2 2004 Prius

The Prius 2004 model year is a complete redesign of the previous generations of Prius. The first generation (1997–2003) Prius was based on the compact Echo and could not run its air conditioning unless the motor was running. In contrast, the 2004 model is specifically designed for this application and uses an all electric heat pump for heating and cooling. This allows more extensive use of the "stealth" mode (operation on electric motor only).

The new drag coefficient of 0.26 is the lowest in the industry.

The new (third generation) Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) replaces the earlier Toyota Hybrid System (THS) technology.

The new 2004 Prius is a midsize car with more room than the previous compact and is a five door model (4 doors plus a rear hatch). In general the car is conveniently narrow on the outside, rather flat sided, and relatively tall (several inches taller than a Camry). The profile is much more continuous, with a short sloping nose transitioning to a highly sloped windshield and an arcing roofline ending in a cut-off Kammbak . The additional height allows a more erect seating position and a higher eye point, giving a better view of the road to the driver. There is also a surprising amount of rear seat leg room, resembling that available in a much larger vehicle. Fold down rear seats with a 60/40 split make for easy carriage of most parcels.

With a smaller but higher voltage NiMH battery the new model is more powerful (2 seconds faster in 0 to 96 km/h acceleration) and is 15% more fuel efficient than the previous generation Prius, with 59 mpg city and 51 mpg highway (according to the EPA). As the EPA city test is more consistent with downtown Manhattan then it is with most suburban driving, your milage may vary. When driven appropriately, commuting and mixed suburban drivers are reporting realistic milages of 45 to 50 mpg. See also [1]

The display shows mileage bars for each five minute segment of driving and this can encourage economical driving. It would be useful to have these even in gas guzzlers as they increase a driver's awareness of the effect of technique on mileage. The display also indicates instantaneous milage, which is useful for detecting when the vehicle has switched from electric-only to electric plus ICE. At this time it can usually be advantageous to accelerate rather than lug the vehicle, in an attempt to get to a more favorable location or speed range for electric-only mode.

The vehicle is classified as a SULEV (Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle), 90% cleaner than conventional gasoline-only automobiles. It comes with an Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (AT- PZEV) certification by CARB (California Air Resources Board).

As an interesting side note, a $2,200 option package offered in Japan for the 2004 model gives it the ability to perform parallel parking by the on-board computer. Eighty percent of the Prius buyers in Japan have chosen this option. The system is not intelligent, though, so it is very limited. [2]

When the vehicle is started it will operate for seven seconds before starting the engine. This can allow you to remove the vehicle from a garage before starting and so reduce the pollution in the house. Unfortunately it is much too quick to start the engine in most cases, as in some locations a complete downslope trip could be made without starting the ICE engine - actually putting energy into the battery. The Japanese and European version of this vehicle provide a button that maintains stealth mode after startup under most low load conditions. The US model does not provide this button although it is supported internally by the computer. It is likely that this has not been included in the interest of retaining the warranted battery life, for misuse of the button could certainly shorten that. As the battery is an integral part of the drivetrain, and that is warranted for low smog performance, up to 150,000 miles in California, these could be good reasons for not providing the button.

A driving trick: Often you will pull up at a stop light that has just changed. In some suburban areas this may entail a wait of several minutes, as the lights cycle through various simultaneous or sequential left turns, cross traffic, pedestrians, etc. If the gasoline engine is running when you approached the stop it will take the better part of a minute before the computer recognizes the situation and shuts off the engine. There is a trick to getting the engine to shut off promptly. If you approached the stop in B (energy recovery braking), you may then when stopped with the brake on, command N (neutral), then D (drive) - the engine will stop immediately - at least in 2004 US versions.

Passengers of the Prius can use their Bluetooth-enabled cellphone via the car's audio system without taking the phone out of their pocket. It is the first car released with this feature.

3 Notable facts

• Car of the Year 2005 (Toyota Prius 2nd generation with 406 points, ahead of Citroen C4 with 267 points and Ford Focus II with 228)
• Drivers of the Toyota Prius, or other Hybrid-Engine automobiles are allowed to drive by themselves in Carpool (High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes in some US states such as Virginia, California (pending) and Florida (requires $5 per year decal).
• Due to the success of both the engineering and sales of the Prius, Toyota is currently planning a hybrid V-6 engine for the Lexus RX400h, as well as a hybrid engine version of the Highlander.
• Toyota is also actively developing a hydrogen-fuel-cell engine. They have already successfully developed a RAV4 that can achieve 900 miles (1450 km) on one tank of hydrogen.
• The fuel tank holds 11.9 gallons (45 L), giving a range of up to 600 miles (1,000 km).
• In August 2004, Toyota began a Special Service Campaign (SSC 40G), affecting most Prius cars manufactured between 2001 and mid-2003. This repair involves re-sealing terminals on the high-voltage battery to avoid minor electrolyte leakage. Repairs will be performed free of charge on affected automobiles.

4 Sales

• Starting with the 2004 model, Toyota is now producing the Prius on a standard mass production assembly line, resulting in one being produced every minute instead of one every 8 to 10 minutes. The use of a standard assembly line has dropped the manufacturing cost significantly, allowing Toyota to deliver a substantially upgraded model, which in turn has generated publicity and popularity. The limiting factor in Prius (and Lexus RX400h) production now appears to be third party component availability, particularly batteries.
• Toyota will increase production by an additional 50% for 2005, now producing 15,000 cars per month, and will import 100,000 into the United States for that model year.
• In June 2004, the Wall Street Journal reported that the backlog for 2004 Prius has reached 22,000 in the US.
• As of April 2004, the expected delivery time for Prius in the Netherlands is one year.
• As of March 2004, the waiting list at a Sonoma County, California dealership was over 100 people long.
• As of February 16, 2004, Toyota USA is not taking new internet orders for the 2004 Prius.
• As of December 14, 2003, the waiting time in Dallas, Texas, USA, was 6 months.
• The battery pack of the 2004 Prius is guaranteed for 100,000 miles (160,000 km) or 8 years, although Toyota has stated that they expect it to last 15 years. The warranty is extended to 150,000 miles (240,000 km) or 10 years for Prius in California and several other states that adopted the Californian emission control standards.

5 Other hybrid-engine vehicles

• Honda Civic Hybrid, another car which works similarly, but never runs exclusively on electricity.
• Honda Insight, a 2 seater hybrid car which the EPA claims gets 60 miles per US gallon in the city, 66 mpg highway (3.92 litres per 100 km city, 3.56 L/100km highway ), also cannot be driven without the gasoline engine.
• 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid, a hybrid based on the popular Accord Sedan; cannot be driven without the gasoline engine.
• Ford Motor Company has released the hybrid engine version of the 2005 Ford Escape SUV. Because the Ford system is very similar to Toyota’s, Toyota and Ford have entered into a licensing agreement in March 2004 allowing Ford to use technology that had been patented by Toyota.
• The 2007 Nissan Altima will be avaliable as a hybrid vehicle, using the hybrid technolgy Toyota pioneered. While this may seem unusual due to the two companies status as rivals, both companies will actually benefit because Toyota will receive more return on investment while Nissan will gain hybrid technology without developing it itself.

6 See also

• Toyota
• Hybrid car

7 External links

• BBC: Prius not just a car - it is a phenomenon
• Official Prius web site
• Toyota's paper on how the 2004 Prius is different from earlier models (in PDF)
• discussion on Prius at Graham's web site
• Information, tips, and photos about Prius at John's web site
• Yahoo! Groups about the Prius
• California Air Resources Board
• Automotive Industries article
• PriusChat.com — forums
• Mr. Kash's Prius Page — Many links to Prius news stories and reviews.

Prius Hybrid vehicles Front wheel drive vehicles

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