Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid: Look for the evolution of sustainable transportation on the roads in British Columbia this summer

 

(Vancouver, B.C.) - July 16, 2010 - A new era in sustainable mobility begins in British Columbia, as Toyota Canada delivered a Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid (Prius PHV) to its provincial testing partners at a ceremony today. Toyota Canada and provincial partners BC Institute of Technology (BCIT), BC Hydro, City of Vancouver, Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources and the University of Victoria’s Institute for Integrated Energy Systems (IESVic) were all on hand to officially ‘plug-in’ to the future and deliver the Prius PHV to the province of B.C.

 

To mark the occasion, B.C.’s Minister of State for Climate Action John Yap, Vancouver’s Deputy Mayor Ellen Woodsworth, BCIT’s President Don Wright, IESVic’s Curran Crawford and Toyota Canada’s Managing Director Stephen Beatty were on hand for the delivery at 1800 Spyglass Place in Vancouver today.

 

“Partnerships that bring the public and private sectors together to spur innovations like plug-in hybrids also bring us one step closer to a low-carbon economy in this province,” said John Yap, Minister of State for Climate Action. “We expect that coupling B.C.’s clean energy resources with the cutting edge technology of plug-in hybrids will lead to a real impact on lower greenhouse gas emissions in this province.”

 

"We're aiming for 15% of all new vehicles to be electric or hybrid over the next decade, which is part of our goal to make Vancouver the greenest city in the world by 2020," said Mayor Gregor Robertson. "With Vancouver aggressively promoting electric vehicle infrastructure on our streets and in our buildings, the Toyota Prius Plug-in is a welcome addition to our city."

 

Toyota’s B.C. partners will share their Prius PHV, which will be fitted with telematics equipment to record vehicle and hybrid system performance.

 

“We continue to work with industry and government partners to prepare for the electrification of transportation in B.C.,” said Dave Cobb, President & CEO, BC Hydro. “We look forward to observing how Toyota's plug-in hybrid interacts with our system and to learning more about the role BC Hydro could play in powering transportation in B.C.”

 

“We are proud to be a part of research using leading edge technology like the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle," said Don Wright, president of BCIT. "This is a great opportunity for BCIT to contribute to the increased energy efficiency and reduction in greenhouse gases that are essential to creating the green economy in British Columbia."

 

“As researchers in IESVic, we are excited to be involved in this project as our research is showing that PHVs have tremendous near-term potential to harness the renewable generation potential in B.C. to tackle one of our largest emissions challenges, personal transportation,” noted Curran Crawford, from the University of Victoria’s Institute for Integrated Energy Systems. “Our involvement in the project will allow us to validate and further develop our models aimed at examining PHV integration into the B.C. and national grids.”

 

“We are all more conscious of the need to manage our energy use and reduce our environmental footprint,” said Stephen Beatty, Managing Director at Toyota Canada Inc. “We believe the Prius PHV will help Canadian drivers minimize their impact on the environment, with its ability to operate in electric-only mode, with a range and top speed that makes this practical for most day-to-day trips. Toyota Canada is pleased to deliver the first Prius PHV to our partners in B.C. today as we help kick off of the Canadian test trials of this vehicle.”

 

“Toyota is grateful to have such important partners join us as we work together to gather invaluable real-world impressions and feedback,” Mr. Beatty continued. “But we’re not surprised since B.C. has already shown great vision in planning for a more sustainable future for personal transportation.”

 

Based on the world’s most popular hybrid vehicle, the Toyota Prius PHV is designed to deliver a range of more than 20 kilometres and top speed of almost 100 KPH on battery alone. In addition, an onboard Atkinson-cycle gasoline engine enables the vehicle to revert to hybrid mode and operate like a regular Prius - giving the vehicle the driving range and performance Canadians demand from today’s automobiles.

 

The Toyota Prius Plug-In achieves a fuel consumption of just 1.75L/100km and CO₂emissions of 41 g/km under specified driving conditions (combined electric vehicle and hybrid vehicle modes). Compared to the typical conventional midsize automobile, driving a Prius PHV for one year is expected to reduce one’s fuel consumption by 1,650 L (83%) and one’s CO₂ emissions by almost 4,000 kg (or 4 tonnes)[1].

 

Canada has been selected as one of the participating countries for Toyota’s global test of the Prius PHV. Five Prius PHV vehicles hit the roads this summer with 15 trial partners in 4 provinces in the first phase of a nationwide trial, including British Columbia. This enables Toyota Canada to conduct technical and market acceptance tests unique to Canada’s driving experiences and climatic conditions. The real world trials will continue through the coming winter to assess Prius PHV performance under a range of driving and climate conditions. Moreover, feedback from the Canadian tests will help ensure the Prius PHV performs well in any country where drivers encounter cold temperatures, ice and snow.

 

Canadian Prius enthusiasts are encouraged to join Toyota Canada’s Prius PHV facebook page for information on consumer test-drive event opportunities, telematics feedback updates from the test trials, and details on Toyota’s sustainable mobility efforts (http://www.facebook.com/ToyotaCanadaPriusPlugIn).

 

 

About Toyota Canada Inc.

 

Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) is the exclusive Canadian distributor of Toyota and Lexus cars, SUVs and trucks, and Toyota Industrial Equipment. TCI’s head office is in Toronto, with regional offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Halifax and parts distribution centres in Toronto and Vancouver. TCI supports more than 300 Toyota, Lexus and Toyota Industrial Equipment dealers in Canada with services that include training, marketing and environmental and customer satisfaction initiatives. A consistent award winner for product quality and ownership satisfaction, Toyota has sold over three million vehicles in Canada.

 

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For more details, including a full list of media contacts, digital images and product details please visit media.toyota.ca.

 

[1] Fuel consumption is an estimate based on the Japan JC-08 test.  Fuel savings and emissions reductions claims are based on a comparison with the average fuel consumption of all midsize vehicles listed in Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCAN) Fuel Consumption Guide, assuming yearly average driving distances of 20,000 km/year.