Gizmodo: toyota prius

Toyota Engineers Unique Flower Species to Absorb Prius Manufacturing Emissions

Adam Frucci — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:53:36 EDT

What do you do when the "eco-friendly" car you're manufacturing is actually horrible for the environment to manufacture? Re-engineer nature, obviously!

Toyota, who's Prius is easy on the environment to drive but horrible on it to make, has engineered a new type of flower to help shoulder some of the damage their factories are spitting out.

The sage derivative's leaves have unique characteristics that absorb harmful gases, while the gardenia's leaves create water vapour in the air, reducing the surface temperature of the factory surrounds and, therefore, reducing the energy needed for cooling, in turn producing less carbon dioxide (CO2).

Well, holy shit. That is pretty insane. [Drive via Treehugger]

2010 Toyota Prius Features Clever 'Touch Tracer' Display

Mark Wilson — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 16:00:00 EST

The 2010 Toyota Prius gets 50mpg while bringing dead trees back to life. But maybe more our speed, the car also features a really nifty "Tracer Display" unlike anything we've seen in dashboards before.

It's a simple idea: You control car functions (like the stereo) with buttons on the wheel while the Tracer Display superimposes these buttons over your dashboard display. In other words, you can keep an eye on your speedometer instead of your wheel while searching for the one radio station not playing commercials.

And even though this display is a bit blurry in this shot, you can tell that the graphic overlay is really quite bright and sharp. Neat stuff...as if Prius owners needed another reason to be so smug. [KickingTires, Jalopnik]

Competition Winner: 3145 Miles Per Gallon

Charlie White — Fri, 23 Jun 2006 12:47:15 EDT

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.

Just think, this car could drive from New York to L.A. on a gallon of gas. Plus, it looks damn cool. I guess Canadians aren't that bad after all. – Charlie White

Stick Your Fossil Fuel, Eh? Canadian Students Build 3,145-mpg Car [Jalopnik]

Plug-In Prius Forthcoming?

Charlie White — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 10:28:40 EDT

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."

Could this next Prius be the same one we mentioned earlier that would be turbocharged and get 100 miles per gallon? Either way, we just went out and checked our garage, and there happens to be an electrical outlet right where we would park our new Prius. – Charlie White

Get the Extension Cord: Toyota to Consider Plug-in Hybrids [Jalopnik]

Next Prius: 100MPG, Turbocharged?

Charlie White — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 12:55:59 EDT

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.

We're also hearing Toyota is thinking of giving you the option of plugging in the new Prius in addition to its hybrid capabilities, letting you top off the batteries while it's parked, further increasing its efficiency. So, let's get this straight: not only will this hybrid car go faster than the current version, it'll get better gas mileage and have lower emissions? Sounds like the best of all worlds to us, and then there are those great techie toys inside, too. No word on when this next-gen hybrid will be shipping. – Charlie White

Artificial Aspiration: Could Next Prius Have a Turbo? [Jalopnik]

Toyota Prius Hax0rz Pwn That Thang

Charlie White — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 10:05:55 EST

Besides being green-friendly and oh-so-trendy, the Toyota Prius is also becoming a favorite of ha><0rz everywhere. First, some brilliant master of digital prestidigitation figured out how to disable a couple of annoying noises the Prius makes with a few odd button pushing combinations on the odometer controls. Now the l33t have learned how to tap into the diagnostic port that s used to service the popular hybrid vehicle. The Prius runs what's called a Controller Area Network (CAN), and a company called Hybrid Interfaces is offering a $225 system that taps into this network and shows its data on the LCD screen on the dash. Or, you can go for the full-blown $275 Version 2 which allows you to add external video capability including a backup camera, plus a touch screen data port and the ability to add Pioneer s latest voice guidance navigation system to the mix. Note to hax0rz: next, teach the Prius to paint my house, then drive itself to work and do my job for me.

More Prius Fun! The Secret BEEP Code Revealed & Advanced Diagnostic Readouts [Treehugger]