Posts Tagged ‘Portland Hybrid’
Portland Auto Dealer: Europe Gets a Taste of Family-Friendly Fuel Efficiency With the Debut of 2012 Prius+
While most of the cars that debuted at the recent Geneva Auto Show were diminutive in size in accordance with European tastes, Toyota offered innovation in a family-friendly size. As Motor Trend reports, the Prius+ is modeled after the American Prius V, which boasts nearly 50 percent more cargo room than the original Prius sedan.
One of the main differences in the Prius+ is the third row of seating that brings the passenger capacity to 7, surpassing that of the Prius V. When not in use, the 50/50 split bench can be folded flat for additional load space. This is also the first Toyota vehicle in production to receive the new lithium-ion battery. The new battery’s smaller size allowed engineers to place it beneath the center console- a move that could free up additional interior space.
The Toyota Prius+ just may ‘mind the gap’ between fuel-efficient innovation and family-friendly size in Europe.
Looking for your own innovative Toyota car, truck or SUV? Check out our selection of new and used vehicles on our website 24/7 @ greshamtoyota.com!
Portland Car Dealer: Toyota to Develop Longer Lasting Magnesium Batteries
In an effort to grow the range for electric cars, Toyota has started to develop battery packs with magnesium-sulfur components, as reported in Motor Trend Magazine.
Magnesium-sulfate batteries can potentially hold twice as much power as today’s best lithium-ion cells already being used in some plug-in and electric car hybrids, making it a more competitive battery for future vehicles.
Battery life has been one of the few drawbacks to the plug-in electric car market, getting anywhere from 35 to 73 miles of travel, compared to non-electric cars which can easily get up to 100 or more miles per tank and are easily refueled. The project is being headed by Jeffrey Makarewicz, at Toyota’s technical center just outside of Ann Arbor, Michigan. He says Toyota could have a longer-range battery in as soon as ten years.
In addition to Magnesium-sulfate, Toyota is playing around with other advanced battery types (including batteries with aluminum and calcium components), all in the hopes of providing consumer-friendly range and quick recharge times.
For other innovative Toyota cars, visit our website. We have a great selection of new and used vehicles on our website 24/7 @ greshamtoyota.com!
Portland Toyota Dealer: Drive Away with a 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid!
Yes, it’s 2011 and that means great deals on any 2010 Toyota Prius. At Gresham Toyota, we’ve got internet specials on these innovative hybrid vehicles and more!
For other innovative Toyota cars, visit our website. We have a great selection of new and used vehicles on our website 24/7 @ greshamtoyota.com!
Portland Toyota Dealer: Avatar Director Gives Prius’ For The Holidays
Deadline.com has reported that an Avatar Blue Toyota Prius is the present that producers James Cameron and Jon Landau chose to give 11 principal cast members of this summer’s blockbuster film. Cameron said in September that Avatar’s success was in large part due to his audience’s longing for a greater connection to nature.
My optimistic side says that Avatar did as well as it did for that reason, that there’s a time for a change, for a recognition that we have to answer for the way that we’ve been and remember our respect for nature… it resonated with something that was already there, to find something inside for people and gave people a way to think about this. And if that manifests in people cutting down on their energy usage or recycle or buy a Prius – James Cameron told Time magazine.
Cameron has a history of giving back to the earth, NPR reported in August that he was working with environmental organizations worldwide to plant over 1 million trees.
Looking for an innovative Toyota car? We have a great selection of new and used vehicles on our website 24/7 @ greshamtoyota.com!
Fuel Efficient Cars: Toyota Motors Pioneers Use Of Laptop Batteries in EV Cars
Toyota Motors in partnership with Tesla is testing lithium-ion batteries originally designed for laptops in the next generation of Electric Vehicles reports an interesting Delaware online article. Costing less than the bigger car only batteries, these batteries could be the key to reducing new EV car sticker prices.
It may lead to the total component cost of an electric car getting lower than a gasoline car… and more likelihood that retail prices of electric cars will drop. – Koji Endo, a Tokyo-based analyst at Advanced Research Japan.
A cluster of 6,831 Panasonic battery cells helps to power Tesla’s super powerful high end roadster which boasts a 245 mile per charge range.
The use of rechargeable consumer electronics batteries may help cut manufacturing costs and sticker prices, which led manufacturers of lithium-ion laptops batteries to project tripled sales over the next decade.
Sales of EV and hybrid cars, including the new plug-in cars will total over 900,000 vehicles in 2011.
Looking for an innovative Toyota car? We have a great selection of new and used vehicles on our website 24/7 @ greshamtoyota.com!
