Japan's Green Drive Pressuring GM!

[rgathright]

Japan's Green Cars Vs GM

Within the Prius section I found this:

Toyota says the plug-in Prius will use lithium batteries like the Volt. But the Prius will be geared initially only toward fleet customers.

I found this statement disturbing, how about you?

[GasSavers_BEEF]

I personally feel like a plug in hybrid will be a good thing. the fact that it will only be for "fleet" customers kind of sucks because I would only want one.

I don't think that it will be the answer to our dependance on foreign oil but a good step in the right direction.

I still don't like the way that the prius uses the gas motor above 35 or so. I wish toyota would come up with a design more like the volt that only uses the gas engine as a generator so that the initial charge can take you to a given range without gasoline at any speed (or at least up to 60mph).

as far as the battery technology, I don't know enough about the different types of batteries to coment.

I have always liked the idea of a plug in hybrid. that way you get the initial range from the grid and if you need to go further, you aren't dead in the water

[101mpg]

The plug-in vehicle has been discouraged from production by the EPA because they can't manage conversion to MPG. The Volt is the first step but it's cheaper to build your own or have someone do it for you.