Toyota has many of its hopes pined to the 2016 Prius. Sales of the hybrid could use a boost as stiffer competition from other hybrid and electric cars and standard cars with better fuel economy have started taking sales away from the Prius. Toyota has already unveiled the car and has come back to show off some of the tech inside the 2016 Prius.
Toyota says that the 1.8L VVT-I engine achieves 40% thermal efficiency. One big system that enables such efficiency is the large-volume exhaust gas recirculation system and combustion efficiency improvement. Toyota has redesigned both the transaxle and motor to reduce the combined weight of the components. The motor is more compact giving it an improved power-to-weight ratio.
The system has a 20% reduction in mechanical losses through friction compared to the previous model. Toyota also moved to a loss-reduction device in the power control unit that reduces loss by about 20% with a more compact design. Toyota will offer the Prius with Lithium-Ion or Nickel-metal hydride batteries and is able to cram more power into a smaller space to reduce weight and improve cargo space.
Toyota also improved torsional rigidity making the car handle better. Prius buyers now get standard bi-LED headlamps that use a single lens for high and low beam operation. Inside the car buyers get a 4.2-inch display screen that shows fuel level and other data on the right side and the left side shows content the driver chooses using a switch on the steering wheel.
(slashgear.com)
