The Toyota Prius

Sustainable development is defined as “planning new development such that it makes maximum use of brown field sites, encourages the use of public transport, discourages the use of the private car, and minimises the impact on air quality and the local environment...” With this definition in mind Honda, Toyota and even Lexus have created noteworthy hybrid cars.

For this coursework I have decided to focus on the Toyota Prius. This is mainly due to the ever increasing fears of global warming from CO2 emissions. The Prius is a hybrid car which means it combines an electric motor with an efficient petrol internal combustion engine. Traditional engines are highly inefficient at low speeds, so the electric motor provides most of the power at low speeds and a sophisticated computer turns on the gas engine only when it is needed and can operate more efficiently. At certain times, such as when a vehicle is slowing or going downhill, the energy from braking is used to recharge the battery. Hybrids never need to be plugged in. In short, hybrid cars marry the best of both technologies to maximize fuel efficiency, while remaining practical.

The Prius directly reduces the amount of petrol consumed, resulting in a direct reduction in the amount of carbon dioxide (the main contributor to global warming) and other pollutants produced by the vehicle. For example the Prius will emit about 1/3 as much CO2 over its lifetime as a large conventional sedan. The Bush administration has reported that even though they are capable of running on E85, flexifuels (flexible fuel vehicles) actually run on petrol 99% of time. Hybrids are necessary at present as the fossil fuels we are using are not sustainable and will soon run out.

At the moment Prius drivers in London are exempt from paying the congestion charge and in Westminster they qualify for free parking in West London.

I find this topic relevant as I currently drive a car and so do my friends, which are not environmentally friendly. I am a huge fan of all forms of vehicles and researching hybrids is more than interesting. I hope to learn enough about the Toyota Prius through this unit to encourage my friends and family to purchase one.

To further research the hybrid I plan to;
• Use quantative methods such as questionnaires to see how much people know about hybrids
• Email a Toyota dealership
• Use the internet; i.e. Wikipedia and the Toyota homepage.