A New Car Fit For This Geek

We picked up our new Toyota Prius c on Friday. The c, for city, is a new vehicle in what is becoming the Prius line of vehicles. Along with the Prius c, Toyota has produced a larger Prius v and a plugin version of the traditional Pruis.

Our little Prius is based on the Yaris hatchback chassis but has some nice lines to optimize aerodynamics and assist in the expected 53 mpg city rating. I chose the "technology" version (go figure) which is the middle tier of 3 versions available here in Canada. Drivers in the US have their choice of 4 models and from what I can tell the "technology" package is equivalent of the Prius c 3. The technology package buys me:

XM Satellite Radio;

6.1" Display Audio with Navigation;

Touch Tracer Steering Wheel Controls;

15" Aluminum Alloy Wheels;

Smart Entry System; and

Push Button Start.

I'll let you know what I'm using, what I'm not using and what I love or hate about this car in a future post however if first impressions are any indication I'll have nothing but glowing reports. With 53 mpg city and the great attention to detail that I come to love from this manufacturer, I expect that this will be a big seller for Toyota.

Thought Driven Wheelchair Demonstrated

Researchers in Japan, backed by automaker Toyota, have demonstrated a thought driven wheelchair that is said to have achieved as much as 95% accuracy rates. According to this CBC article "The system measures electrical activity in the brain through five electroencephalography (EEG) electrodes placed above the areas of the brain that handle motor movement. The sensors interpret the signals they pick up and translate them into motion." The technology, still in the developmental stage, is hoped to be useful for rehabilitation and for support of people who use the vehicles. Japan has an aging population and as the result an active robotics industry, with much support and encouragement from the government which is facing a demographic shift.

Next Gen Prius Will Have Solar Panels

According to CNETs Green Tech Blog Toyota is planning to install solar panels on the roof of the next generation, high-end, Prius Hybrid. The panels will supply at least some of the two to five kilowatts required to power the air conditioning and are reported to be supplied by Kyocera. It is expected that we will see the new Prius, a third generation of the vehicle, by next spring and the addition of a solar panel will make Toyota the first major automaker to incorporate solar-power into a mass-produced car. It will be interesting to see how the panels are incorporated into the design of the vehicle.

Pimp My Scion - Toyota's Do-It-Yourself Custom Logo's

Toyota and New York based StrawberryFrog advertising and marketing agency have come up with a unique way to promote the trendy Scion, the boxy economy car aimed at younger, stylish drivers. A website called Scion Speak has been developed that gives Scion owners, and everyone else, the tools to create their own customized crest or coat of arms that can then be downloaded and turned into a window decal or custom paint job, at your own expense of course. “These guys love to personalize their cars, and we give them a tool to do that,” said Kevin McKeon, the executive creative director of StrawberryFrog in New York. I've tried the site and it works beautifully, it's obviously not geared towards my generation (and it hurts to say that) but I can appreciate the art just the same. My crest is an alley cat over a two tone shield, with a circuit board for wings, and a power button! More at the New York Times.

Concept cars on display at Tokyo Auto Show

The fun in the big car shows is the concepts that often never make the production line but sometimes the innovations will. The most interesting of these shows has always been the Tokyo show, at least in my mind! The Globe and Mail has a great photo slide show of a number of the new concepts on display and it's apparent that small and green are big themes. I'm particularly fond of Toyota's new hybrid urban truck 'Hi-CT.' and the Nissan Skyline GT-R! Daimler's subsidiary Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus has an interesting hybrid light-duty dump truck, not sure who the target market is for this but it's kinda cool.

Toyota successfully tests next gen fuel-cell vehicle

Toyota took two fuel-cell powered vehicles for on a road trip from Osaka to Tokyo on Friday. The vehicles arrived in Tokyo with about 30% of it's fuel remaining after the 560 km trip, this represents a total capacity of about 770 km between fill-ups, and about 25% more efficiency than current models. The CBC's report says "Fuel-cell cars are widely viewed as the most promising pollution-free vehicles for the future because they are powered by electricity generated through the chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen and emit only water as a byproduct." I am a big believer in the move towards greener devices, but living in a northern climate, I wonder how well these vehicles perform in cold weather?

Toyota and Sony team up to develop robot cars?

Toyota and Sony have announced that they are teaming up to produce an innovative, intelligent, single-seat vehicle. Sony is apparently selling some of its technology and loaning researchers to Toyota to assist in the project. Sounds a little like a one seat Smart Car, but I think the most interesting part of the deal is represented in this quote, from The Globe and Mail, "Toyota is introducing as a guide at its showroom at headquarters TPR-Robina, a womanlike robot-on-wheels it has developed. The robot can dodge obstacles, sign its name, carry on simple conversations in Japanese and deliver preprogrammed information in an electronic voice..."

New hybrid from Toyota in 2009

According to this CNet article, citing the Nikkei Financial Daily, Toyota has a new hybrid in the works to follow on the success of the Prius and other hybrid models that see Toyota owning 90% of the market share. The new vehicle will posses a snappy 2 to 3 litre engine as compared to the 1.5 litre Prius. The company is aiming for sales of 100,000 units.

Mileage hackers going that extra mile

With the push towards being more eco-friendly and the increasing popularity of hybrid vehicles comes a new breed of drivers who are intent upon squeezing every last drop out of their gas tanks. The so called mileage hackers are resorting to all sorts of measure to take green to the extreme. The Globe and Mail has an interesting story about modifying hybrids such as the Toyota Prius and altering drivers mindsets, all measures that contribute to achieving amazing gas mileages of 70 to in excess of 700 miles per gallon. While I applaud the effort of these environmentally friendly evangelist, many of the measures are unrealistic for most of us. I personally considered the Prius in 2005 when I made my most recent new car decision but opted for the slightly less efficient Corolla, however I believe today's models are further apart in their fuel ratings. At the time I could not justify the cost of the vehicle vs. the gasoline savings over the life of the car. Yes, it would have been a small win for the planet but at least I didn't go for the Hummer. It is probably more realistic to think that we can all do the small things like checking tire pressure regularly and adjusting our speeds rather than paying $50,000 for a tricked out hybrid with solar panels. Unless there are a few sponsors out there willing to cough up some cash in return for splashing their logo on a pimped out green machine, I'll be working on easing the foot of the peddle in order to do my part. Kudos though to those who can afford to push their rides to the limit, perhaps some of these hacks will make it into future assembly line models.