Ready to offer city drivers up to 15 miles of all-electric driving—and hundreds of more at an expected EPA rating of 49 mpg—the new 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in was recently named Urban Green Vehicle of the Year by Decisive magazine. The honor is part of the annual Urban Wheel Awards, given out each January in conjunction with the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
“This is the Prius everyone has been waiting for,” said Lyndon Conrad Bell, editor-in-chief of Decisive magazine. “Endowing the world’s favorite hybrid with the ability to run purely on electric power for significant distances and recharge itself from an AC outlet remade an exceptional urban green car into the ideal urban green car.”
A key to that transformation: The Prius Plug-in’s advanced 4.4-kW lithium-ion battery pack, which can be fully recharged in just 2.5 to 3.0 hours using a standard 120-volt outlet or as little as 1.5 hours with a 240-volt quick-charge unit. Either way, the result is a significant no-emissions driving range at the equivalent of 87 miles per gallon. And it’s all wrapped up in the same versatile packaging that has made the traditional Prius such a success: Toyota has sold more than 1 million Prius models in this country since it first went on sale 10 years ago, and the car remains by far the most popular hybrid vehicle in both the U.S. and the world.
“We are pleased with the recognition of the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in as a well-designed, smart and attainable vehicle, especially in an urban environment,” said Jim Colon, vice president of Toyota product communications at Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. “We’re confident that the Prius Plug-in’s extended electric range, selectable EV mode, expected 87 MPGe and quick home charging are among the features that helped Toyota secure this distinction.”
The 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in is slated to go on sale in the spring of next year.
Courtesy of Toyota In the News
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