prius Archives – The Green Optimistic

Japan Prius Drivers Rewarded for Using EV Mode

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 21:43:28 +0000

Toyota is looking to reward Prius drivers in Japan with points for maximizing the use of full electric mode. The “game” is available to all new Prius plug-in users (aka Prius Prime for the rest of the world). Toyota has struck a deal with five important Japanese electricity providers to do this, and the points […]

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The Three Fears I Had to Overcome Before Buying My Prius

Ovidiu Sandru — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 20:03:47 +0000

So I bought a Prius – a 2004 one, which is the first wave of the second iteration Toyota took to the market. And while I entered the flock of those “morons who think they’re saving the planet” (Jeremy Clarkson) I wanted to find out how much of a “moron” can a human being become after […]

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Toyota Sees Hybrid Vehicles as the Path Forward

Benji Jerew — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 17:37:58 +0000

Electric vehicles, such as the Tesla Model S and Nissan Leaf, may indeed be the future of automotive transportation, but hybrid vehicles, such as the Toyota Prius and Chevy Volt, may be the stepping-stone that consumers and manufacturers need to make it to a pure-electric future. Pure electric vehicles, of course, have limited emissions, limited […]

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Prius Hackers Show off How They Can Steer Your Car

Benji Jerew — Sat, 27 Jul 2013 16:53:53 +0000

Unlike vehicles that were made up as recently as the early as the 1970s, today’s vehicles are basically rolling computers. Add in vehicle connectivity via satellite or cellular service, and could this open up a whole new world of vehicle hacking? Imagine the scene: You’re in your vehicle and you set the cruise control. Your […]

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Tanks Run Over Priuses, Lately – Help Save One!

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 16 Jul 2013 09:52:17 +0000

I’m so pissed off after what I’ve seen today. I’ve been blogging about alternative energy, clean cars and environmental awareness in the last 5 years, and still never had the money to buy an actual Prius – the most environmentally-friendly car just a few years ago. This has been a dream to me for the […]

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How Hybrid Cars Became Such a Success

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 09:28:26 +0000

Whilst the hybrid may seem a recent modern innovation, the concept of electrically charged automobiles is something that was toyed with well over 100 years ago. As the world felt the full force of the industrial revolution, the turn of the century saw the birth of the motor car. The Industrial Revolution As early as […]

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CalCars’ First DIY Plug-In Prius Catches Fire, Burns Completely

Benji Jerew — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:58:21 +0000

In 2004, CalCars modified a standard Toyota Prius hybrid electric vehicle, not only because they could, but also to prove a point, that a plug-in vehicle could hit the 100 mpge mark. There have always been tinkerers and inventors who tried to improve things, but sometimes the results are disastrous, such this week’s unfortunate DIY Plug-In death by […]

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Toyota Prius Backup Power – An Aftermarket Solution

Benji Jerew — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 22:50:41 +0000

Modern society depends on electricity, and without it, most everything ceases to function, including heating and cooling, refrigerators, mobile phones, computers, and the list goes on. In emergencies, such as Hurricane Sandy knocking out power for millions of people, some for weeks, backup power generators make all kinds of sense to have on hand. Backup […]

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Toyota Announces Prius Price Cuts by December 3

Benji Jerew — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 20:45:26 +0000

Synonymous with ‘hybrid,’ Toyota Prius hybrid electric vehicle [HEV] is the most popular HEV in the US, and according to global sales numbers, the third-most-popular vehicle in the world for the first quarter 2012. Having sold nearly 10,000 Prii in October alone, Toyota isn’t resting on its laurels. Prius’ newest neighbor in the hybrid segment […]

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Toyota’s Next-Generation Magnesium Battery Technology

Benji Jerew — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 08:08:33 +0000

Thousands of electric vehicles [EV] have been sold in the US, all with the same problem, range and expense. True, current battery technology, lithium-ion [Li-ion] has come leaps and bounds past its predecessors, nickel-metal hydride [NiMH] and nickel-cadmium [NiCad] and even lead-acid. Each step in battery technology increased the capacity and reduced weight. Still, current […]

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Your Prius Unlikely to Get Stolen in US, Report Says

Benji Jerew — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 18:18:22 +0000

Prius drivers often have one thing on their minds when they’re signing the papers and taking their new keys in hand, that is, reducing fuel consumption. Reduced fuel consumption, of course, is better for your wallet as well as for the environment. Every gallon saved is another twenty pounds of carbon-dioxide eliminated from the atmosphere. […]

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Toyota Prius to Get a New Look and All-Wheel Drive by 2015

Benji Jerew — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 18:07:33 +0000

Toyota Prius, although not the first hybrid, is certainly the most well-known and best-selling hybrid in the US. While sporting class-leading fuel economy, some people are still a little put off by its appearance and lack of all-wheel drive, especially in the northeast US, where the winters are harsh, and the fuel is expensive. A […]

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Toyota to Launch 2012 Facelifted Prius in Europe

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:05:15 +0000

Toyota’s flagship hybrid, Prius, has received a new facelift at the beginning of 2012. What has once been world’s first commercially-available hybrid car now received new multimedia systems, but the performance figures stay the same. The front bumper has been revised, the air intake is now bigger, and the headlights feature daylight-visible LEDs. The rear […]

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Toyota Undergoing Hybrid Coolant System Repairs on 650,000 Priuses Worldwide

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 11:05:15 +0000

After the floor mats that have been trapping accelerators, or the faulty gas pedals, defective braking systems and stalling engines, now the automaker has to perform repairs to the pumps that cool the hybrid system.

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Toyota's Hybrid Cars Attacked By New Pollution Figures: Scoring Higher Than Average

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 13:35:50 +0000

The Toyota Prius has been one of the most driven cars by Hollywood movie stars and green lovers. Even I would love to drive one, and I'm not much of star myself. The advertisements of low CO2 emissions and low fuel consumption are tempting enough to take you to the showroom and buy one.

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Prius Breaks Silence With Add-On Noise Generator for Pedestrian Safety

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:47:32 +0000

I had been glad to hear that you couldn't hear Priuses as they passed by. I even stopped my engine once (I have a diesel) to hear the electric motor's humming - it sounded differently than others, something I had never experienced before. That was in 2007.

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GM Cancels the 53mpg Hybrid Chevrolet and Proceeds to PHEVs

Cristi — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:53:04 +0000

Even though electric vehicles seem to be the future, some car manufacturers do not rush into changing to green, alternative energy sources. There is some incertitude when it comes to changing so fast from fossil fuels and some automakers just take their time to see what is best for the market.

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Prius Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) Present at Tokyo Motor Show

Cristi — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:02:05 +0000

A long time ago, Toyota Motor Corporation has started its green thinking trend with hybrid cars which revolutionized fuel consumption. Now they found a way to combine electric vehicles with hybrid ones and they presented their concept just days before the Tokyo Motor Show.

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Remarkable Lifetime Results for EV Batteries

Cristi — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:30:05 +0000

Scientists from Southern California Edison (SCE) have developed an tested for two and a half years a lithium-ion battery sub-pack with very encouraging results. The battery tested survived 180,000miles with no significant deterioration.

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In My Prius: Funny Hip-Hop Video About Toyota's Car

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 27 May 2009 18:56:45 +0000

It's time for some fun once in a while on The Green Optimistic. I wish I could do that a habit and, once a week, present some funny environmentally-related video. If there are lots of them, I'll even make a category.

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Toyota Preparing to Launch a Cheap Hybrid Vehicle

Mike Sandru — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:06:31 +0000

Toyota has announced that plans to develop a cheaper hybrid vehicle, a competitor for the Insight model which just entered the U.S. market. Toyota officials have revealed that their hybrid will be developed on the current Yaris platform.

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BMW's New 116D (Diesel) as Efficient as Today's Hybrids

Florin — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:01:48 +0000

German vehicle constructor BMW is trying to show us that it can produce not only fast, luxury and fuel-greedy vehicles, but also very fuel-efficient cars.

BMW's 1 series is offering the greenest diesel experience from BMW. The 2 liters four-cylinder diesel...

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Toyota Planning to Release a Full Electric Car

Florin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:09:12 +0000

I was wondering what else is Toyota doing for a complete environmentally friendly car. And there was the FT-EV concept.

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Prius PHEV Testing Started on French Roads

Ovidiu Sandru — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 18:43:03 +0000

They are testing their Toyota PHEVs with the help of their employees in a real urban environment. They have already built a charger infrastructure and a method for charging the users' pockets, incorporated in the vehicle's software.

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Prius vs BMW M3 vs MPG at Top Gear: Who Wins?

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:00:20 +0000

I really didn't like what Top Gear guys did the last time to a Prius, but this time I think they have a point (partially). They're going to race a Toyota Prius (1.5L)versus a BMW M3 (4L). Of course the BMW will win the competition... but wait... not the speed competition. The BMW will get 19mpg and the Prius only 17mpg. Why is that? Does it prove that the Prius is more gas-guzzler than the BMW? No.

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"Civilized" People Setting Priuses on Fire – Whose Fault is It After All?

Ovidiu Sandru — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 20:19:27 +0000

I don't know why people do that, but it seems like lately there are more and more vandalism acts on Priuses. For example, as Edmunds.com writes, a woman's Prius has been hit several times with a hammer. Stone age-like acts, really...

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Haynes Releases Toyota Prius Repair Handbook

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 09:04:10 +0000

Now, in the times of hybrid cars that nobody knows how to repair, they are also trying to make a name by releasing a Toyota Prius repair handbook. Even if you're a rookie in car repairs, or an advanced mechanic (or electrician), you can learn how to fix the very complicated hybrid car.

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Toyota Prius Converted to Run on Ethanol

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:34:55 +0000

Recently inspired by public demand and by the conversions made by third party companies to make it a plug-in hybrid, Toyota seriously intends to equip their cars with various fueling systems, so you can charge the batteries at night.

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100 MPG Prius with Lead Acid Batteries

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:45:58 +0000

Plug-In Supply, Inc has just unveiled the "PbA10" Conversion System last week at the Plug-in 2008 conference in San Jose. Their system is based on the CalCars'Open Source design, and it turns a standard 2004-2008 Toyota Prius into a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) with an all-electric range of 10-15 miles and improved average mileage of up to 100 miles per gallon (plus 1 cent/mile of electricity).

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Toyota Prius Will Have Solar Panels by Next Year

Mike Sandru — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:58:32 +0000

Toyota Motor Corp. announced that it will introduce an air conditioning system based on solar energy to the new Prius models next year. General Motors (GM), on the other hand, will launch the small environment-friendly Chevrolet Beat.

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Toyota Prius Batteries: Not Enough of Them!

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 08:34:12 +0000

Toyota has announced they just don't have the necessary capacity to produce the batteries they're required to put in the already ordered Priuses.

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EnerDel to Make Longer Lasting, Cheaper Li-Ion Batteries by 2010

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 09:45:12 +0000

EnerDel, a company who has been on the market since 2004, makes serious promises about more efficient lithium-Ion batteries (LIB) to be manufactured in the very near future. They're planning to make 300,000 of them by 2010. They also say that their batteries keep their charge capacity for up to 300,000 cycles, or 10 years of life.

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Funny Darwin-ed Fishbone Prius

Ovidiu Sandru — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 06:02:24 +0000

I think the image above is the most funny religious joke ever made! 🙂

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The Upcoming Prius: lighter, better and cheaper

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:47:01 +0000

The king of hybrid cars, the Toyota Prius, will offer a third generation hybrid drive, possibly in 2008 as a 2009 Prius model according to reports from Japan. Additionally, the new drive will also be included in the rest of Toyota's hybrids as well, such as the Highlander hybrid, Lexus RX400h, and the Camry hybrid.

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Modified Prius to Get 230 MPG

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:44:20 +0000

Two Toyota Prius automobiles, modified in Monrovia, California, are now on the road and getting as many as 230 miles per gallon. By adding lithium ion batteries to the off-the-lot Priuses, the vehicles showed and increased efficiency of more than 500%. The AP reports that Toyota initially discouraged Prius owners from hacking more mileage out […]

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Still Insufficient Power for the Plug-In Prius

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:09:23 +0000

TOKYO – Toyota Motor Corp. unveiled a “plug-in” hybrid car based on its popular Prius model on Wednesday, saying it would test the fuel-saving vehicle on public roads — a first for the industry. But the world’s biggest automaker said the car, called the Toyota Plug-in HV, was not fit for commercialisation since it uses […]

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Toyota Denies Battery Issues on Their Next Prius

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 09:33:24 +0000

A Toyota official said recently the Li-Ion battery of the next generation Prius is not a problem in the company’s process of developing the new vehicle. Although Sony had experienced troubles with over-heated Li-Ion batteries, Toyota says it’s not the case in the Prius battery. The silence around this subject is because they want to […]

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How Chris powered his house on his Prius

Ovidiu Sandru — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 17:19:02 +0000

WHEN Hurricane Frances ripped through Gainesville, Fla., in 2004, Christopher Swinney, an anesthesiologist, was without electricity for a week. A few weeks ago, Dr. Swinney lost power again, but this time he was ready. He plugged his Toyota Prius into the backup uninterruptible power supply unit in his house and soon the refrigerator was humming […]

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Steve Wozniak proves Toyota Prius has power

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:16:34 +0000

Apple Computer’s co-founder is admitting he got caught doing 104 mph in a Toyota Prius — the famously economical car not known for its speed. “I pleaded guilty, with an explanation,” Steve Wozniak e-mailed the San Jose Mercury News. Wozniak had been traveling in Europe, Asia and South America “and had gotten used to kilometer […]

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