Mr. Irv Miller, Toyota's VP of Communications, sends out a standard
form letter to try to defuse requests for a plug-in version of the
Prius. Mr. Miller makes 2 claims:
(1) The source of electric power may be "dirtier" than gasoline,
(2) The battery technology does not exist;
and implies
(3) That plug-in hybrids are not needed.
Here's an answer to the form letter that Mr. Miller sends out, and
(4) A suggestion for "serial" plug-in hybrids:

(1) SOURCE OF THE ELECTRIC POWER: In California, off-peak power from
natural gas power plants goes begging.

There is no in-state coal, but even if there were, it would be less
environmentally and economically destructive than burning gasoline,
which requires a huge upstream cost and incurs a large downstream
liability.

Moreover, those with solar rooftop systems can generate enough on-
peak electric to more than pay for their off-peak charging, or, if
they wish, just charge off the solar system directly (although it is
more socially useful to feed the on-peak into the grid to help meet
peak demand). Mr. Miller, you should do some research on the daily
electric cycle and off-peak vs. on-peak power.

The electric utilities love off-peak charging of Electric cars
because it helps equalize loads and helps amortize their equipment.

Mr. Miller, do you know that the largest industrial user of electric
power in California is the oil extraction and refining industry? How
can the source of the electric be a problem when used to charge an
Electric car, but not a problem and "clean" when used to run oil
pumps and refine imported oil into gasoline?

(2) BATTERY TECHNOLOGY IS ALREADY AVAILABLE: Toyota has proven, in
the RAV4-EV, that their NiMH batteries last longer than the life of
the car, and are environmentally neutral (Nickel recycles, at $7 per
lb., and, unlike lead, is non-toxic).

Even the Automobile Manufacturer's Association, the trade group that
fought to kill Electric cars, admitted that Toyota has solved what
had once been seen as the "high initial cost" of the battery pack.

You should find out the facts before using this old, false argument
that the batteries are not ready. After all, the same proven battery
technology is used in the Toyota hybrids!

Mr. Miller, could you please cite the "outside experts" that claim
that the battery technology won't be ready "this decade"? And could
you show how that invalidates the battery pack in my Toyota RAV4-EV,
now at 75,000 miles and no sign of degradation?

(3) "Hybrid technology" is fine, but it has not led to a decrease
in oil consumption. In fact, oil consumption is still rising,
despite higher oil and gasoline prices.

Why not offer plug-in EVs, particularly the much simpler "serial"
hybrid, to those drivers who wish to buy it on the open market?

We can't drive "oil-free" unless we can plug in overnight. Don't
lose sight of the goal, which is to move enough of our energy stream
from imported oil to electric. This problem of oil dependency, and
oil wars, overshadows all else, as the very conservative
http://SetAmericaFree.org movement recognizes. Our electric power in
America comes from natural gas, coal, nuclear, hydro-electric, and
wind; NONE of those sources involve petroleum, imported oil, oil
wars, gasoline, or petroleum pollution. All of these are found in
abundance right here on the North American continent: we don't have
to compete for mideast oil to run our electric plants.

We don't use petroleum to make electric.

Plug-in hybrids allow the driver the choice of installing and
relying upon solar power.

Even a small solar power system generates 20 kWh of electric power
per day on-peak, which, by time-of-use pricing, gives credits for 80
kWh of off-peak charging. Each kWh allows the RAV4-EV to travel 4
miles, so the driver who installs solar power can move up to 320
miles of driving each day from gasoline to solar power.

That's the choice we need, Mr. Miller. Drivers are eagerly
installing rooftop solar panels, the only thing we are lacking is
the plug-in Electric cars.

(4) The plug-in serial hybrid is "serial" because, like a diesel-
electric locomotive and the RAV4-EV, the sole traction driving power
comes from the electric motor.

The serial hybrid has much less complexity than the Synergy drive,
with only a motor-controller and batteries to do the driving, like a
RAV4-EV. The plug-in serial hybrid, like the RAV4-EV, drives up to
80 mph for up to 120 miles; but if you are going farther than that,
or if you forgot to plug it in overnight, a small (40 hp, 28 kW)
engine- generator fires up at a constant RPM and charges the
batteries or seamlessly allows you to continue driving on a long
trip.

There is no clutch or transmission, the only connection from the
generator is fly-by-wire.

Since 80% of our driving is done on round trips less than 80 miles
from home, it will be easy for most people to generally avoid buying
ANY gasoline on their daily routine with the plug-in serial hybrid.

The hidden cost of gasoline is killing our economy and spreading
pollution. Allowing those persons of conscience to live essentially
oil-free is within Toyota's power. Why not offer this option?

As a nation, we send our wealth overseas, receiving our "drug" of
imported oil, which is burned and leaves no trace of the vanished
cash except the lingering pollution resulting from refining,
transporting and burning our oily "drug". Validate the experience of
those RAV4-EV drivers who love their vehicles, and won't give them
up.

Living essentially "oil-free" is a powerful idea. Toyota should get
behind the plug-in hybrid, and should produce a serial plug-in
hybrid, sooner rather than later. It's critically needed right now,
not just to eliminate oil dependence, but to lower greenhouse
emissions in general.

Mr. Irv Miller, Irv_Miller@...
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Other Toyota folks to email:
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Inaba@...
yuki_funo@...
Michi_Kisaki@...
jim_press@...
Jaycie_Chitwood@...
Michelle_Zimmerman@...
cindy_knight@...
matt_carrillo@...
Melissa_Hoffman@...
Ed_la_Rocque@...
Mary_Nickerson@...
Doug_Sato@...