By Naonobu Nishimoto

Recently environmental problems have become more serious, and various countermeasures have been taken. One is the Hybrid car. The Toyota Prius is a representative Hybrid car. Toyota put Prius, the first mass-produced Hybrid car, on the market in December, 1997, and has sold it 20 different foreign countries. The Prius is a highly regarded sedan of high environmental performance. According to Toyota, more than 100 thousand cars were sold in Japan and foreign countries by the end of August, 2002.

The Prius gets twice the mileage as other gasoline-only cars of the same level. Assuming that they run six to ten thousand kilometers per year, the 100 thousand Prius's which have been sold will cut the consumption of gasoline 20-30 thousand kilometers per year. The amount of carbon dioxide produced by the gasoline used by the 100 thousand Prius's, would be about 50 to 70 thousand tons. This shows that these Prius's surely contribute to the control of carbon dioxide emissions regarded as global warming substances.

We interviewed Professor Guerin of S.U. who owns a Prius.

According to Professor Guerin's explanation, "First of all, the Prius is a hybrid." Hybrid means a "mix." In the case of the Prius, it means a combination of a gasoline engine and an electric motor. When you start it, you only switch on the electric motor not the gasoline engine. And when you want more speed, the Prius runs both the engine and the electric motor at the same time and generates the high torque. When reducing speed, the brakes are connected to the generator which recharges the battery. These processes are controlled by a computer."

It is difficult imaging that the inside of the Prius is large, because it looks very small. Its center-set dashboard and seats are a little higher than the usual car, to make them easy to see and to sit in. The ceiling is also higher than usual. Consequently, the driver can see ahead from a higher position. Moreover, the Prius is incomparably more silent than the usual car.

Professor Guerin said, "The fuel expenses in the city driving are about 20 km a liter during summer, and about 16 km in the winter. There have been no problems with my car since I bought it. I'm satisfied with the quiet inside, and it's very easy to see the information displayed on the monitor." Most people think that the battery needs recharging because the Prius's energy is based on the electric motor and battery. But there is no need to charge it thanks to the generator as mentioned. When stopped at a light, etc., the Prius engine seems to be stalled. But it is not because it uses only the electric motor at that time. In fact, I rode in the car and thought that the car engine was very quiet. I had also such the illusion the car was stalled. While riding, I couldn't help noting its quietness. I felt as if I were in the world of the imagination because the speedometer and the fuel economy data are displayed on one monitor like a computer game. It was enough to overturn established common sense.

American factories are now planning to produce hybrid car. That is great news. Prof. Guerin said, "The most important thing is that people pay attention to environmental problems. One choice is to drive a hybrid car. That way you contribute to saving the earth, and human life."