Vehicle : Toyota Prius
Drive Cycle : US Urban/Highway
Duration : 2 weeks
Type : Electric Hybrid Vehicle
Specification :
Engine : Toyota Hybrid System
Gasoline Engine : 1.8L dual VVTi
Electric Motor : 80 Hp
Transmission : 1 speed Planetary Gear box
I have been interested in Hybrid vehicle for quite some time. I enjoyed the fun of building a small hybrid "go-cart" model car during my engineering days. It was an amazing experience building a car with a hybrid concept. This was one of the strong reason why i rented this car for my regular usage
I should accept the fact that i was immensely satisfied when i took the hybrid car key in my hand. one of the many myths that it requires a special skill to drive a hybrid vehicle , oh its completely false. But i should accept the fact that the user guide is always handy. One would be surprised that there is no ignition key , i was struggling for few minutes finally to release i should "plug" the key rather than turning them "on". Even after plugging the gasoline engine is not switched on , don't worry its electric hybrid.
Prius main concept is internal combustion engine is allowed to run only when engine is at an efficient speed and load. So when you start prius it initially runs of electric motor for a speed say 15 mph, and the engine then starts after certain speed is passed.
The power flows for each unit is wonderfully displayed on the dash board which is pretty interactive and keep the driver engaged
Prius uses the planetary gear box arrangement for transmitting power from both the engine and motor. The same system is also used to drive the generator (Motor) during the regenerative braking, which charges the battery
Unlike other gasoline engines which work on otto cycle Toyota hybrid works on modified Atkinson cycle. lets see this sometime later in other blogs.
So why do we need this technically complicated vehicle , is it eco friendly ? is it fuel efficient ? is it quieter ? the answer is yes yes yes yes and Yes !!! it has an amazing fuel efficeny and is definitely the most fuel efficient vehcile currently in us. during my drive i could easily achieve 49 mpg. the best part is the you can see the same in dash board too , its interactive isnt this cool ?
Okies lets forget the technical part of the vehicle , lets come to utility of the vehicle . i was surprised to see such a huge boot space for this toy looking car. I did take my friend out for picking grocery , the boot was big enough to hold 2 months of whole grocery what do you need above this ????.
The car also has a small LCD display to assist the driver during reverse. The small camera fitted in ID plate displays the image in screen front of the driver
The 3rd generation prius is much more intelligent and its much more improved , it has an option of solar roof for charging batteries and also has parking assistance t. Its also has an amazing crash prevention.
Its not only a car but also a wonderful toy.
Finally the car isn't for the aderline rush but yes it quieter, its efficient, its eco friendly and its the best of its kind . Do not forget its in fact from Toyota the quality you can trust.
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