it.”
The Prius remains in this “all electric mode” until it has reached about 15 mph, said Bradley Berman on his Web site, Hybrid.com. After this, the gasoline engine is more likely to kick on. This is more prominently seen when driving on the highway.
There is no need to plug in the Prius to recharge, as many other hybrid vehicles require.
“There is a rejuvanative breaking system,” Boudreaux said. “Each time you hit the break, you are recharging the battery.”
The Prius is electronically controlled, said Boudreaux. When putting the car in park, all the consumer needs is to press a button.
In fact, the Prius does not even require an actual key.
“The car comes with a keyless entry pad,” said Boudreaux. “You keep it in your pocket, and when you walk up to the car, it senses the pad in your pocket, and [the car] will automatically unlock.”
If driven like a normal vehicle, the Toyota Prius needs no extra maintenance than any other car, and will get up to 60 miles to the gallon.
“Choosing a vehicle that’s a few miles per gallon is the best insurance against volatility in the fuel market,” said Jim Kliesch, a vehicle researcher at the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, on Berman’s web-site.
The 2004 Prius is better equipped with the Hybrid Synergy Drive, which offers “greater power, better fuel economy and lower emissions than the first generation Prius,” according to Toyota.com.
There are three dimensions of HSD.
HSD for the 2004 Prius is expected to increase fuel efficiency.
“This will enable the Prius to have the best fuel efficiency rating of any midsize vehicle sold in America, delivering twice the combined mileage rating of its closest competitor,” Toyota.com said.
Toyota.com also said HSD will improve acceleration, and enable the Prius to have 30 percent lower emissions.
“[The Prius] is a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV),” Boudreaux said. “It’s the cleanest vehicle there is. If you drove from Los Angeles to New York on a tank of gas, the car will put out fewer emissions than one can of aerosol hairspray.”
Many Prius packages include Bluetooth wireless technology, which “develops, publishes and promotes short-range specification for connecting mobile products, and to administer a qualification program that fosters interoperability for a positive user experience,” said Bluetooth.com.
With the Toyota Prius, consumers can have complete hands-free mobile phone capabilities, including a built in microphone and audio speakers. This enables the driver to answer calls with one touch of the steering wheel or navigation screen.
Other features provided by Bluetooth include one touch dialing on the navigation screen for numbers on speed dial, and the ability to make calls from a phonebook holding up to 1000 numbers.
Different packages are available, said Boudreaux. The first package can be in the price range of $22,000 to 23,000 , while other packages, especially those including more of the high-tech Bluetooth wireless technology, can be in the price range of $27,000.
For the future, other hybrid cars are already in the process of being created and marketed for January of 2005, said Boudreaux. Other cars Toyota plans on hybridizing are SUVs, and the Toyota Tundra.