Video: Toyota's "EV mode" TV commercial
You might remember a post I wrote about a Toyota TV commercial that prominently featured the EV (electric vehicle) mode button. You can watch that commercial for yourself in the video above. Turning your hybrid into an electric car at will is really an interesting idea. The range on the battery and top speed on EV mode in current Toyotas is not great and the car does it automatically most of the time. There really isn't a great improvement in efficiency for most drivers but I find there is just something sweet about controlling your hybrid car, sort of like shifting gears in a stick. Asking the car to put out less noise is useful but again, turning your car into an electric car is Je ne sais pas. There are lots of misconceptions about green cars (e.g., they can't be fun), but tell the truth: don't you wish your car had an EV button? This has to be the biggest, coolest gadget you can buy today.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Tim 9:23AM (1/10/2008)
Sneaking around is NOT the same as replacing the gasoline with renewable electricity. Hybrids will never be as good as Extended-Range Electric Cars.
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Benson Leung 10:47AM (1/10/2008)
You're right. It's not the same, Tim. The hybrids from Toyota are something you can walk into a dealership anywhere in the country today and buy today.
"extended-range electric cars"... lets just cut the euphemisms and call them what they are. Plug-in series hybrids. Yes they are still hybrids. They will still use burn gasoline (sure, E85 perhaps, but still gasoline) to get that "extended range."
Watch this promotional video of the Volt. That car makes a LOT more racket than the hybrids today in EV mode : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7qU1EcEZmA&eurl=http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/01/27/gm-puts-video-of-the-chevy-volt-up-on-youtube/
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Emil 10:59AM (1/10/2008)
Not only I'm fully agree with Benson Leung, but also it worth mention that Toyota doesn't sleep. While GM officials can't guarantee Volt's production even in 2010, the next Prius will be announced soon.
Even GM's two-mode hybrids are ( to my best knowledge ) not mass-manufactured.
Anyway I don't intend to bash GM and wish them accomplish the work on Volt as soon as possible. But it's not fair to compare concepts with mass production.
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jpm100 12:12PM (1/14/2008)
Seems like an nice toy and an attempt to siphon off some of the novelty of the volt even though its not really close at all.
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