Upon arriving at the event, guests were treated to reusable and eco-friendly carry bags, branded with the slogan "Spied the Prius Plug-In @ Acton Toyota," that included Toyota Prius Plug-In literature as well as a few Acton Toyota gifts. Additionally, arriving guests were handed a ticket providing them a chance to win a free vehicle car cover or TomTom navigation system as part of an event drawing. Both items were successfully distributed to two lucky winners.
To start the unveiling, attendees received a warm welcome from Mike Hills, General Manager of Acton Toyota, who then introduced the General Manager of Toyota's Boston Regional corporate office, Chris Cento. Mr. Cento spent some time informing the audience not only of the Toyota's plans for its Prius Plug-In, but also of Toyota's overall commitment and direction toward the future of electric and hybrid technology vehicles. Afterward, the Boston Region's Field Technical Specialist presented a comprehensive walk-around demonstration of the Toyota Prius Plug-In and then opened the floor to audience questions.
1. What is the portability of the plug cord itself for the Prius Plug-In?
The plug cord is approximately 25 feet in length and weights roughly 2 lbs. This plug does detach from the vehicle. When it is not needed for charging, the plug cord can be coiled and stored in the carrying case that comes with the Prius Plug-In. The carrying case has a designated storage area in the rear hatch of the vehicle.
2. What is the charging time for the Toyota Prius Plug-In?
The charge time will depend on the voltage size of the outlet used to charge the electric battery pack for the Toyota Prius Plug-In. It will take about 3 hours for the vehicle to reach a full charge on a 110 volt outlet. That time will decrease to about 90 minutes with a 220 volt outlet.
3. What is the estimated MPG for the Toyota Prius Plug-In?
This question is somewhat difficult to answer as the electric battery in the Prius Plug-In does not consume any gasoline, therefore, a MPG rating does not truly apply. However, if we look closely at a 40 mile drive and assume the electric battery delivers 13 miles as reported by Toyota , the Prius Plug-In has a rating of 74 MPG! Here's how.
Since 13 of the 40 miles use no gasoline only 27 miles actually need gas consumption computation. To determine just how much gasoline is used during these 27 miles we'll assume a consumption rate identical to the combined rating for the hybrid synergy drive engine for the Prius. The Prius Plug-In has the identical hybrid engine as the traditional Toyota Prius hybrid. The combined rating for this engine is 50 MPG.
50 miles / 1 gallon = 27 miles / X gallon
X = .54 gallons
Therefore, only .54 gallons of gasoline is used for the 27 miles. And since no gasoline was used for the first 13 miles, that means the Prius Plug-In consumed only .54 gallons of gasoline to travel the entire 40 mile trip. To translate this into an MPG rating,
40 miles / .54 gallons = X miles / 1 gallon
X = 74.07 miles
4. When will the Prius Plug-In be available for sale in New England?
Estimated arrival time to New England dealerships for the Toyota Prius Plug-In is February 2012. Naturally, this date can and possibly will change.
5. What is the pricing for the Toyota Prius Plug-In?
Toyota has yet to release any pricing for the Toyota Prius Plug-In and there is currently no indicate as to when this pricing for the Toyota Prius Plug-In will be released.
