Toyota plug-in hybrid

In a full-throttle commitment to go green and go big, Toyota has announced plans to release a plugin hybrid car by 2010. We feel that this move will reinforce Toyota as the true market leader in green technology and actually lead to a fundamental shift in the industry.

At RideLust, our view is that plug-in hybrids are the most likely green technology to quick, pervasive adoption. Why? Because they allow you to depend on electric 100% electric power for your daily commute, but provide long-distance range for the occasional family vacation.

Unlike pure electric vehicles like the Tesla Roadster, plug-in hybrids, such as the one coming from Toyota, don’t limit the distance you drive to 200 miles per charge and require a 3 hour downtime while you charge the vehicle up.

Rather, plug-in vehicles use the batteries in the vehicle for the first X number of miles and then convert over to a liquid fuel, drastically increasing your range and always enabling you to simply fuel up, rather than requiring a charge up in the middle of a trip.

The Toyota plugin hybrid will feature lithium-ion batteries produced by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.