Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

Toyota Explores Plug-in Prius

All-electric version of hot-selling car could be only a few years away

By Jane Yager, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 10, 2007 11:48 AM CST

(Newser) – Toyota is launching a three-year study of US consumer demand for a new version of the popular Prius that could run exclusively on electric power and be recharged in a standard electric socket. Toyota may yet beat rival General Motors to market—GM has set a 2010 target date for its plug-in hybrid, the Chevrolet Volt, Reuters reports.

The study, to be focused in California, where hybrids are most popular, will examine driving and recharging behavior, consumer attitudes toward plug-in cars, and how much electricity a plugged-in car takes from the power grid. Environmental advocates are pushing automakers to bring plug-in vehicles to market. Toyota counters that it is critical to do good research first.

A Toyota Prius hybrid compact car is exhibited at the Tokyo Motor Show in Makuhari, east of Tokyo, in this file photo. Toyota is exploring a plug-in version. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, FILE) (Associated Press)

Unsold 2007 Prius hybrid sedans sit on the lot of a Toyota dealership in Boulder, Colo., in this file photo. Toyota is exploring a plug-in version. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, file) (Associated Press)

In this handout file photo provided by the Toyota Motor Corp., a 2007 Toyota Prius is shown in a Sept. 2006 photo. Toyota is exploring a plug-in version. (AP Photo/Toyota Motor Corp., File) (Associated Press)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

GM Reclaims World's No.1 Spot

2011 disasters knock Toyota into 3rd place

(NEWSER) - General Motors is back on top of the world less than three years after its bankruptcy and restructuring. The company is once again the world's top-selling automaker, with 9 million sales worldwide in 2011, almost a million more than second-placed Volkswagen. Toyota, which took top spot from GM in 2008, fell into third place after production cuts caused by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and flooding in Thailand. More»

GM Ready to Fix Your Volt

Dealers will shore up protection around battery to prevent fires

(NEWSER) - Worried about battery fires in your Chevy Volt? Soon, you'll be able to bring the car to a dealer for a fix, GM says. The company will ask the owners of 8,000 of the cars to bring them to dealerships, the AP reports; technicians will then beef up the protective structure around the battery. That should prevent the casing from being punctured in crashes, which led to fires in tests last year. More»

Tsunami Survivors: Nissan Leaf Batteries

Two dozen cars destroyed, but batteries came through safely

(NEWSER) - Nissan is getting some good news from the tsunami that devastated Japan in March: Two dozen of Nissan's new Leaf were destroyed, but unlike the Chevrolet Volt , their heavily shielded batteries did not catch fire and remained intact. “Considering how they were tossed around and crushed, we think that is a very good indication of the safety performance of that vehicle,” the director of product safety tells the New York Times . More»

Car Sales Jumped 14% Last Month

Chrysler, VW saw huge gains

(NEWSER) - Americans may be worried about the economy, but they still need to get where they’re going. Auto sales beat expectations last month, rising 14% to 994,721, their fastest sales pace since August 2009, reports the AP . Chrysler led the pack: The automaker’s sales jumped 45%, Reuters reports. Close behind was Volkswagen, whose sales soared 41%; Hyundai, Nissan, and Ford also saw double-digit gains. More»

GM: We'll Buy Back Your Volt

CEO makes offer to those worried about fires

(NEWSER) - General Motors says it's willing to buy back its Chevrolet Volts from any customer concerned by fires in crash tests . If needed, the auto giant also is prepared to conduct a recall of the 6,000 Volts currently on the road, Dan Akerson tells the AP . The company would fix them after the cause of the fires is determined. "If we find that is the solution, we will retrofit every one of them,” he adds. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Toyota Explores Plug-in Prius

All-electric version of hot-selling car could be only a few years away

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

California • Toyota • General Motors • Toyota Prius • electric cars • Chevrolet Volt

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

GM Reclaims World's No.1 Spot

2011 disasters knock Toyota into 3rd place

GM Ready to Fix Your Volt

Dealers will shore up protection around battery to prevent fires

Tsunami Survivors: Nissan Leaf Batteries

Two dozen cars destroyed, but batteries came through safely

Car Sales Jumped 14% Last Month

Chrysler, VW saw huge gains

GM: We'll Buy Back Your Volt

CEO makes offer to those worried about fires

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?

Toyota Explores Plug-in Prius

All-electric version of hot-selling car could be only a few years away

Bookmark & Share

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

California • Toyota • General Motors • Toyota Prius • electric cars • Chevrolet Volt

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

GM Reclaims World's No.1 Spot

2011 disasters knock Toyota into 3rd place

GM Ready to Fix Your Volt

Dealers will shore up protection around battery to prevent fires

Tsunami Survivors: Nissan Leaf Batteries

Two dozen cars destroyed, but batteries came through safely

Car Sales Jumped 14% Last Month

Chrysler, VW saw huge gains

GM: We'll Buy Back Your Volt

CEO makes offer to those worried about fires

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?