Toyota Motor Corp., which recently posted its first financial loss in decades, said U.S. consumer demand for plug-in hybrids may be limited by the vehicles' price, recharge time and battery durability - nevermind their popularity with President Obama.
Toyota estimates sales of hybrids that can be recharged at household outlets may be 50,000 vehicles a year at most and could be as few as 3,500, Bill Reinert, the automaker's U.S. national manager for advanced technology, told a National Academy of Sciences panel in Washington, D.C., Monday.
Sales of Toyota's Prius - the best-selling gasoline-electric hybrid on the road, and a vehicle Reinert helped design - were almost 159,000 last year.
A market for the plug-in hybrid electric vehicles "will emerge, but their success depends on advantages over existing hybrids," Reinert said. "There is a great deal of variation on how current PHEVs perform in real-world conditions."
Interest in plug-ins surged after gasoline prices reached record highs last year and Obama campaigned on a goal of getting 1 million such vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015. The Energy Department has said it plans to begin awarding a portion of $25 billion in low-cost federal loans to companies that build plug-ins and other fuel-efficient vehicles at U.S. factories.
Toyota hasn't announced plans to sell plug-in hybrids to consumers. Honda Motor Co. said last month it's studying plug-ins, and as yet has no plan for consumer sales.
The companies estimate lithium-ion batteries needed for plug-ins may add at least $5,000 to $10,000 to the vehicle price.
Toyota also cited recent studies by Duke University and Carnegie Mellon University showing plug-ins may provide only limited reduction of greenhouse gases compared with current hybrids such as the Prius that don't need to be plugged in.
General Motors Corp., which is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, has committed about $1 billion to
develop the rechargeable Chevrolet Volt hybrid. The Detroit automaker is banking on it to leapfrog the Prius despite the fact that it'll likely retail for $15,000 over the price of a Prius when it goes on sale late next year.
Source: Green Car Advisor
Toyota estimates sales of hybrids that can be recharged at household outlets may be 50,000 vehicles a year at most and could be as few as 3,500, Bill Reinert, the automaker's U.S. national manager for advanced technology, told a National Academy of Sciences panel in Washington, D.C., Monday.
Sales of Toyota's Prius - the best-selling gasoline-electric hybrid on the road, and a vehicle Reinert helped design - were almost 159,000 last year.
A market for the plug-in hybrid electric vehicles "will emerge, but their success depends on advantages over existing hybrids," Reinert said. "There is a great deal of variation on how current PHEVs perform in real-world conditions."
Interest in plug-ins surged after gasoline prices reached record highs last year and Obama campaigned on a goal of getting 1 million such vehicles on U.S. roads by 2015. The Energy Department has said it plans to begin awarding a portion of $25 billion in low-cost federal loans to companies that build plug-ins and other fuel-efficient vehicles at U.S. factories.
Toyota hasn't announced plans to sell plug-in hybrids to consumers. Honda Motor Co. said last month it's studying plug-ins, and as yet has no plan for consumer sales.
The companies estimate lithium-ion batteries needed for plug-ins may add at least $5,000 to $10,000 to the vehicle price.
Toyota also cited recent studies by Duke University and Carnegie Mellon University showing plug-ins may provide only limited reduction of greenhouse gases compared with current hybrids such as the Prius that don't need to be plugged in.
General Motors Corp., which is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, has committed about $1 billion to
develop the rechargeable Chevrolet Volt hybrid. The Detroit automaker is banking on it to leapfrog the Prius despite the fact that it'll likely retail for $15,000 over the price of a Prius when it goes on sale late next year.
Source: Green Car Advisor
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