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Toyota Looks at Plug-in Hybrid

By Joe Benton
ConsumerAffairs.com

July 18, 2006

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Toyota is considering a plug-in hybrid as well as ethanol-capable flex-fuel vehicles for the U.S. market, according to the president of Toyota Motor North America Inc.

Toyota's Jim Press was speaking to the National Press Club in Washington, DC.

Toyota is the acknowledged leader in hybrid technology. To date, the Japanese automaker has emphasized the development and sale of conventional hybrids, which combine internal combustion engines and self-contained, on-board electric motors.

A plug-in hybrid carries a larger battery pack than a conventional hybrid and can run farther on all-electric power, achieving superior mileage. The vehicle must be plugged in regularly to recharge the batteries, however.

Press said the Prius still represents the company's top hybrid technology and that Toyota is going ahead with plans for hybrid versions of all its models.

Toyota has not produced flex-fuel vehicles in part because of engineering concerns that the ethanol additive would not wear well with internal Toyota engine parts. Engineers had warned that the corrosive nature of ethanol might produce a quality control issue for the automaker.

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