Next Prius Borrows Technology From Toyota Race Cars
The Toyota Prius will hold technology in common with the company’s hybrid race cars.
For decades, automakers have used race cars to research and develop technology that would be used on road production vehicles and Toyota’s TS040 Hybrid Le Mans racer is no different. The Japanese automaker currently leads this season’s manufacturers’ championship and is testing technology found in the TS040 to be used in the next Prius. According to the president of Toyota Motorsport GmbH, Yoshiaki Kinoshita, the race car already has parts from the next-generation Prius, but they aren’t mechanical parts. Instead, the team is using preproduction prototype microchips and microcontrollers.
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Naturally, the main goal of the technology is to improve fuel efficiency for the race car and the next-gen Prius, with the race car being re-engineered for this year’s race season to cut fuel consumption by 25 percent compared to 2013’s racer. Kinoshita did say that the TS040’s power storage system won’t make its way to the Prius anytime soon and Toyota’s battery technology system is adequate for the Prius.
GALLERY: Toyota TS040 Hybrid
[Source: Automotive News]
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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