Given the vehicle's importance as a halo car for Toyota, news of the next-gen Prius getting a potential 55 miles per gallon was our first headline from the recent Toyota Hybrid World Tour media event, but there is some news to report on the Prius Plug In as well. Namely, that the "plug" part of its name might be kind of superfluous as the car gets a wireless charger.
Toyota is not the only automaker working on wireless charging. Infiniti wants it and Volvo is testing in-road chargers, for example. You can even go cordless today if you want to go with an aftermarket system from the likes of Bosch.
A cord-free Prius is not coming anytime soon – system verification is not scheduled until next year – but if there's anything we learned at the Hybrid World Tour, it's that Toyota believes in the long term success of hybrid technology. Satoshi Ogiso, managing officer for the Toyota Motor Corporation and one of the engineers on the original Prius, said that wireless charging is just one new thing coming to a future Prius Plug-In. "We have been listening very carefully to Prius PHV owners over the past two years, and are considering their requests for additional all-electric range," he said. "We have also heard from these owners, that they would like a more convenient charging operation. In response, we are developing a new wireless/inductive charging system that produces resonance between an on-floor coil and an onboard coil to recharge the battery without the fuss of a cable." You can read all of his comments below."We are developing a new wireless/inductive charging system to recharge the battery without the fuss of a cable."
Toyota is not the only automaker working on wireless charging. Infiniti wants it and Volvo is testing in-road chargers, for example. You can even go cordless today if you want to go with an aftermarket system from the likes of Bosch.
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