Toyota has announced it will start leasing plug-ins in U.S., Japan, and Europe by the end of the year. This will also be the company's first use of lithium-ion batteries in the plug-ins, with current Toyota hybrid using nickel-metal hydride batteries. 500 plug-ins will be leased globally, with 200 in Japan and 150 each in the United States and Europe, including 100 in France.
With reports circulating that Volvo may soon be out from under its Ford ownership, the company has announced that it plans to put plug-in hybrids on the market by 2012. Not only are they planning to enter the plug-in market but they're looking at what would be the world's first plug-in diesel. It would operate in a similar fashion to the Chevy Volt, going the first 40 miles on electric power alone. And the improvement on carbon emissions will be a major boon. According to FoxNews.com: "The company says that over the NED C standardized European driving cycle, its plug-in diesel hybrid will emit less than 50 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer. Considering that the very best European subcompacts, with optimized turbodiesel engines and lots of high-mileage tweaks, emit roughly 90 g/km, Volvo's claim of 50 g/km is impressive indeed."
