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Toyota and EDF
Energy today launch a three-year leasing
programme that brings ultra-low emissions
plug-in hybrid vehicle technology to the streets
of London.
The first Toyota Prius Plug-in to reach
the UK are joining the vehicle fleets of five businesses and public
organisations, where they will demonstrate the fuel efficiency, low
emissions, cost savings and everyday practicality their rechargeable
hybrid power system can deliver.
The real-world experiences of the
drivers and fleet operators will provide both companies and UK
Government with valuable insights into driver attitudes and usage
patterns to help them design their strategies for introducing plug-in
hybrids and recharging technologies. It will also help inform and shape
public policy in this field.
Thanks to information recorded through
EDF Energy’s charging infrastructure, the programme will deliver
valuable intelligence about the benefits gained in energy savings and
reduced emissions, recharging patterns and preferences.
The leasing programme is part of the
Technology Strategy Board’s Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator
Programme, and benefits from funding support from the UK Government,
through the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV).
The organisations and businesses taking
part in the programme are Transport for London, the Government Car and
Despatch Agency, the Metropolitan Police Service, News International and
Sky.
Miguel Fonseca, Managing Director
Toyota (GB) PLC, said: “I am delighted to be joining with EDF Energy to
launch the UK’s largest plug-in hybrid programme, a project that will
deliver valuable insights into the behaviour and preferences of UK
drivers as they engage with the technology for the first time and
experience it in their everyday driving routines. Toyota is committed to
developing sustainable, low emissions mobility and Prius Plug-in marks
another important element in our environmental leadership, and a further
step towards its ambition of building the ultimate eco-car.
“I also welcome the partnership Toyota
has formed with EDF Energy, with the Government organisations that are
supporting us, and the end-users who have signed up to the programme. I
am confident that everyone involved will gain important benefits through
the course of the programme.
EDF Energy Managing Director of ESCS
Martin Lawrence said: “I am delighted that EDF Energy, the UK’s largest
producer of low-carbon electricity, can play such an important role in
the research and demonstration of these new vehicles. And I’m proud to
collaborate with Toyota on this project as it builds on the success of
the first plug-in hybrid vehicle trial which began a year ago.
“The new Government has committed to a
national recharging network for electric and plug-in hybrid
vehicles. The demonstration that we launch today plays a key part in
that development. Transport currently accounts for around a fifth of the
country’s carbon footprint and the take up of clean, electric transport
can help the UK meet its climate change targets.
“Sustainability is at the core of our
business and it is work like this that helps EDF Energy meet the climate
change targets set out in our new Sustainability Commitments.”
The cars involved in the lease
programme are essentially the same as the current third-generation full
hybrid Prius, but they are equipped with a powerful lithium-ion battery
that can be recharged simply by being connected to a standard 240V
electricity supply. EDF Energy has identified appropriate plug, socket,
wiring and cabling specifications to comply with BS7671 safety
standards, while maintaining fundamental ease of use. The charging
points incorporate a keypad that enables each user and vehicle to be
identified when recharging takes place.
The rechargeable battery technology
gives Prius Plug-in extended capabilities when it is driven in EV
(electric vehicle) mode: capable of running for up to 12.5 miles solely
on its electric motor – battery charge and road conditions permitting –
at speeds up to 62mph, it can accomplish the great majority of typical
urban journeys with zero fuel consumption and tailpipe emissions. Prius
Plug-in’s combined cycle fuel consumption and CO2 emissions
are 108.6mpg and 59g/km respectively.
Should the battery charge be used up in
the course of a journey, Prius Plug-in will seamlessly switch to power
from its efficient 1.8-litre VVT-i petrol engine, meaning the driver
need suffer no “range anxiety” about the distance his or her car might
manage.
As part of a worldwide initiative
involving 600 Prius Plug-in, 200 of which are in Europe, the London
programme will support Toyota’s plans to introduce a plug-in hybrid
vehicle to the market within the next few years.
EDF Energy is the UK’s largest producer
of low carbon electricity. Sustainability is at the heart of its
business, as expressed in its recently launched Sustainability
Commitments, which are among the biggest package of environmental and
social initiatives to be announced by a UK energy company.
Its vision for powering a low carbon
Britain not only requires the decarbonisation of electricity, but also
low carbon transport. Supporting this goal, EDF Energy is marking a
significant milestone in its on-going collaboration with Toyota by
powering what is the UK’s largest plug-in hybrid vehicle leasing
programme.
EDF Energy is also working with the
Greater London Authority with the aim of installing up to 550 public
access charging points across the capital, as part of the Plugged in
Places programme.
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