Countdown New Prius, More Fuel Cell Vehicles Testing

September 21 2003 – Vol.8 No.26

COUNTDOWN NEW PRIUS, MORE FUEL CELL VEHICLES TESTING.

The official U.S. launch of the next generation hybrid is October 17, but orders are building already. Toyota says almost 10,000 have been ordered for U.S. and another 11,000 in Japan. The company currently plans to build 36,000 for the 2004 calendar year, but may rethink that number.

Toyota, too, has delivered two more Fuel Cell Hydrogen Vehicles (FCHV), a highly modified Highlander SUV, to the University of California Irvine at its National Fuel Cell Research Center and UC Davis at their Institute for Transportation Studies. Including those in Japan there are now 18 FCHV’s being tested.

Honda, as well, has announced that two more of FCX fuel cell cars have been leased. The two cars will be used by the City of San Francisco in its municipal fleet.

Visit Toyota at http://www.toyota.com/ , the Research Center at http://www.nfcrc.uci.edu/ and the Institute at http://its.ucdavis.edu/ , Honda at http://www.hondanews.com/ .