Prius Plug-In hopes to win over California drivers with HOV privileges 09/22/2011
Toyota's Prius is the best-selling hybrid vehicle in the United States, and moving forward, the Japanese automaker will be releasing a plug-in version of the car sometime in the spring of next year. The new car is the first of its kind, and starts around $32,000, which is almost $9,000 more than the standard Prius.
The plug-in version can drive up to 15 miles on a full-charge when it is running on electricity only, and hybrid mode warrants an average 49 miles per gallon, which is significantly better than the standard. The U.S. Department of Energy ranks the Prius as the most fuel-efficient vehicle, excluding electric drive vehicles, with a combined 50 mpg. However, the fuel efficiency is not the main draw of the plug-in variation.
Aside from the $2,500 federal tax credit for which Prius Plug-In owners will be eligible, the biggest draw is that the new car will be eligible to drive in the carpool lane on California roadways. Previously, the standard Prius was able to do the same, but the emissions standards were raised to encourage drivers to switch to all-electric cars and better hybrids.
"When those cars were eligible for California's HOV lanes, we sold out our allotment in no time," Sam Butto, a Toyota spokesman, told the New York Times. "We expect that the ability to use the HOV lanes will be one of the most popular reasons people will buy the Prius Plug-In Hybrid. We may sell one-in-three or one-in-four of our plug-in hybrids in California."
California is one of the 14 states in which Toyota will first offer the new car, and the company plans to make the vehicle available nationwide by 2013.