Have you been looking forward to the option of leasing a plug-in Toyota hybrid? If so, your dream may become a reality sooner than you think!
Toyota announced earlier this month that it was going to start leasing plug-in hybrid vehicles by the end of 2009. The leases would be available in the United States, Europe and Japan. The United States and Europe would receive 150 of these units each and Japan would get 200 of the plug-in units which will all be mostly used for special government-endorsed programs.
The plug-in batteries for these Toyota cars will be lithium-ion. This is the first time Toyota will use this type of battery which has already proven successful in gadgets like laptops and cell phones. The lithium-ion batteries produce more energy and they are more efficient, but the engineers at Toyota had to overcome some technological hurdles before these batteries could be used.
When these models become available, you will be able to recharge the battery using a normal household outlet. If the electricity runs out while you are on the road, the car will run on the fuel supply just like a normal hybrid so you will never be stranded (unless, of course, you run empty on fuel, too).
So get ready for the plug-in revolution. It’s coming fast!