Toyota signs agreement with City of Oslo and Energy Norway for PHEV demonstration
Toyota Prius
Some good news for Toyota occurring in the eye of a very rough storm.
Toyota Norge yesterday signed a partnership agreement with the City of Oslo and the trade organization Energy Norway to run a demonstration project with two Prius PHEV-12/13’s in Norway for three years beginning this June. This project is in part of Toyota’s pan-European PHEV limited lease program that will involve around 200 vehicles on European roads. Based on Toyota’s full hybrid technology, PHEV’s are equipped with a larger Li-Ion battery extending the vehicle’s range in electric vehicle mode allowing for zero-emissions driving. The Norwegian project has been granted support from the public organization Transnova.
The announcement was made on Monday in Oslo during a public event where Michel Gardel, Vice President, Toyota Motor Europe and Lars-Erik Årøy, President, TNO signed a Letter of Intent with the partners represented by Jøran Kallmyr, Head of Transport and Environmental Affairs, City of Oslo and Kristian Pladsen, Communications Director, Energy Norway.
“Energy Norway is fully committed to contributing to the electrification of the Norwegian transport sector and to further strengthening the infrastructure as well as the possibilities for Plug-in Hybrids in Norway. We look forward to co-operating with Toyota,” said Kristian Pladsen. Energy Norway is a trade organization for about 260 generators, suppliers, distributors and contractors in Norway.
“The City of Oslo wants to be one the world’s leaders when it comes to environment and sustainability, and has for years worked to increase the number of electric vehicles in the city. We are looking forward to working together with the industry to develop commercially available solutions for the future. PHVs are particularly interesting because they make it possible for families to have only one car that meets their different needs, without any range limitations” added Jøran Kallmyr.
“Together with Toyota Motor Europe we are delighted to welcome the City of Oslo and Energy Norway as our partners for this PHV demonstration in Norway”, said Lars-Erik Årøy. “We often say that the PHV reflects ‘the best of both worlds’: it enhances the benefits of Toyota’s full hybrid technology, while overcoming the constraints historically linked with electric vehicles. Now we have the opportunity to demonstrate this with two PHVs under the demanding real-life conditions in Norway”.
The demonstration will assess the vehicle’s performance in urban driving conditions while also gathering information about the experience of drivers and passengers. This includes an understanding of their habits and preferences when recharging the vehicle – either at home, using a standard electrical point, or at charging points at vehicle fleet depots and elsewhere.
Toyota’s PHEV adds an extended electric driving mode of around 12.5 miles to the already hyper-efficient Toyota Prius: low CO2, unrivaled NOx and particulate emissions, exceptional fuel efficiency, seamless acceleration and quiet driving. The PHEV can be driven as an electric vehicle for shorter distances or city commutes, while for long-distance journeys it operates as a full hybrid with its gasoline engine serving as both a power source and battery generator when required. The battery is charged during driving, deceleration or braking, or by connecting its plug to a standard electrical point at home or at work.
Toyota is currently in the process of deploying approximately 600 new PHEVs globally in Japan, Europe and the United States.
Source: CleanMPG.com
