Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
The car I'M putting a surfboard on top of my car at Diamond Head where a half-dozen confused surfers are staring at the vehicle. "What is it?" one asks.
of the future
has arrived
And it doesn't run
on gas aloneBy Tim Ryan
Star-Bulletin"Is that a TV screen on the dashboard?," inquires another.
"What's that funny stick near the steering wheel?"
"Where do you plug it in?," asks a guy who's at least figured out the vehicle is part electric.
What it is, is the Toyota Prius -- pronounced "pree-us" -- a hybrid that can run on electricity, gasoline or both, switching modes without the driver's help.
Servco Pacific Inc., loaned me the car for six days to test what it can do.
The Prius is not a science project, or a prototype. It's a car that might not even be recognized as a hybrid if it weren't for some space-age screens on the dashboard.
There is only one model of Prius available, costing about $21,000. It was comfortable, drivable and performed as well as a conventional compact sedan.
The Prius blends a 1.5-liter gasoline engine and an electric motor that doubles as a generator. Both engines are capable of propelling the car, individually or in tandem.It seats five comfortably and the roof line is high enough, even for me, at 6-feet-2, to have several inches between the top of my head and the roof.
Although the Prius is about 6 inches shorter than a Toyota Corolla, it looks bigger because the roofline is 3 1/2 inches taller than a Camry. It comes with electric locks, windows and outside mirrors, an automatic transmission, and an AM-FM radio/cassette player that can be upgraded to a CD unit.
At first it seems odd that the Prius gets better mileage in town, 52 miles per gallon, than on the highway, 45 mpg. That's because much in-town driving is either powered by entirely by the 44-horsepower electric motor or shared with the gas engine.
The combined mileage rating is 48 mpg, although in my 400 miles of driving to the windward side, North Shore, East Oahu and all over downtown, I averaged 39.6 mpg.
Here's how the Prius works: Turn the key and the car springs to life. The gasoline engine doesn't start unless the electric unit needs charging. If the gasoline engine does go on for charging purposes, it doesn't respond to pedal pressure but continues to charge the batteries.
The reason is because there's no physical connection between the foot pedal and the gasoline engine. The gasoline flow is governed by computers that decide which system should be doing what and when. The switch from electric to gas propulsion is mostly unnoticeable, as is the continuously variable automatic transmission.
When the driver needs extra speed, the computer puts the electric motor to work, adding its thrust to gasoline engine. Drivers can go zero to 60 mph in about 12 seconds; top speed is 105 mph.Any time the gasoline engine is propelling the car, it's also recharging the batteries. There also are generators mounted on the wheels so that at least some of the energy that goes into braking is recaptured by the battery. It's called regenerative braking.
The Prius sports a 3-by-6-inch screen -- Toyota calls it multi-information display panel -- in the middle of the dash. It's not a TV but a video monitor, operated by touch, that allows you to track how the batteries are doing.
Touch the label "Consumption" on the screen and you'll see the mileage you're getting. The screen also displays the outside temperature.
There's no instrument panel in front of the driver on the Prius. The speedometer and odometer are at the base of the windshield in the center of the dash. And that odd lever sticking out of the dashboard on the right side of the steering wheel is the transmission shifter.
Unlike other electric cars, the Prius never ever has to be plugged in. Just put gasoline in it like any other car on the road.
The gas engine and brakes are constantly recharging the three batteries -- guaranteed for eight years or 100,000 miles.
The Prius may not be cheap for a compact but it's a good solution for people who want to be environmentally responsible, and for commuters who want to save money on fuel. Only 30 of the cars will be available in Hawaii through the end of the year, a Toyota official said.
Click for online
calendars and events.
