Toyota Prius Plug-In Could See a Bump in EV Range to 35 Miles

Toyota Prius Plug-in (Credit: Toyota)

As it stands today, the Prius Plug in is a gross disappointment. Not only is it very underpowered, but it also pulls up the rear among all plug-in vehicles in EV range at just 11 miles. According to Green Car Reports, the next-generation Prius Plug-In will make the huge jump from last place to second place, right behind the Chevy Volt and its roughly 50-mile range.

According to the report, which cites an unnamed executive within the automotive industry who has knowledge of the situation, the new Prius will feature up to 35 miles of EV range. This would put it just 15 miles behind the class-leading Volt and well ahead of others from Hyundai, Honda, Ford, Kia, and BMW.

While this is exciting news, I recommend taking the report with a grain of salt, despite Green Car Report adamantly defending its source. Not only is this source clearly not within Toyota’s organization, but to see a car’s EV range increase three times from one year to the next is a little much without a huge price hike. However, it remains an interesting story nonetheless.

The next-generation Prius is set to debut in late 2015 with a new look, more refined materials, and hopefully a retuned drivetrain. The Plug-In version will likely arrive roughly a year after the standard Prius, so we should start seeing more information on the entire Prius lineup soon.

I love watching the progression of alternative-fuel cars and hybrids, so I will stay on top of this story and bring you the latest updates as they become available. Stay tuned for more info.