ADetP > April 2009 > FEATURE > 2 0 1 0 Prius: The Not-So-Little Car That Can >

Gar/S-Vasilash

THE NDT-SD-LITTtE

CAR THAT CAN

The first-generation Prius went on sale in the U.S. in 2000. The second-gen appeared in October 2003. Now it is time for the third. Ask yourself this: Has any car in recent memory come so far in so short a time?

Akihiko Otsuka said that all things considered, it is rather unexpected. With a bachelor's in eleetrieal engineering, he joined Toyota Motor Corp. (TMC) in 1986 in the Noise and Vitiration Development Div. There, he had the opportunity to work on cars including the Supra, Clica, and Carina. (As you may recall, the Supra and the Clica were once available in the U.S. No more.) As time passed, he was moved to Europe, where he worked on testing and tuning vehicles for that market. He returned to Japan in 1998 and worked in the Product Planning department, where he became the assistant chief engineer for the Prius and Estima Hybrid. In 2007, he was made chief engineer for Prius. Which, as he said, is something that he never expected. 2010 Prius chief engineer Akihiko Otsuka and his ear. Otsuka said that they spent 4.5 years"and countless man-hours"developing the third-generation car that has become synonymous with "hybrid." More than 2,000 engineers were involved in the development, and he had 100 team leaders reporting to him during the vehicle's development.

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So are a couple other things that are availahle for the car. One is a sliding-glass moonroof. Nothing particularly odd there. But what is out ofthe ordinaiy are the solar panels packaged within the roof The power generated by these panels is used to power a fan that cools the interior One thing that is somewhat amusing about the discussion ofthe 2010 Prius: the ofthe car. The solar panels don't put electricity into the battery. They run the issue of "performance" comes up, not in fan. The benefit is said to be of making the the context of fUel efficiency (although is cool-down ofthe vehicle shorter, thereby certainly part ofthe discourse, and a very reducing the amount of air conditioning large part of it), but vis--vis O-to-60 mph required at start up. But in the realm of air time. While no one is going to confuse con, there is something that is certainly it for, say, the aforementioned Supra, out of Ihe nomi: On the smart fob (for as it is a vehicle with a net horsepower cars so equipped; it is part ofthe solar (i.e., combining the internal combustion engine and the motor generator) of 134 hp, powered ventilation system package) there is a button that allows remote start not the rated lime is 9.8 seconds, or a speed of the car, but of the air conditioner. In improvement of 1.1 seconds compared this case, the car's air conditioner will run with the second generation. The top for up to three minutes, drawing energy speed i.s up 9 mph, to 112 mph. All things from Ihe nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) considered, that's not bad. But the fuel baltery pack (assuming that ihe controller efficiency is good. Really good. determines that there is sufficient charge in Ihe battery). Bill Reinen, Toyota's national A combined 50 mpg. Forty-eight highway. manager. Advanced Product Technology, Fifty-one city. If there is one thing that is explains that the calculations sbnw that completely characteristic of Toyota, it is by doing this prc-cool of the cabin there is that continuous improvement is the way actually less energy used than would he the of work. So consider: the first-generation Prius (available in Japan in 1997; in the U.S. in 2000) provided a combined FPA fuel-efficiency number of 41 mpg. The second-generation Prius. which went on sale in 2004, has a number of 46 mpg, combined. And now it is 50.

Otsuka said that he spent four-and-a-half years working on the Prius. One thing about that time. Otsuka joked that "TMC has another meaning other than the official acronym: "Toyota Meeting Corporation." Apparently, you don't develop the thirdgeneration ofthe world's leading hybrid car without having lots of meetings.

from the 110 hp ofthe second-generation model. Which might seem counterintuitive.

case if the air conditioner compressor was put under full load upon ignition.

It's Edgier.
From a design point of view, the thirdgeneration Prius looks pretty much like the second-generation Prius. (Does anyone want to remember what the first-genera I ion Prius looks like?) Doug Coleman, Prius product manager, says that when they surveyed customers-and they're calculating that there will he plenty of Prius owners who will continue lo be Prius owners (there are some 700,000 Priuses rolling around in the U.S. at the moment)and asked what tbey were interested in the new one having, they said, 'Don't ehange the roof line bul add more character." Thus, while there is a The 2010 Prius had more hours in the wind tunnel tban any other Toyota vehicle. Note the flat sides of the fender flares and the edges of tbe bumper.

Odd, Isn't It?

While much of what makes the 2010 Prius more efficient comes down to shrinking things-the transaxle is lighter than the previous model (but torque losses are reduced by up to 20%): ihe inverter has a direct cooling system, which makes it smaller than its predecessor-oddly enough, the internal combustion engine used is actually bigger and more powerful than that used in its predecessor. There is a 1.5-liter. 78-hp four under the hood of the second-gen Prius. The third-gen has a 1.8-liter Atkinson-cycle four that produces 98 hp al 5.200 rpm. Overall, (he combined nei horsepower of 134 is an improvement

If there is O^^^B:^g that is completely characteristic of Toyota, it is that continuous improvement is the way of work.

AOetP > April 2009 > FEATURE > 2010 Prius; The Not-So-Little Car TI

*' Toyota and its Lexus brand are more than marginally committed to hybrid technology, i you can see in; ilp.-i/w ww.autofielctguide.cqm/arti_d_e_s/O2O 50S .htmj b,ttp:yiww_w.au_t_ofieidguide.om/ar!cles/06(>705.html http ://w w w. a utof le Idg u i de.co m/a rtici es/O 3 0603 .html http://www.autofigldguide.com/3rticles/04Q601.html

mass is accounted for in the structure of the vehicle for purposes of safety (although it should be noted that hightensile strength steel is used in the rocker inner, B-piilar and roof reinforcement, so care was taken to minimize mass while providing stR'ngth for security).

adjustments that you need to make to keep a car going straight), although it does perform a steering wheel torque check to make sure that the driver has hands on the wheel. When the Prius first appeared, some dismissed it as a marketing gimmick. At the Tsutsumi Plant in Toyota City and the Toyota Auto Body plant in Aiehi, Japan, work is underway, building cars for consumers in 80 different countries. Bob Carter, group vp and general manager of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., anticipates 2010 Prius sales of 180,000 for its first full calendar year, and he's factoring in (1) the current eeonomic conditions and (2) the new Honda Insight (see ADftP, February '09, or http://www.autofieldguide.com/ articIes/020905.html). Clearly, what may have started out as something of a quizzieal little ear with seemingly limited appeal has turned into a model that has appeal far greater than many mainstream cars.

greater amount of wedge and a more definite beltline, the 2010 Prius resembles its immediate predeeessor. However, it should be noted that the new Prius is more aerodynamie, having spent more time in a wind tunnel than any other car in Toyota's history. The coelieient of drag for tbe '10 is 0.25, an improvement of 0.01. Of course, this is not just about the exterior sheet metal, although modifieations were made to the upper grille opening, tbe front below tbe bumper, sharper comers and flat surfaces on tbe wheel flairs, and a larger grille opening. There is the extensive use of covers beneath the car, including a fin near the baek that helps guide the air.

Tech Time.
Then there is the available teehnology. A new version ofthe parking assist that debuted on the Lexus LS 460a simplified version. There is dynamic radar eruise control. There is a lane departure warning system (a camera looks at the lane markers and if it detects a drift sounds a buzzer and a slight inward torque to the steering wheel). And there is "lane keep assist," a system that is debuting on the Prius: it uses the lane recognition camera and integrates with the electronic power steering system sueh that when in cruise control, it actually makes slight steering torque adjustments to reduce driver input (i.e., those slight

Bigger in Back.
The new Prius is essentially the same size as its predecessor, although it is based on the Toyota MC platform, which is used for vehieles including the current Camry. Looking at tbe third-generation's dimensions compared to the second's: the 106.3-in. wheelbase is unchanged; tbe 175.6-in. overall length is up just 0.6 in.; tbe 68.7-in. width is a 0.79-in. increase; and the 58.7 in. height is the same. Inside, however, there is more room, witb the EPA passenger volume going from 96.2-ft' in the '09 to 93.7-ft^ in the '10. Particular foeus was placed on providing more room for the rear seat, by doing such things as making the front seat baek 1.38-in. thinner and by reducing the front seat headroom by 0.3 in. and increasing the rear headroom by tbe same amount. Altbough Otsuka and his team worked bard at minimizing tbe weight ofthe vehicle-for example, the drive train for the '10 is 20% lighter than in the previous model, wbich is largely the result of a smaller motor and inverter-tbe overall car actually weighs slightly more: 3,042 Ib., up from 2,932 Ib. Otsuka said that much ofthe additional '*.

On tbe left is the transaxle for the second-generation Prius; the third-generation model is on the right. Notice tbat the new one is more compact and that tbe chain drive has been replaced by the gear drive.

the new Prius is more aerodynamic, having spent more time in a wind tunnel than any other car in Toyota's history.