Toyota plug-in hybrid to hit the roads
Toyota Motor Corp. announced that it had taken a step closer to launching its plug-in hybrid vehicle powered by a gasoline engine and an electric motor-the first of its kind to get a roadworthiness certificate in Japan.
Toyota said in a statement that it plans to conduct tests on public roads in Japan as well as the United States and Europe. Unlike conventional hybrids which have batteries that cannot be recharged, the plug-in vehicles have batteries that can be recharged using household electricity, enabling more frequent use of the electric-only mode that saves on petrol and cuts emissions, according to the automaker. Toyota added that although challenges such as a limited cruising range and cost issues remain for pure electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids are a "promising technology" for harnessing electricity as a power source for automobiles.
Toyota, the auto maker that pioneered mass production of the low pollution petrol-electric vehicles a decade ago along with Japanese rival Honda, sold more than one million of its vehicles since, is battling General Motors for the title of world’s number one.
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