GFI 15-amp outlet) or from a Level 2 charger (the battery charge time is <5.5 hours on the
household plug and two hours, 10 minutes with the Level 2 charger). (The Prime has a new
charging system: the previous plug-in has a charger output of 2 kW; the Prime is at 3.3 kW.
And the volume of the charger is significantly smaller, 3.8 liters in the Prime compared with
8.0 liters). There was also the requirement to extend the electric vehicle (EV) driving range
and speed at which it can occur compared with the previous-generation plug-in. The Prime
is capable of traveling 25 miles on electricity alone (versus 11 miles for the 2015 model) and at
up to 84 mph in EV mode (versus 62 mph).
Chief engineer Koji Toyoshima and his team recognized that they had to do what it took to
optimize the powertrain system of the Prius Liftback for the Prius Prime.
Inside there is an 11.6-inch
screen. It can be operated
with swipes and pinches like
a smartphone. While it serves
several functions, note that to
the left of the screen there is
a physical control to control
the temperature and to the
right a switch to control the
audio volume.
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COVER STORY