Curbside Classic: 2001 Toyota Prius

A happy marriage isn’t exactly the easiest thing to engineer. Gasoline and electricity are about as compatible as Donald Trump and Mother Theresa. I know, Ferdinand Porsche built a “hybrid” in 1899, and there have been others since. But its time to bust the very myth that I’ve been guilty of perpetuating myself: Porsche’s “Mixte” wasn’t a real hybrid. It was an EV with a gas generator to extend its range when the battery gave out, just like the Volt. That’s like calling a single guy with a house cleaner and a hooker “married”. But the Toyota engineers pulled it off, teaching the two oldest propulsion systems how to dance, simultaneously. And in doing so, the Prius has become the most revolutionary car since the Model T.

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  • Carson D A friend of mine is currently driving a Grand Wagoneer L Obsidian III, which boldly calls out its US production status twice by the time you're behind the wheel. I wonder what happens when products like that one share a showroom with ones that don't have any mention of production location.
  • Add Lightness The level 1 charger that came with my Toyota becomes a level 2 charger when fed 240v. 5 years now and works perfectly.
  • MaintenanceCosts All you people asking for an ICE version realize you'd need a longer hood and different rear packaging (for a fuel tank) to make it work, right?
  • Jalop1991 ah, the old "engaging!" trope. Isn't it funny how "I have to shift my own gears, it's so engaging" disappears the moment EVs come into play.
  • Kcflyer They should sell these to the kamala administration with a 1 billion dollar markup