New Prius will ‘socket’ to its rivals

THE second-generation plug-in version of the Toyota Prius is a much more credible contender in the growing market for plug-in hybrid models.

It can run up to 30 miles (twice as far as its predecessor) on pure electric power from its moresophisticated 8.8kWh lithium-ion battery and electric power is up by 83% thanks to a freshly-developed Dual Motor Drive System.

It’s the unbelievable fuel economy figures, though, that could sell you on this car.

As with other plug-in vehicles, quoting miles per gallon for the Prius is largely academic, because in certain scenarios the figure is effectively infinite.

Toyota has nevertheless jumped through the hoops of the NEDC test and quotes 283mpg.

The emissions figure of 22g/km is also open to a bit of debate, but it spells free road tax and no London congestion charge, so who’s arguing?

Maximum charging power in this MK2 model has been increased from 2.0 to 3.3kW. The battery can be fully charged up to 65% more quickly — in just two hours using a Type II Mode III Mennekes connector, or three hours 10 minutes using a standard household plug socket.

The charging process can now be programmed for a week on a dayto-day basis, including the facility to simultaneously charge the battery and pre-heat or pre-cool the cabin space.

Toyota has also developed solar charging panels for the roof which can charge the battery to a small extent when the vehicle is parked up in the sun.

This, the company says, would increase the car’s EV driving range by up to three miles every day — over 12 months, that’s the equivalent of more than 700 miles of all-electric driving.

Expect to pay quite a premium for Prius Plug-in motoring over what you’d have to find over the conventional version of that car. We’re talking around £8,000.

Also making this variant look expensive is the fact it only comes in the two plushest levels of Prius trim — Business Edition Plus (costing around £35,000) and another £2,000 for the Excel.

You can, though, subtract the usual £2,500 Government-funded Plug-in Car Grant from those figures.