Power each-way bet

By ALASTAIR SLOANE motoring editor

Warehouse chain founder Stephen Tindall is among high-profile New Zealanders swapping conventional family sedans for the petrol-electric Toyota Prius.

The multi-millionaire businessman bought one of the 20 Prius hybrids Toyota New Zealand launched last month through three exclusive dealerships. He is using it daily in Auckland.

TNZ is limited to 20 vehicles until early next year because of demand for the "green" car in bigger overseas markets.

It expects to sell that number here each month once supply from the factory in Japan frees up.

The Prius uses a conventional petrol engine and an electric motor. The electric motor runs the car at slow speeds; the petrol engine runs it at higher speeds.

Exhaust emissions, says Toyota, are nearly 90 per cent less than those from a similar size car powered by a conventional petrol engine. Fuel consumption is about 5litres/100km, or 56mpg.

TNZ has been swamped by inquiries about the sedan it says will play a pivotal role in the transition to sustainable motoring.

Waitakere City Mayor Bob Harvey will trial the Prius over the next month. The Auckland Regional Council is also looking at testing it. Energy Minister Pete Hodgson is already sold on its hybrid drive system and has ordered one.

A businessman set to pay cash and drive away in the only Prius in an Auckland showroom was told he had to join the queue and wait until next March, when more would be available.

The hybrid five-seater, one of many petrol/electric vehicles in Toyota's future, is priced at $43,500.

It is the second-generation model, more powerful and better equipped than the original, which has sold more than 120,000 worldwide since it appeared in Japan in 1997.

The Prius' Hybrid Synergy Drive system consists of a 16-valve 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor/generator mated to a five-speed automatic gearbox.

The car runs on either its engine, its electric motor, or a combination of both.

The ratio of power required from each system is monitored, depending on speed and load, to keep the car in its most efficient mode.

At low speeds it uses its electric motor, like a golf cart. At traffic lights, for example, the engine cuts out and restarts when the driver presses the accelerator to move off.

Under load, or at higher speeds, the engine takes over. The system recharges during the drive.

Toyota says it has raised the voltage of the hybrid system and improved the battery to give the new model the power of a conventional 2.4-litre engine.

The 1.5-litre petrol engine produces 57kW at 5000rpm and 115Nm of torque at 4000rpm. The electric motor generates a further 50kW between 1200-1540rpm and 400Nm up to 1200rpm.