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Hybrid Synergy DriveTHS inverter unit (from NHW11)Electric power steeringA battery module used on the PriusEnergy Monitor on the 2005 Prius Multi-Function Display (MFD), showing energy flow to/from the engine, battery, and from the regenerative braking, as well as battery charge level. Energy screen on the 2003 PriusPrius redirects here. For the Japanese personal computer, see Hitachi Flora Prius.The Toyota Prius is the world's first commercially mass-produced and marketed hybrid automobile, manufactured by Toyota. It entered sale in Japan in 1997, and in the worldwide market in 2001. By the end of 2003, nearly 160,000 units had been produced for sale in Japan, Europe, and North America. In Latin, prius means "before" or "first". Receive special member offers when you enroll. The Prius (2000 to 2003 model years) is certified as a Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). With the 2004 model, the Prius was redesigned as a midsize hatchback, and certified as an Advanced Technology Partial zero-emissions vehicle (AT-PZEV). For North America, it used to slot between the Echo and Corolla in the lineup, but now slots beween the Corolla and Camry since the second generation of this vehicle was released.
Prius has won numerous awards including Car of the Year awards for Europe, Japan and North America. See the Award section.
The Prius has been called a true hybrid vehicle, designed from the bottom up. Toyota's goal for the Prius was to reduce the amount of pollutants it produced and to be as energy-efficient as possible. Save between 15-30 % by choosing an Independent Car Rental Agency. They used several methods to try to achieve this goal, including:
More efficient use of the internal combustion engine (ICE), reducing gasoline consumption. The 1NZ-FXE engine uses the more efficient Atkinson cycle instead of the more common Otto cycle;Two electric motor/generators, providing 50 kW (67 hp) @ 1,200 to 1,540 rpm and 400 N·m (295 ft·lbf) torque from 0 to 1,200 rpm, which significantly contribute to performance & economy;50 kW IGBT inverter controlled by a 32 bit microprocessor, which efficiently converts power between the batteries and the motor/generators. Lower coefficient of drag at 0. 26 (0. 29 for 2000 model), reducing air resistance especially at higher speeds;Lower rolling-resistance tires on the 2000 model, reducing road friction;Regenerative braking, a process for recovering kinetic energy when braking or traveling down a slope and storing it as electrical energy in the traction battery for later use while reducing wear and tear on the brake pads;Sealed 168 cell nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery providing 201. 6 volts;Continuously variable transmission — the Prius does not use a typical CVT; Toyota calls it the Power Split Device. The electric motors and gas engine are connected to a planetary gear set which is always engaged, and there is no shifting. Orbitz offers tips on getting a cheap car rental and discounts on car rentals. Flexible resin gas tank, reducing the amount of hydrocarbon emissions in the form of escaped gasoline vapor;Vacuum flask coolant storage system that stores hot engine coolant, then reuses it to reduce warm-up time. Weight reduction — for example the hatch and hood are made of aluminium instead of steel.Touted advantages of the Prius over previous energy-efficient designs include never needing to be plugged in, as all energy ultimately comes from the gasoline engine. This means it drives like a traditional ICE automobile, with the onboard computer taking care of shifting power to and from the engine and motors, and automatically determining when to charge the battery, as well as the most efficient use of the engine or the electric motors (or both) based on driving conditions. This also means that one cannot use electricity from external sources; some consider this to be a serious disadvantage. The Prius recovers energy that would be otherwise wasted: when braking, the car's kinetic energy is partly recovered to recharge the battery instead of being wasted as heat. This also reduces brake wear. Make Your Reservation with Dollar & Save - Always Low Rates Online!.
The engine can shut down once it has warmed up and the catalytic converter in the exhaust system has reached operating temperature. The Prius can then be driven on electric power only; this is sometimes referred to as "stealth mode" due to the lack of engine noise. This further reduces gasoline consumption and wear and tear on the engine. When driving conditions demand additional power from the engine, it starts up automatically.
The on-board computer ensures that the engine runs under the most efficient conditions. Typically, a gasoline engine runs inefficiently when throttle is half-open, creating a choking operation conditions. This effect, called pumping loss, is a major reason for the inefficiency of gasoline engines compared to diesel engines. Save more on aiport car rentals deals. The Prius minimizes the pumping loss by running the gasoline engine at high torque range with throttle fully open. Drive-by-wire technology and CVT are essential in this engine control.
As well as the immediate benefit of reducing fuel consumption and emissions, stopping the engine also improves the performance of the catalytic converter, as in a normal vehicle the exhaust gases from an idling engine tend to cool the catalysts below their optimal temperature.
Unlike in conventional automobiles, frequent starting up and shutting down of the engine causes neither additional wear and tear nor emission problems, because the drive motors have enough power to quickly and smoothly spin the engine to optimal rpm (around 1,000) before the engine actually begins to "fire up". This avoids wear when the engine is "running" (with fuel and spark) at very low rpm, as happens in most vehicles.
For any car, aerodynamic losses due to drag are much greater on the highway than in low speed city driving. A non-hybrid car nonetheless gets worse mileage in city driving because its engine is far less efficient at low power, such as when stopped in traffic, and because it must frequently dump its kinetic energy into the brakes during stop-and-go driving. Advantage Rent-A-Car car rentals, discount rental cars, cheap car rentals. The Prius gets better fuel efficiency in the city because the engine can shut down instead of running at low power, and run solely off the battery at low speeds and when stopped. Also, the car's kinetic energy can be captured when braking, and stored in the battery. According to EPA tests [1], the 2004-2006 Prius gets 60 mpg in the city, compared with 51 on the highway, and Natural Resources Canada estimates 58. 8 mpg (4. 0 L/100 km) in the city and 56. 0 (4. 2 L/100 km) on the highway. Low prices on rental cars. [2] This means the greatest advantages of a hybrid are mainly in city driving, though factors including driving style, air conditioning use, and short trips may offset some of this advantage. The hybrid has less of an advantage in highway driving, but it can still use a smaller and more efficient engine than would otherwise be required because the battery and electric motor can provide the extra peak power needed for passing and hill climbing.
The Prius 2004 model was a complete redesign of the previous generations of Prius. The new model is based on the new (second generation) Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD or also known as THSII), replacing the earlier Toyota Hybrid System (THS) technology. The first generation (1997 to 2003) could not run its air conditioning unless the engine was running. In contrast, the 2004 model introduced an all-electric compressor for cooling. This not only allowed the use of air conditioning without the engine running when the car is complete still, it also allowed more extensive use of the "stealth mode" (operation on electric motor only). For our lowest rates and best deals on car rental reserve your car online at Avis.
The drag coefficient of 0. 26 was now the second-lowest in the industry, after the smaller Honda Insight at 0. 25.
Regenerative braking was greatly improved, relying so little upon the friction-type brakes (except for panic stops) that some Toyota technicians quipped that the original brake pads might well last for the life of the car.
The 2004 Prius emerged as a midsize car with more room than the previous compact, redesigned as a "five-door" model (four doors plus a rear hatch). In general the car remained conveniently narrow on the outside, rather flat sided, and relatively tall (several inches taller than a Camry). The profile was much more continuous, with a short sloping nose transitioning to a highly sloped windshield and an arcing roofline ending in a cut-off Kammback. In addition to a great selection of discounted rental cars, Advantage offers a fantastic variety of programs and services. The additional height allowed a more erect seating position and a higher eye point, giving a better view of the road to the driver. There was also a surprising amount of additional rear-seat leg room, resembling that available in a much larger vehicle. Fold down rear seats with a 60/40 split made for easy carriage of most parcels.
With a smaller and lower voltage NiMH battery and a boost converter to step the voltage up to 500 V, the 2004 model was more powerful (2 seconds faster in 0 to 96 km/h acceleration) and is 15% more fuel efficient than the previous generation Prius, with 60 miles per US gallon (4. 3 L/100 km) city and 51 miles per US gallon (4. 7 L/100 km) highway (according to the EPA) [3]. When driven appropriately, commuting and mixed suburban drivers are reporting fuel consumption of 45 to 50 miles per US gallon (5. com. 2 to 4. 7 L/100 km). See also [4]
The multi-function-display (MFD) shows fuel consumption bars for each five minute segment of driving and this can encourage economical driving. The display also indicates instantaneous fuel consumption, which is useful for detecting when the vehicle has switched from electric-only to electric + ICE. At this time it can usually be advantageous to accelerate quickly rather than lug the vehicle, in an attempt to get to a more favorable location or speed range for electric-only mode.
A Smart Key System (SKS) option eliminates the traditional ignition key.
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