About The Prius - Toyota PRIUS Emergency Response Manual

About the Prius

The Toyota Prius is a gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle sold in North
America since May 2000. Gasoline-electric hybrid means the vehicle
contains a gasoline engine and an electric motor for power. Two
energy sources are stored on board the vehicle:
1. Gasoline stored in the fuel tank for the gasoline engine.
2. Electricity stored in a high voltage Hybrid Vehicle (HV) battery
pack for the electric motor.
The result of combining these two power sources is increased fuel
economy and reduced emissions. The gasoline engine also powers an
electric generator to recharge the battery pack; so, unlike a pure all
electric vehicle, the Prius never needs to be recharged from an external
electric power source.
Depending on the driving conditions one or both sources are used to
power the vehicle. The following illustrations demonstrate how the
Prius operates in various driving modes.
 On light acceleration at low speeds, the vehicle is powered by the
electric motor. The gasoline engine is shut off.
 During normal driving the vehicle is powered mainly by the
gasoline engine. The gasoline engine is also used to recharge the
battery pack.
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 During full acceleration, such as climbing a hill, both the gasoline
engine and the electric motor power the vehicle.
 During deceleration, such as braking, the vehicle regenerates the
kinetic energy from the front wheels to produce electricity that
recharges the battery pack.
 While the vehicle is stopped, the gasoline engine and electric motor
are off, however the vehicle remains on and operational.
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