Toyota to Sell Plug-In Hybrid for About 3 Million Yen

Nov. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp. will sell a plug- in hybrid model for about 3 million yen ($36,000) in Japan and introduce 11 regular gas-electric cars by the end of 2012 as the company aims to keep its position as the leading maker of the vehicles.

Toyota, the world’s biggest automaker, will introduce the plug-in hybrid in Japan, Europe and the U.S. from early 2012 and plans to sell 50,000 of the vehicles a year, it said in a statement today. The carmaker will also add two electric vehicles including a model based on its iQ compact that can run 105 kilometers (65 miles) on a single charge, the company said.

Automakers are under pressure from governments, customers and environmentalists to sell fuel-efficient vehicles that producer fewer or no emissions amid concerns over global warming. Toyota, which introduced its Prius hybrid more than a decade ago, faces increased competition as companies such as Nissan Motor Co. and General Motors Co. add electric models that run longer distances on battery power alone.

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Toyota Prius available with Approaching Vehicle Audible System in Japan

In the face of concerns that new hybrid and electric vehicles are dangerously silent, Toyota Japan has added a noisy new option to its third-generation Prius range.

The Approaching Vehicle Audible System (AVAS) is an optional speaker setup in the front of the car that makes a humming sound equivalent to the volume of a standard petrol-powered vehicle.

Despite not yet being required by law in Japan, sales of AVAS will begin on August 30 for 12,600 yen ($170, excluding installation) for those who want their Prius to be heard.

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Toyota teams up with Tesla to electrify Rav4

Toyota and electric vehicle upstart Tesla Motors will work together to develop an electric version of Toyota's Rav4 medium SUV, with plans to begin selling it in the US in 2012.

Tesla already is working on the electric power system for the Rav4. The electric carmaker has built one prototype for testing and plans to deliver a fleet of them for Toyota to evaluate later this year.

The companies announced a partnership in May to develop and build electric cars at a recently closed automotive factory in the San Francisco Bay area.

Tesla, which last month began selling shares to the public, said it hoped to drive down the cost of electric vehicles so they become within reach of mainstream buyers.

Toyota has said it was investing US$50 million ($70 million) in Tesla, with the electric car company buying the New United Motor Manufacturing factory, known as Nummi, in Fremont, California, where the Tesla Model S electric sedan will be built.

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Toyota-Tesla plan to build electric RAV4 shows partnership is serious

Electric SUV is the first project announced by the companies since Toyota purchased about 3% of Tesla for $50 million this year, a move that had raised eyebrows.

A plan to sell an electric version of Toyota's RAV4 sport utility vehicle two years from now demonstrates that the alliance between Tesla Motors Inc. and the Japanese automaker is more than just window dressing, analysts said.
Tesla and Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday that they were developing the vehicle and that Tesla was working on a fleet of prototypes to begin testing.
The venture is the first project announced by the companies since Toyota purchased 3.2% of Tesla for $50 million this year.

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Toyota, Tesla Said to Prepare RAV4, RX Prototypes

July 12 (Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp. and its electric- car affiliate Tesla Motors Inc. will use the Japanese automaker’s RAV4 and Lexus RX crossovers as their first jointly developed battery-powered test models, a person familiar with the matter said.

Toyota will receive two prototypes this month, Tesla said July 10 without elaborating. While Toyota also aims to test an electric Corolla, the RAV4 and RX are better suited to the weight of Tesla’s battery pack, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the models haven’t been announced yet.

Toyota’s President Akio Toyoda said last week the partnership with Tesla, maker of the $109,000 electric Roadster, is the first of several the Toyota City, Japan-based company wants to pursue in advanced auto technologies. Toyota, the world’s largest seller of hybrid autos, bought a $50 million stake in Palo Alto, California-based Tesla this month.

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Report: Tesla won’t be developing electric-vehicles with Toyota

Tesla Model S

If you’re probably wondering whether or not Tesla and Toyota will jointly produce electric-vehicles as a part of their partnership, here’s your answer. In a recent filling with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Tesla said that it may never get to the point where it will jointly develop electric-vehicles with Toyota.

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Electric cars widely available in Canada by 2012: automakers

TORONTO — Fully electric vehicles should be widely available to Canadian consumers within two years, with offerings in the pipeline from Nissan, Ford, Toyota, Mitsubishi and others, automakers say.

"I think what you're hearing across the board is that 2012 is the time when you're going to have critical mass and a huge number of (electric) products coming forward from every manufacturer," Stephen Beatty, managing director of Toyota Canada, told a conference on green vehicle technology Friday in Toronto.

"(That) becomes the big moment when you see that transformation in the auto industry in North America and electric comes on big time. It'll be very fascinating to see how the market responds to that," Beatty added.

Nissan is poised to be the first major carmaker to introduce a purely electric consumer vehicle into the Canadian market, with its Leaf set to be in showrooms here by late 2011, said Mark McDade, director of marketing at Nissan Canada.

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Introduction To Hybrid Electric Vehicle And Key Challenges

Due to increase in fuel cost and high efficiency demand from market, electric vehicle development is ramped up. Toyota launched its first Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV) and it is commercially available across the world.  This article focuses on introduction of HEV and some of its design challenges in electrical system perspective. It also covers how simulation technology is going to play important role in the product (HEV) development.

Inverter, battery, converter and motor are the major additional or new components in the vehicle to make if HEV or EV. Here the battery is also referred as additional component as it would battery pack unlikesingle battery in existing conventional vehicle. Refer figure1, the major components and its likely positions are indicated in the vehicle.

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