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Posts Tagged “

Prius

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prius

Solar Panel-Powered Prius in 2009 Confirmed

In a Nikkei article set to publish Monday, it was revealed that Toyota has green lit plans to offer solar panels on its popular Prius hybrid vehicle. The solar panel option will be available on the high-end Prius model when it receives a redesign in 2009. Strangely, the Japanese business newspaper also reports that the power generated by the solar panels will be used for the air conditioning system. The solar panels are being manufactured by Kyocera Corp. Previously, Gizmodo has covered some DIY solar panel options for the Prius, but the news today confirms that an official offering is now forthcoming from Toyota. It's a start, right? [Reuters]

8:55 PM on Sun Jul 6 2008
By Jack Loftus
12,404 views, 70 comments

Latest by rimplestultskin: @Captain Bringdown: there is a camry hybrid. however, the prius looks the way it looks because toyota wants to draw attention to hybrids, and sure-as-shit-ugly gets a lot of attention! and the aptera had this idea first, if i remember more »

prius battery

Aftermarket Plug-In Prius Battery Causes Balls of Fire, Explosion

A Toyota Prius outfitted with one of Lithium Technology Corporation's plug-in conversion kits exploded after the owner saw balls of fire in the backseat. Luckily the owner was smart enough to vacate the cars after seeing flames, but not smart enough to not drive the car even when its PHEV15 plug-in kit was experiencing "charger-related problems." Other than the fact that you should learn to be careful after installing aftermarket parts on your car, the only other thing we can take away from this story is to jump out of your vehicle when you see fire. [CRN via Daily Tech via Jalopnik]

7:30 PM on Thu Jun 19 2008
By Jason Chen
4,239 views, 31 comments

Latest by MINI Driver: Prius drivers are really pissing me off They drive like maniacs, weaving in and out of traffic and high speeds, as if they are invincible. I'm sure this style of driving totally negates any 'savings' - but I've seen it so many more »

cars

Used Cars Are More Eco-Friendly Than Hybrids?

Here's a simple, compelling argument we read in Wired that shows a used car may be a more ecologically sound choice than a new Prius: More »

11:40 AM on Tue May 20 2008
By Mark Wilson
20,805 views, 112 comments

Latest by rimplestultskin: buying a used car that gets 32 highway miles, fits in any parking space, turns like a go-kart, feels like a BMW and still gets you laid (my girlfriend loves my car) for half the price of the prius: priceless. my more »

cars

These Prius Solar Panels Should Come Standard

While the Prius is more practical than high efficiency solar vehicles, why not add some solar to the Prius anyway? This solar kit from SEV seamlessly installs onto a Prius' roof and claims to add up to 20 miles per day of electric mode driving/increase fuel economy up to 29%. Compatible with Prius models from 2004-06, I'm enough of a cynic that I figure if the installation worked that well, the panels would have come standard in the first place (though we've heard that they are under consideration for next gen models). Then again, the 2-3 year "break even" scenario that SEV pitches on their website may have something to do with it. [SEV via Jalopnik]

12:40 PM on Thu May 15 2008
By Mark Wilson
16,531 views, 56 comments

Latest by ThriftyTechie: @shawn_dude: I don't think I was clear... What I'm saying is that the amount of energy in the sunlight hitting the roof of a car, if converted to electricity (at ~30% efficiency typical of today's best photovoltaics), simply is not enough to more »

cars

Next Generation Prius Hybrid Is Bigger, More Powerful, With More MPG

AutoObserver reports that the next generation Prius will be four inches longer, get a more powerful 1.8 liter gas engine that when combined with electrics will do a total 160 horsepower (compared with 110hp in the current 1.5 liter setup). The kicker is that it'll be more fuel efficient, too. Using Japan's metrics for fuel economy, the current setup gets 84kpg, but the next gen has been reported to run 94 kilometers under the same conditions. The car is set to be unveiled in 2009. [AutoObserver, photo above of the Prius Concept, not the next gen model, thanks Mona for realizing the KPG and MPG differences.]

4:51 PM on Mon Apr 28 2008
By Brian Lam
14,732 views, 74 comments

Latest by keerock: I own a Prius and drive it like a normal car. I live in the Hills of CT. Here's my typical mileage: Warm weather 45 - 46 MPG Cold Weather 39 - 40 MPG I consider this to be fine. Much better than more »

prius plug-in

Hymotion Prius Plug-in Conversion Kit Gives 100+ MPG For Short Distances

Like the previously released EDrive kit, this Hymotion Prius conversion package lets you convert your stock Prius into one that can be plugged in for charging. After a 4.5-hour charge time, your Prius will be able to use more battery power over about 30-40 miles in order achieve that mileage. More »

2:30 PM on Sun Apr 27 2008
By Jason Chen
14,773 views, 43 comments

Latest by Snicker: @pagan_god: 118,000 miles and counting. 2001 model Prius. And I've bought 2 sets of tires since I purchased the car. The original tires sucked, hydroplaned on an ant sneeze, but newer Goodyears took care of that. It's quiet, comfortable (if more »

Prius Turns 10 Years Old Hard to believe the face of green cars, the Prius, is 10 years old this month. And it's still so slow. Here, mod yours with a switch to run in purely-EV Stealth mode. [Make and Gizmag]

28 comments

cars

What Car Nuts Really Think of the Prius Hybrid Electric

The Prius is widely recognized as a technological marvel, with its regenerative braking, its hybrid electric motor setup, and the supercar-low drag coefficient of 0.26. Which is why it's sobering to geeks and treehuggers to watch Top Gear describe the Prius as so slow that "a child could run into the street, retrieve his ball, and grow to puberty, before the Prius could hit him." And at a tested 45mpg, it's actually less green than a diesel. More »

2:50 PM on Tue Nov 13 2007
By Brian Lam
23,130 views, 121 comments

Latest by n/a: I have a Prius 2006 and get 50 mpg on my 45 min commute to work that is both in town and on the highway. I'm an average person that wanted more predictable monthly expenses and not to fear the more »

plug and chug

100 California Households Get to Test Drive Plug-In Priuses

priusplug.jpgWhile they're not getting behind the wheel of the 2009 plug-in Toyota Prius Popular Mechanics took for a spin, 100 households in Northern California are going to put rubber to asphalt next year in the first large-scale consumer test of plug-in hybrids in the country. The 100 green guinea pigs will be picked from the 4 million members of AAA of Northern California next spring and will rotate between a fleet of 10 converted Priuses loaned out for two-month intervals. More »

12:00 AM on Wed Oct 31 2007
By Matt Buchanan
3,144 views, 32 comments

Latest by klew: You can save more money than just in gasoline costs. Carpool lanes might save you time in addition to brake life (in stop and go traffic jams). You might be able to get free bridge tolls (Golden Gate more »

plug and chug

2009 Toyota Prius Prototype Plugs In, But NiMh Batteries Stick Around

Popular Mechanics took a prototype plug-in 2009 Prius for a short test drive, which might be the first PHEV to market. The Prius they ran around still uses the Prius's current nickel-metal hydride battery packs—a pair, actually, with the charging system jimmied in between them—though Toyota hopes to switch to lithium ion, which are more efficient and smaller (thankfully, since the jiggered NiMh packs leave only two medium suitcases worth of trunk space). More »

3:40 PM on Wed Oct 24 2007
By Matt Buchanan
18,508 views, 20 comments

Latest by n/a: @Marty_MacFly: "The 2010 Chevy Volt will make this look pitiful as GM's lithium ion solution is soon to enter the testing phase." -- That's nice, but what makes you think Toyota won't have lithium ion batteries ready in 2010 too? more »

for shame

Woz Pulled over Doing 104mph in His Prius

Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak knows how to get his name in the news. First there was the rumor of his extraordinarily creepy romance with unfunnylady Kathy Griffin, and now we find out that he got busted going 104mph… in a Prius. More »

5:30 PM on Tue Aug 21 2007
By Adam Frucci
16,494 views, 80 comments

hippies

Make Your Hybrid a Hybrid-Hybrid with Solar Power

You're socially conscious. You drive a Prius, and you love that feeling of self-worth that it gives you. You especially love knowing that everyone else on the road knows how socially conscious you are. Well, now that hybrids like the Prius are getting more popular, it's increasingly difficult to stand out as better than everyone else. It's time to step it up a notch. More »

10:45 AM on Mon Jun 4 2007
By Adam Frucci
6,605 views, 40 comments

mac mini

Top 5 Creative Uses for a Mac mini, Sort Of

TechEBlog's editors have put together a list of the top five creative uses for the somewhat underexposed Mac mini. While I suppose they're all creative, one of them is pretty useless, so it'd probably be more apt to call it the top four creative uses for the Mac Mini, since the word "use" implies that it has some sort of purpose. More »

6:05 PM on Sat Jan 20 2007
By Matt Buchanan
2,519 views, 14 comments

pcs

Hitachi Prius One Type S: iMac Clone, Sorta

Hey, somebody tell Hitachi that the name Prius is already taken. Oh, this is different, the Hitachi Prius One Type S, which is Japan's all-in-one PC answer to the iMac. It's comparably equipped, too, with 512MB of RAM, a 1.83GHz Intel Celeron M 380 processor, and that built-in 17 inch LCD running at 1280x1024. But it doesn't run the Mac OS, so don't be worried that it's actually a clone as the title of this post implies. More »

3:11 PM on Thu Jul 6 2006
By Charlie White
367 views, 2 comments

gadgets

Competition Winner: 3145 Miles Per Gallon

We like to ooo and ahh over gadget-y cars like the Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius, especially when rumors swirl about turbocharged engines getting 100 miles per gallon. But then we saw this winner of the SAE Super Mileage Competition, a car which racked up a jaw-dropping 3145 miles per gallon. This is a particularly amazing feat, because it's nearly twice as efficient as its predecessor: the same Canadian team won the competition last year with a 1600mpg car. More »

12:47 PM on Fri Jun 23 2006
By Charlie White
7,452 views, 9 comments

Latest by Joachim Bengtsson: 3145 miles per gallon just *happens to be* 1337 kilometers per litre, which proves how freaking 'leet this is. more »

gadgets

Plug-In Prius Forthcoming?

We like to keep up with the Toyota Prius since, after all, it is just one big gadget, and now the titans at Toyota are hinting that they might reverse their stance on building a Prius with a plug-in option. Lots of tinkerers such as EnergyCS of California are already modifying the hybrid car to also accept power via electric outlets—bragging of doubling its mileage in so doing—and Toyota is apparently aware of it, saying that it will join the fun by starting to "advance its research and development of plug-in hybrid vehicles." More »

10:28 AM on Wed Jun 14 2006
By Charlie White
13,207 views, 11 comments

Latest by will1688: I don't know where Papercutninja gets his facts from but 70 cent of electricity put into a plug in hybrid is the equivalent of 2.69 in gas. Hmm? 70 cent per gallon or 2.69? wow I just don't know what more »

gadgets

Next Prius: 100MPG, Turbocharged?

We're not really gearheads or grease monkeys, but our Gawker brothers at Jalopnik convinced us to tell you about the next Toyota Prius, since we all know that it's really just one big gadget. Anyway, they're telling us the next Prius might be a firebreather, where its 1.8-liter engine could be turbocharged. Meanwhile, its hybrid system will get more-efficient lithium ion batteries, and all this adds up to mileage that is said to be over 100 miles per gallon. More »

12:55 PM on Tue Jun 6 2006
By Charlie White
2,678 views, 15 comments

Latest by mazdaman: the prius is so fucking ugly. maybe if they made them more pleasing to the eyes then the whole production issue would be resolved. sales would increase ten fold. if i could stand the way they looked then more »

gadgets

Next-Gen Prius: 94mpg, 0-60 in Under 10 Seconds?

We know those car manufacturers are fast and footloose with MPG figures, but we had to take notice when we got word that the next Toyota Prius will be capable of 113 miles per gallon (in the UK, which is equal to 94mpg in North America). That's more than double the mileage the best hybrid vehicles get now. The Prius's redesigned electrical system will depend even more on the electric motor, using it by itself at slower speeds but kicking in the internal combustion engine when higher speeds are needed. Even with this higher mileage, the car's 0-to-60 time will be faster, reportedly under 10 seconds. More »

10:48 AM on Tue Apr 11 2006
By Charlie White
5,496 views, 15 comments

Latest by aec007: Jesse: 1 Gallon (UK) = 4.546092 liters 1 Gallon (US) = 3.785412 liters So... 1 Gallon (UK) = 1.20095 Gallon (US) Metric rulz! more »

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