NEW YORK, Dec. 2, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS) announced today that New York City will join the company's U.S. Prius Plug-in Hybrid vehicle (PHV) demonstration program. Five new Prius Plug-in Hybrid vehicles (PHVs) will be used on city streets as part of Toyota's partnership with the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
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As part of the demonstration program, two Prius Plug-in Hybrid vehicles will be handed over to the NYCDOT and three to the Port Authority to be used in their fleets. Aligning with New York City's goal to reduce carbon emissions and greenhouse gases, Toyota's Prius Plug-in Hybrid demonstration program will provide opportunities for both NYCDOT and the Port Authority to look into expanding the use of alternative fuel vehicles in municipal and business fleets.
In preparation for commercial launch in 2012, more than 160 Prius Plug-in Hybrid vehicles are being delivered to demonstration program partners across the U.S., as part of a global demonstration of more than 600 vehicles. The Prius Plug-in Hybrid vehicle can be fully charged in approximately three hours from a standard 110-volt electrical outlet, or in 90 minutes with a 220-volt connection. A fully charged Prius Plug-in Hybrid vehicle is capable of running on electricity for approximately 13 miles at speeds of up to 62 mph. For longer distances, the PHV reverts to its hybrid mode, operating as a regular Prius.
"New York City has one of the world's most aggressive and comprehensive sustainability plans – PlaNYC, which aims to reduce carbon emissions by 30 percent by 2030," said New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. "Reaching our goal means having a more efficient vehicle fleet, and Toyota continues to be a great partner for City government, which has the world's largest fleet of hybrid vehicles. I want to thank Toyota for making us a part of the Plug-in Hybrid vehicle program and generously providing these cars at no cost to the taxpayer."
"We're charging down the road to a greener, greater New York, and thanks to Toyota's innovative new plug-in technology, we'll be able to charge up along the way," said NYCDOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. "Working alongside our car-sharing pilot, we hope this demonstration program will also help reduce the environmental impact of our operations on New York City's streets."
"Toyota and New York City share a commitment to building a more environmentally sustainable future for New York, making this Prius Plug-in Hybrid partnership a natural fit," said Yoshi Inaba, President and COO of Toyota Motor North America, Inc. "As we strive to bring advanced-technology and alternative-fuel vehicles to market that will not only benefit our customers but also the environment, these real-world partnerships are critical to the success of the program."
Toyota and New York City have partnered together on a variety of environmental initiatives. Over the past five years, the City has purchased more than 2,500 Toyota hybrid vehicles for its municipal fleet. Toyota has also delivered 10 prototype hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicles to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York for a demonstration program with the Port Authority.
The company has also been involved with a number of city organizations to raise environmental awareness and promote conservation, including: MillionTrees NYC, a partnership with the New York Restoration Project; TogetherGreen™, an initiative with The National Audubon Society; and the Leaders in Environmental Action for the Future (LEAF) program with The Nature Conservancy.
During the demonstration program, NYCDOT will capture real-world driving data to educate and promote the Prius Plug-in Hybrid vehicles as sustainable transportation to the public. In early 2011, data from the U.S. demonstration programs will be posted on http://www.toyota.com/esq. This readily available data will show how the Prius Plug-in Hybrid vehicles are being used and how they are performing. As the vehicles gather miles, data such as fuel economy, miles driven, charging times and additional content will be viewable online. In addition, demonstration partners will be sharing data and comparing usage and performance of the vehicles.
Toyota has partnered with other organizations across New York State for the Prius Plug-in Hybrid program. To date, Prius Plug-in Hybrid vehicles have also been delivered to Clean Communities of Central New York, Syracuse Center of Excellence, CuseCar and Syracuse University's Department of Energy and Computing Management.
About Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.
Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion. Established in 1957, TMS markets products and services through a network of nearly 1,500 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers that sold more than 1.77 million vehicles in 2009. Toyota directly employs nearly 30,000 people in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com, www.lexus.com, www.scion.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com.
