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Hybrid Rentals | |||
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The Toyota Prius Hybrid is a series-parallel configuration hybrid, a vehicle that can run on just the engine, just the batteries, or a combination of both. Toyota's design goals are to reduce the amount of pollution and to maximize fuel efficiency. To do this, it uses a gasoline/electric hybrid powertrain, incorporating large batteries that are charged by the gas (petrol) engine directly or by regenerative braking. Either the engine or the battery (or both) can power the vehicle, depending on conditions. This gives it the acceleration and power of a standard car having a much larger gasoline-burning engine. The Toyota Prius is a hybrid electric vehicle developed and manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation, and one of the first such vehicles to be mass-produced and marketed. The Prius first went on sale in Japan in 1997, and worldwide in 2001. By the end of 2003, nearly 160,000 units had been produced for sale in Japan, Europe, and North America. The Prius has won several awards, including the Car of the Year Japan (1997-98), the North American Car of the Year (2004), and the European Car of the Year (2005). Under the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) recently revised testing procedures, the 2007 Prius is the most fuel efficient car sold in the U.S.,[1] with a combined city and highway fuel economy of 46 mpg–U.S. (5.11 L/100 km / 55.2 mpg–imp)[2] |
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