Frankfurt Motor Show: 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)

Toyota has officially unveiled the production version of the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. The flagship model in the Prius range and the “most technically advanced Prius yet”, the Prius PHEV will be sold in Europe, the U.S. and Japan in 2012, with other countries to follow suit.

Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive system remains in use, but employs a more compact lithium-ion battery pack, in place of the standard Toyota Prius' nickel-metal hydride battery pack, that is rechargeable via an electrical connection; a full recharge takes 1.5 hours with a 220-volt connection. Once the 4.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack is depleted, the Toyota Prius PHEV switches from Electric Vehicle (EV) to Hybrid Vehicle (HV) mode seamlessly. The third available driving mode is the EV-City mode.

With 136 hp on tap, the Toyota Prius PHEV completes the 0-100 km/h dash in 10.7 seconds and reaches a maximum of 180 km/h. More importantly, the official fuel economy is rated at 45 km/litre, and carbon emissions at 49 grams/km, compared with the standard Prius' at 38 km/litre and 89 grams/km. In both EV and EV-City modes, the Prius PHEV can be driven for 23 km at speeds up to 85 km/h using electricity alone. Enjoy the live photos of the 2012 Toyota Prius PHEV in Frankfurt!