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Ex-Toyota Bill Reinert still in favor of hybrids, against EVs

Former Toyota executive Bill Reinert is so unsold on electric vehicles as a viable advanced-powertrain option for future transportation that he has praised – gasp – Ford, for its downsized internal combustion engines. Reinert was a key player in developing Toyota's original Prius hybrid and, in an interview published in Yale University's Environment 360 blog, said a hybrid that gets 60 miles per gallon is superior to an electric vehicle. "And that is why you will be seeing more fuel cells in the future." – Bill Reinert Reinert went on to praise the advances that automakers have made in improving fuel economy of fossil fuel vehicles, specifically namechecking Ford and its three-cylinder Ecoboost engine. He also has good things to say about both hydrogen fuel-cell electric technology as well as natural gas vehicles, but admits that limited fueling infrastructure will keep those types of vehicles in the margins for the near future. He also says that hydrogen vehicles aren't that great yet but that, "When most [manufacturers] investigate the two technologies [H2 and EVs], they see that FVCs offer more room for performance improvement and cost reduction potential. And that is why you will be seeing more fuel cells in the future." As far as pure electric, Reinert says lithium-ion batteries have "tremendous shortcomings" and talks about battery degradation, substandard performance in hot weather and, of course, limited single-charge driving range. He also says that people need to factor in the environmental impact of producing electricity for the grid to fully gauge how environmentally beneficial EVs can be. We'd like to take him and Tesla Motors Chief Elon Musk to what we think would be a spirited lunch. You can read the whole interview with Reinert here.

Toyota must go to trial over unintended acceleration suits

Toyota is surely readying its trial lawyers, as the Japanese giant is officially headed to court in a pair of cases relating to its unintended acceleration fiascos of 2009 and 2010.
In the first case, the United States Supreme Court has actually got involved in matters, ignoring an appeal from Toyota that attempted to use an arbitrator to settle its California lawsuits. The automaker will now go to trial to face owners of 2010 Prius models over an alleged defect with the anti-lock braking systems, which plaintiffs say made the cars more difficult to stop, according to Bloomberg.
The second trial is a bit more in depth, covering the case of Ida St. John, an 83-year-old from Georgia, that crashed her 2005 Camry in 2009. The accident is believed to have played a part in her death, although the suit, being filed by her grandson, doesn't actually place blame on Toyota for her death.

Toyota Camry Hybrid SE adds a dash of limited-edition sport

For drivers who want to benefit from the increased efficiency of a hybrid sedan but who don't want to look like they'd rather be hugging trees, Toyota has just announced its 2014.5 Camry Hybrid SE Limited Edition.
The SE LTD combines the exterior bits and pieces that make the SE look sportier than other Camry models with the 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine, electric motor and nickel metal hydride battery pack of the Camry Hybrid. That means the Hybrid SE offers up 200 combined system horsepower to the front wheels, and we'd expect it to be rated at the same 40 miles per gallon city and 38 highway of the Camry XLE Hybrid.
Only 5,000 units will be produced between February and June of 2014, with an asking price of $27,845, which is about $700 more expensive than the base Camry Hybrid LE or $2,620 less than the Hybrid XLE that Toyota says shares a similar level of equipment. Sounds like a fair shake to us. Scroll down below for the complete press release.