Buying a hybrid vehicle for the first time is a wonderful thing; moving on to a vehicle that's more earth-friendly as well as something that can save you a veritable fortune at the pump is nothing short of an automotive revolution, sure to put you in the best of moods when you climb into your vehicle on the nth day and you still have gas in the tank. For those that have bought the Toyota Prius Plug-In, the additional all-electric range is just icing on the cake.
However, the automaker has stated that they won't be increasing the range much more than where it already sits.
A slight controversy over said range has been happening though; while EPA estimates state that the Plug-In's all-electric range is at 11 miles, the folks at the California Air Resource Board (CARB) have said that it only reaches about 6 miles. CARB's regulators say the minimum range requirement for a plug-in hybrid is exactly 10 miles, so the automaker is being forced to increase it slightly to meet with their testing results. But it won't get any more than necessary.
While it's good to have enough range to get you to a safe place in an emergency, Toyota believes that its more important to bring battery and vehicle costs down to meet technological advancements, as opposed to extending electric range and keeping prices higher. Since the Prius Plug-In's sales were up 4.6 percent last month, over the October of 2012, there's no doubt that people love the vehicle the way it is.
What do you think? Should the Prius Plug-In keep a lower electric range in exchange for a lower price? Or should the range be extended at the cost of a higher price tag? Let us know in the comments below!
If you'd like to see what all the hype is about and check out a new Toyota for yourself, come in to DCH Toyota of Torrance in Torrance, CA today and have an experience you won't soon forget.
