Atlantic Toyota Prius Fans: New Rumor Says Two Tweaks Added to Prius PHEV May Increase Satisfaction

June 21, 2011 - PRLog -- Atlantic Toyota and Huntington Toyota customers may be waiting for the newest Prius model and to know any new pieces of news about its release. Although the release time is still the same for the Prius Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV), a rumor is circulating that there may be two new features that Toyota Motor Corp has decided to add to the hybrid for better driver control of certain functions.
The rumored additions are:
•   An EV-Only mode button
•   A fully rechargeable battery pack
Both of these items may seem like they should be already-added features to the Prius PHEV, but as Atlantic Toyota and Huntington Toyota customers may know, these options are not in the PHEV original design.
The EV-Only mode button would give a driver the option to reserve their EV power to be used when they want to use it instead of when the Prius turns it on. This would be most useful for long stretches of driving or commuting that ultimately leads to an EV- friendly city commute. This means there would be no reason to use the electric power until needed and at the most effective times of a drive.
Most customers like those at Atlantic Toyota and Huntington Toyota may not know that the original model does not allow for complete charging of the battery pack. Although the normal Prius models have this function, the Prius PHEV models only allow motor-driven charging at speed or regenerative braking to recharge the battery to about 60 percent of the full capacity. With the possible new option of being able to regenerate the battery to 100 percent, full EV operation may be possible.
At this point, the new additions are only rumors and have not been confirmed by Toyota Motor Corp. Only the official release date will show if these driver-friendly and extra controllability will be available for owners.
For more information, visit http://www.atlantic-toyota-huntington.com or call 888-247-0226.
[Source(s): Automobile]