Frankfurt Preview: Toyota to show Auris Hybrid, Prius PHEV and two iQ variants
Toyota Plug-In Prius Concept - Click above for high-res image gallery
In addition to the LF-Ch from its Lexus luxury division, Toyota also intends to bring a few more environmentally friendly automobiles to the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show, some seemingly close to production form and others as concepts to whet our appetites for the future. Included among these new forward-looking machines will be the Auris HSD Full Hybrid concept, a plug-in version of the new third-gen Prius and two concepts based on the automaker's tiny iQ platform.
We're expecting the Auris Hybrid to feature a 1.8-liter engine mated up to Toyota's latest Hybrid Synergy Drive as featured in the 2010 Prius. Perhaps more interesting, though, is the Prius PHEV that's headed to Frankfurt. Up to this point, all the plug-in prototypes seen testing have used the previous second-generation Prius platform. Toyota's not giving any details on the vehicle, but we're expecing that there's a lithium ion battery pack lurking within that sports enough juice to allow for a decent electric-only range. Toyota will lease 150 Prius PHEVs in Europe starting next year.
Finally, Toyota will trot out two conceptual custom versions of its iQ minicar called the iQ for Sports and the iQ Collection. The Sports model seems to be a version of the car wearing the same yellow paint and flared fendered bodykit seen earlier this year at the New York Auto Show badged as a Scion. From the lone shot of the Collection, we peer through the clear roof at what appears to be a luxurious-looking interior swathed in cow hides. Click past the break for the official press release and check out all four models in our gallery below.
Gallery: Frankfurt Preview: Toyota concepts
PRESS RELEASE:
Toyota at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show
- World Premiere of the Auris HSD Full Hybrid Concept
- New Prius Plug-in Hybrid Concept, European Premiere of the new Land Cruiser
- iQ show cars (iQ for Sports and iQ Collection)
The first Toyota highlight for the Frankfurt Motor Show will be the World Premiere of the Auris HSD Full Hybrid Concept. This represents a milestone in Toyota's strategy: introducing Toyota's full hybrid technology to a mainstream model, and the first step in the deployment of Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) across the company's model range.
The new Prius Plug-in Hybrid Concept will also make its World debut in Frankfurt.
Prius Plug-in Hybrid expands the capabilities of Toyota's full hybrid technology (HSD), enabling pure electric operation for short-range day-to-day transportation.
In early 2010, an extensive field trial in Europe will see over 150 units being leased to selected fleet customers.
Frankfurt will also stage the European Premiere of the iconic, all-new Toyota Land Cruiser, which will go on sale in the 4th quarter of 2009.
Finally, two customised iQ show cars (iQ for Sports and iQ Collection) will give a glimpse of a future 'iQ World' and demonstrate the possibility for customers to personalise their cars.
The Toyota stand is located in Hall 8 of the Frankfurt Motor Show exhibition centre, where the Toyota press conference will take place on Tuesday, 15 September at 15h30.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mark Kiernan 3:43PM (9/01/2009)
If Toyota want to compete with the Volt they need to have at least 20 miles on electric from the PHEV. Frankly I think the Volt is a better car, as a PHEV means you get less range on the EV part as you have to push around a heavy ICE.
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Jason 4:36PM (9/01/2009)
The Volt is also a PHEV, so your comment doesn't make much sense. It carries around an ICE just like the Prius, it just isn't mechanically connected to the wheels.
"ER-EV" does not equal "EV". I'm not sure how many times I have to say this, but I'll keep doing so until people get it.
why not the LS2LS7? 3:46PM (9/01/2009)
You can add as much battery as you want to the Prius and you won't have useful electric-only range. The electric motor in a parallel hybrid is undersized for efficiency. It cannot drive the vehicle at normal speeds without an assist from the ICE.
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flabby 4:49PM (9/01/2009)
Quote from why not the LS2LS7: "The electric motor in a parallel hybrid is undersized for efficiency. It cannot drive the vehicle at normal speeds without an assist from the ICE."
Undersized for efficiency??? Aren't larger more powerful motors MORE effecient than "undersized" less powerful motors?
DasBoese 5:36PM (9/01/2009)
Flabby:
He probably meant "undersized for efficiency" as in "undersized for efficient EV-only driving"
For their intended use they're not undersized at all (duh), as bigger motors would not be of any use in a non-plugin-capable vehicle, but would lower efficiency due to increased weight. In that sense, both meanings of "undersized for efficiency" are true.
Chris M 1:24AM (9/02/2009)
Toyota has increased the electric motor power in each generation of Prius, and the electric motor output on the 4th generation Prius is 80 hp. It is possible that with more power available from a larger battery pack, they might even increase the electric motor power for the Plug-in version!
Electric motors have high efficiency over a very wide power output range, so there really isn't an "efficiency advantage" to using an undersized motor.
Snowdog 3:52PM (9/01/2009)
Agree with above. Prius is not a serious plug in platform unless it has new more powerful motors to go with the bigger battery pack.
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Chris M 1:26AM (9/02/2009)
The previous Toyota plug-in prototype did use a more powerful motor, made possible by a more powerful battery pack. It is entirely possible that they might do the same for their next generation Plug-in Prius.
GoodCheer 5:06PM (9/01/2009)
I'm a little baffled by comments like "The electric motor in a parallel hybrid is undersized for efficiency." Wouldn't adding a more powerful motor be easy?
If you added a clutch between the generator and the final drive of the Volt, then (presto) you would have a parallel hybrid. (You would only engage it on the highway, but for those times when the speeds matched up, you would have a ~20% efficiency improvement from not converting mechanical energy to electricity and back again.)
Series/parallel is a description of component arrangement, not component size.
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DasBoese 5:46PM (9/01/2009)
Yeah, but for a non-plugin, a bigger motor would not be of any benefit, it'd only increase weight and thus lower efficiency.
I took the "undersized for efficiency" comment in the sense that it's undersized for PHEV purposes, which makes sense.
marz 5:18PM (9/01/2009)
Since when is 80hp / 153lb.-ft. not enough to power a small-mid size car @ normal speeds? I don't need to stop light drag race with my Prius. It'd be pretty easy to upsize the Emotor slightly if need be.
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David Martin 5:29PM (9/01/2009)
AFAIK Toyota has not stated yet if they are going to use a parallel layout as in the Prius for the PHEV, or are going for a new serial architecture, which on the face of it might make more sense, although doubtless Toyota could engineer their way around it is they decide to stick with a parallel hybrid.
If I have missed any announcements, I would be grateful for the information.
As for range, for most of the world a 10-20 mile electric only ability might make a lot of sense, and would still cover most journeys at greatly reduced cost.
If they manage to get the same impressive ability to use 80% of the battery capacity as BMW have recently announced rather than the 50% in the Volt, then the battery pack might be only around 2.5kwh for a 10 mile range or 5kwh for 20 miles with commensurately reduced costs.
I would guess that Toyota may be aiming for around 12-15 miles electric range, and perhaps a 3-5kwh battery, depending on the chemistry they choose.
Here in Bristol, UK that is fine - tough luck, Texas! ;-)
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David Martin 7:56PM (9/01/2009)
It looks as though the Prius PHEV is indeed a parallel hybrid:
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/03/calcars-weighs.html#more
The battery seems to be in the range of 2.5 -5kwh and it is not designed to run on battery alone, although it could perhaps run at very low speed for a few miles in this mode, depending on the software set-up.
Chris M 1:40AM (9/02/2009)
David Martin: The Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive is a "splt path" hybrid, combining traits of both parallel and series hybrids. Like a series hybrid, it can indeed run in "electric only" mode, up to a certain speed set by the gearing ratio of their "power split" planetary gear and the maximum RPM of one motor generator. In most Prius, that speed is about 35 mph, but the first Toyota plug-in prototype was re-engineered to go up to 60 mph in EV mode!
Like a parallel hybrid, it can transmit part of the energy from the IC engine through a more efficient mechanical linkage, thus getting somewhat higher efficiency when the IC engine is running.
The battery power figures you quoted were from after-market conversions and the first Toyota plug-in prototype. Toyota hasn't yet revealed the details of their 2nd generation Plug-in, they may have some surprises in store.
3PeaceSweet 4:17AM (9/02/2009)
Couldn't you just add another MG2 to the rear axle?
JustZisGuy 5:56AM (9/02/2009)
"...up to a certain speed set by the gearing ratio... In most Prius, that speed is about 35 mph"
I'm confused by this comment. I can show you a picture of a previous generation Prius doing 56 mph in electric-only mode - it was on a very long slight downhill grade, and thus required low power to maintain constant speed, but it did it for minutes on end and clearly, well... 56 is way beyond 35. Are you sure there is a speed limit imposed by gearing?
I also wonder what limits the initial acceleration possible with only the electric motor. Is it a limit of the motor, of current draw from the battery, or something in software designed to keep things nice and cool and make it possible to warrant the "hybrid synergy drive" for 8 years?
David Martin 6:22AM (9/02/2009)
JustZisGuy,
Since electric motors provide great torque, I would imagine that the limit is mainly software imposed to prevent to rapid a battery drain, although of course the electric motor in a Prius is unlikely to be a powerful as that in a Volt.
Electric motors are great at providing sudden peaks of power though, so if the software did not control it you would likely tend to shoot away, at least up to perhaps 20mph, which would run down your battery fast.
Chris M,
thanks for giving more info on that - I think I found the article confusing regarding the ability to run in electric only mode.
I knew that some of the plug-in conversions did so, but was unclear on whether the unmodified Prius could, and also whether the speeds of the conversions were in any way practical in EV only mode.
For urban driving in Europe and the far East, a 10-15 mile all electric range is probably optimal, and it seems that that is about what Toyota is aiming at.
If they can hit an 80% battery drain figure rather than the 50% of the Volt such a pack should be pretty economical.
Chris M 6:49PM (9/02/2009)
JustZisGuy: Let me clarify. The Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive has two motor/generators and an internal combustion engine permenently geared together through a planetary gear, the result is that if it drove too fast without the IC engine turning over, the first motor/generator would be forced to over-rev which could damage it. That is the basis for that "35 mph EV speed" notion. However, the IC engine can turn without fuel being injected or sparkplugs firing, in fact the Hybrid synergy Drive revs the IC engine to operating speed before it starts injecting the fuel and igniting it with sparks, that makes for reliable starting. But, under certain unusual conditions such as the downhill run you mentioned, the Hybrid synergy Drive can spin the IC engine for extended periods without using any fuel! Prius fans sometimes refer to this as "warp stealth mode" as opposed to the lower speed EV only "stealth mode"
JustZisGuy 7:39PM (9/03/2009)
ChrisM: Thanks! That makes sense, as I don't recall ever feeling any sort of "bump" when the ICE starts producing power at speed. If it was already spinning without fuel then it's just a matter of starting to inject fuel at the right time.
I wonder how efficient spinning the engine is, however. Not 100% efficient, of course, but then neither is the engine -> generator -> motor power path of a serial hybrid.
tgriffith 11:16AM (9/02/2009)
Are hybrids really an answer? While they do save some tailpipe emissions, the cost to the planet is much higher...
http://www.cargurus.com/blog/2009/08/31/toyota-prius-king-of-green-or-earth-killer/
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