After ten years at the top, Toyota is suddenly finding its lead in hybrid car technology under attack. Not only are ever more gasoline-electric rival models appearing, but manufacturers such as Mitsubishi and Nissan have also laid out plans for the mass production of electric vehicles (EVs) in the hope that buyers will rush to embrace such cars as the new eco-zeitgeist. In the first of a three-part series for just-auto.com, Glenn Brooks outlines the latest advances in hybrid and EVs technology.

No overview of the global market for hybrid cars could start anywhere but with the Toyota Prius. Now in its third generation, some 1.8 million units of the model have been sold over the last decade, with half of those going to buyers in the USA.

Perhaps surprisingly for a car that has always been bought by those seeking the latest in high-tech powertrain technology, the Prius is fitted with decidedly old-tech nickel-metal hydride batteries. Toyota says it is reserving the more advanced and lighter lithium-ion type for a future plug-in model, with the first of these experimental vehicles now being tested by various government departments in Japan, Europe and the USA.

The coming of cars such as the plug-in Prius has not only started a new discussion about the evolution of hybrid vehicle powertrains, but also the very term hybrid itself. Today’s Prius and other Toyota Group models such as the Lexus GS 450h can run on electric power alone up to certain speeds, making them full hybrids. Other vehicle manufacturers such as BMW, however, have begun to experiment with both full and mild hybrid systems.

Having decided that its first gasoline-electric vehicle must also cultivate the brand’s performance image, BMW launched the ActiveHybrid X6 as the world’s most powerful hybrid vehicle. Most of the time, this big crossover uses its turbocharged V8 engine, yet it will also run on battery power up to 37mph for a maximum of 1.6 miles. From rest and at low speeds, only one electric motor is activated, but a hard prod of the throttle not only adds drive from the second motor but also fires up the combustion engine. The second electric motor thus acts as a generator, providing electric power to the vehicle systems.

By contrast, BMW’s other gasoline-electric model, the ActiveHybrid 7, is, like its rival the Mercedes-Benz S 400 BlueHybrid, a mild hybrid. This means that unlike the X6 (and another competitor, the Lexus LS 600h), it cannot run on battery power alone at low speeds. The gasoline engine is a turbocharged 4.4-litre V8, while a single electric motor (455hp combined output) provides extra boost under hard acceleration. Regenerative brakes and a stop-start system also feature.

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The ActiveHybrid 7 is one of the best examples of why hybrid vehicles continue to sell well in the US and Japan, but have not been nearly so successful in Europe. As well as far fewer tax incentives in most European markets, buyers must also consider CO2 numbers rather than the average fuel consumption numbers that form the basis of the American system. In Germany, for example, anyone considering the BMW ActiveHybrid7 quickly sees that compared to the 730d (diesel) variant, the gasoline-electric model has both poorer economy (29.1 versus 39.2mpg) and a higher CO2 (219g/km versus 192) rating.

If the jury is still out on the appeal of both full and mild hybrids in the European market, that is certainly not the case with the imminent large-scale launch of plug-in electric cars. Working mostly in partnership with the Renault-Nissan Alliance, governments and power-generation providers continue to inject large sums of taxpayers’ and shareholders’ funds into the creation of vehicle recharging networks.

One of the first cars to benefit from this infrastructure will be the Nissan Leaf, due for launch in several European markets, as well as Japan and parts of the US from December. The American market is likely to be this plug-in car’s largest market, particularly as the launch price will be a highly competitive US$25,280 (after a package of US$7,500 in federal tax credits is factored in) or US$349/month for those who prefer to lease.

The Leaf has laminated compact lithium-ion batteries, Nissan claiming that these can store in excess of 90kW of power, giving this Prius-sized car a range of 100 miles (160km). Starting from October, the Oppama plant in Japan will be the first of three global facilities to build the Leaf, the others being Smyrna in Tennessee (late 2012) and Sunderland in the UK (2013).

Nissan North America, meanwhile, was the first global division to reveal the price of the home-based recharging system that Leaf buyers will need to have installed. AeroVironment, the supplier, believes the average fee for purchase and installation should be around the US$2,200 level. Charging at home through a 220V outlet is said to take approximately eight hours, though the Leaf’s cells can reportedly be topped up to 80% of their capacity in just under 30 minutes with a quick charger.

Of course, the Leaf is not the only mass-market EV to be launched this year – within a few months, General Motors will begin production of the Chevrolet Volt, the world’s first E-REV (Extended Range Electric Vehicle) car. Unlike the Nissan Leaf, which must be plugged in for recharging, the Volt has as an onboard gasoline motor that will automatically start up and provide power to the car’s electric cells once they start to run down. What’s more, the Volt can also be recharged from a socket.

While it seems likely to remain a smaller player than either GM or Nissan in the EV sector, Mitsubishi has nevertheless beaten both to market with its i-MiEV plug-in model. Already on sale in Japan, the little car is currently being rolled out to certain European markets, with variants to be provided to PSA for both the Peugeot (iOn) and Citroën (C-Zero) brands from late 2010. The supply deal, initially set at a combined 25,000 cars per annum, was recently upped to 100,000 cars in total, to be delivered by 2015.

As can be seen by these various examples, the market for hybrids, plug-in hybrids and pure EVs is still at an early stage of development, with rival manufacturers each doing their best to push what is still an overall low-volume niche market into the relative mainstream. With major financial and engineering resources now being committed to that quest, the next generation of such vehicles might well provide a tipping point.

The tables below have been extracted from just-auto’s proprietary Production Life Database (PLDB). Currently, PLDB has 1506 models from 195 makes/brands from 127 groups.

Table 1: EVs currently in production

Table 2: Hybrids currently in production

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