Toyota ‘Plug-In’ Car Coming In 2010 January 15, 2008

Read more Cars , Gizmodo UK , Motoring , Technology

Toyota has revealed plans to introduce a fleet of cars by 2010 that can be recharged by plugging them into a regular plug socket.

Announced today at the Detroit Auto Show, the new cars will be based on lithium-ion batteries and will go head-to-head with GM’s rival Chevy Volt car, also due in 2010. This is a big turnaround for the maker of the hybrid Prius, which claimed last summer that lithium-ion batteries are not ready for use in cars. Obviously, the fact that other car makers are racing ahead to create them has prompted a change of heart.

Toyota is also planning two new hybrids next year – one under the Lexus brand.

Toyota president Katsuaki Watanabe said: “By 2010, we will accelerate our global plug-in hybrid R&D program. As part of this plan, we will deliver a significant fleet of PHEVs powered by lithium-ion batteries to a wide variety of global commercial customers, with many coming to the US. To make that happen, we have already started the planning phase to expand our Panasonic joint-venture battery factory. The expansion will add an assembly line to build lithium batteries for automotive applications.”

If that fails, Toyota might want a word with Toshiba about its very cool Super Charge Ion Battery.

So, proper plug-in cars: pants-wetting excitement or more boring than the collected speeches of John Major?-Martin Lynch

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