We have all heard that our great planet will some day in the not too distant future, (30 years or so) run out of fossil fuels. Bad news really because unless we find an alternative power source, our cars will stop, aircraft will remain on the ground, ferries will become floating hotels destined to stay in port, and trains will become museum pieces - mind you some of them are already!
So, what are we to do? Find an alternative fuel source I suppose. Now, car manufacturers have been exploring this problem for years. And they’re are differing opinions as to the best solution. Pure electric cars are too slow, and need constant re-charging. General Motors is backing hydrogen and are already nearly there with the Zafira. It’ll take a few more years though before we see anything in mass production.
The Japanese are hard at work too. Toyota are heading the pack with the Prius (latin for ‘to go before’), a new Hybrid car powered by a combination of petrol engine and electric motor. Honda have a similar product though its not yet available in Ireland. Prius is a very high tech clever bit of engineering, as its design manages to overcome the main problems associated with pure electric cars. In simple terms, it uses a specially engineered 1.5 litre petrol engine for rapid acceleration and an electric motor in slow traffic - thereby dramatically reducing emissions while returning up to 60mpg!
Prius is about the size of the Corolla. Yet, it has the room of an Avensis. The cabin is surprisingly large with loads of leg and headroom both front and rear. The boot is also a good size. The battery for the electric motor is built into a panel between the boot and the rear seats so it takes up very little boot space. Similar to Yaris, Prius uses a centrally mounted digital display . Personally I normally prefer analogue displays in front of the driver but I must say this one grew on me over time.
Standard equipment is good with climate control, air-conditioning, electric windows, remote central locking, twin airbags, ABS and an excellent sound system. The cabin fit and finish is typically Toyota with build quality to the fore. Bright trim and soft feel fabrics complete what is a very inviting interior.
The Prius Hybrid system is a combination of a 1.5 litre petrol engine, an electric motor which also drives the front wheels, the latest nickel-metal battery and regeneration unit - all controlled by a sophisticated management computer. The clever part about the Prius is that there is no re-charging required from an external source to keep the battery going. The regeneration unit actually uses any excess power from the engine, and kinetic energy from braking and converts it into an electrical charge for the battery.
As you accelerate away from a standstill in traffic the car is completely silent - running on electric power. Press the accelerator for greater speed and the engine kicks in so smoothly that you barely notice the difference, lift-off or coast and the electric motor powers the car.
When idling at traffic lights the engine cuts out. It’s an ingenious system and it works really well. A centrally mounted TV style display shows you which unit is powering the car at any one time , It also shows the levels of battery charge.
Over my week's test I returned at best fuel consumption of 56.4mpg and at worst - driving pretty hard - of 44.8mpg. Performance is on a par with many 1.3 litre cars.
Set up with European road conditions in mind, I found Prius acquitted itself very well indeed. There is a fair degree of bodyroll in corners and despite the skinny tyres (less friction therefore aiding economy) it hangs on well in tight corners. Noise levels are commendably low, and the engine is pretty quiet unless you rev it hard.
The Prius is a super piece of engineering and full marks to Toyota Ireland for having the initiative to import it to Ireland. Sadly our government haven’t fully bitten the green bullet as they still charge hefty VRT rate (50% less than a normal car) on the Prius which costs £21,000, ex works.
It’s a fine car, easy to drive and extremely economical without being small and pokey. I believe other manufacturers may follow Toyota’s lead in the Hybrid race - but round one goes to the Prius!
May 2001
by Hugh Maguire
