Toyota partners iZEUS (intelligent Zero Emission Urban System)

Toyota today handed over four Prius Plug-in Hybrid vehicles to Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (Fraunhofer-Institut für System- und Innovationsforschung, ISI), Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer-Institut für Solare Energiesysteme, ISE) and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, KIT). The handover coincides with the start of Toyota´s participation in the iZEUS project as an associated partner. The participation of Toyota is a further step in extending German-Japanese cooperation in the field of sustainable mobility.

iZEUS is a project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie) which examines how traffic and infrastructure can benefit from Information and Communications Technology (ICT). In this context, especially with regard to the rising percentage of renewable energy sources in the electricity grid, electric vehicles (EV) and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHV) are starting to gain importance.

"International cooperation is important for innovative solutions. We are glad to contribute to the iZEUS project with our Prius Plug-in Hybrid vehicles," said Andy Fuchs, Director for Toyota Motor Europe's Berlin Office.

Toyota's Prius-Plug-in Hybrid features a battery that can be charged externally and enables pure electric driving range of up to 25 kilometres. Beyond the electric driving range, it can be used as a conventional full hybrid with all the efficiency of a standard Prius, and fully recharged from a domestic source when convenient, in just 1.5 hours.

With the Prius Plug-in Hybrid vehicles, ISI, ISE and KIT will examine driving and charging behaviour.

"Such field tests are very important especially for gaining experience regarding customer acceptance," said Prof. Dr. Martin Wietschel from ISI.

The data will serve as a basis for the integration of vehicles into future households, where decentralised energy production will play an important role. The data will also give information on the necessity of charging infrastructure and the sustainability of EVs and PHVs in the traffic system.

"We are glad to extend our work at the Energy Smart Home Lab on the South Campus of KIT with the Prius Plug-in Hybrids and to intensify our research in the field of smart grids," commented Prof. Dr. Wolf Fichtner from KIT.

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About iZEUS:

iZEUS is a consortium consisting of the following partners: Adam Opel AG, ads-tec GmbH, Daimler AG, EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, PTV Group, SAP AG, TWT GmbH Science & Innovation.