2012 Toyota Prius Base Hatchback 4-door 1.8l on 2040-cars

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Recharge Wrap-up: Qualcomm invests in Chargemaster, gamers will appreciate these Toyota Prius C ads

Chargemaster has received an investment from Qualcomm for wireless charging in the UK. Of the 27,000 charging stations it has already installed, 10,000 are ready to be adapted for inductive charging, according to Chargemaster. Dr. Anthony Thomson of Qualcomm says that with this investment (of a currently undisclosed amount), "we are taking another step towards deployment of a convenient and easy to use WEVC network." The convenience of wireless charging not only makes life easier for current EV drivers, but could also help convince more people to make the switch to electric driving. Read more at EV Fleet World or at Hybrid Cars. Toyota has released Japanese ads for the Prius C using music from popular video games. The ads, which borrow scores from Dragon Quest III and Monster Hunter, also use the tagline "Fun to drive, again." While some may find the link between driving and role-playing video games tenuous, fans of green cars and gaming know the various feedback displays in cars like the Prius C can make eking out every last mpg possible feel like a game, with the car's Eco Score essentially the equivalent of a game's high score. Plus even if the reference is lost on a viewer, the ads do instill a sense of adventure. See and hear for yourself in the videos below, and read more at Kotaku. The electric vehicle charger (EVC) market is predicted to grow by significantly worldwide by 2020, according to a new report. It shows a predicted compound annual growth rate of 28.28 percent between 2013 and 2020. Level 2 charging station sales will expand from $0.2 billion in 2014 to $3.5 billion by 2020, while growing from $67 million in 2013 to about $947 million in 2020 in the US alone. For 2014, residential EVC sales currently make up 70 percent of those in the US, while sales between home and non-residential level 2 chargers is expected to be about equally divided by 2020. Read more in the press release below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Toyota nears $40B cash reserve as calls grow for new investment, payouts

With the April 15 tax deadline just a few months away, our US readers will be faced with a decision should they get a refund: save or spend? It seems this issue is one many of us face whenever there's a windfall, trying to decide whether we should set the money aside in an account of some sort or use it as a down payment on a new car or a trip to the Apple store. Unsurprisingly, major corporations face a similar, albeit more complex, issue.
Take Toyota, for example. With President Akio Toyoda at the helm, the Japanese manufacturer has gracefully weathered recalls and natural disasters, all while turning beaucoup profits. Last quarter, profits quintupled to 434.4-billion yen ($4.3-billion USD), according to Bloomberg. Toyota also upped its forecast for the end of fiscal year 2013 (which ends on March 31 for Japan), to a record 1.9-trillion yen (about $18.8 billion). Now, the Japanese brand is reportedly sitting on a cash pile of nearly $40 billion, leaving Toyoda-san in an envious predicament - what should the company do with all that money?
Some think Toyota should be doing something, anything with that big stack of cash.

Supra successor may be all-electric sourced from Tesla; MR2 returning too?

Rumors of a revival of the Toyota Supra and MR2 have been swirling for years right up until just this week when high-level Toyota employees all but confirmed their return.
But now The Detroit Bureau has put together news from different sources suggesting that the next Supra might be all electric. The report cites recent comments from Toyota senior executives hinting at plans to work with Tesla on a new joint project. The FT-HS Concept (shown above) seems a logical inspiration for a new Supra.
And on the other side of the equation is Tesla's design chief Franz von Holzhausen who was quoted last year saying his company was looking at its next project, probably a sports car, that would follow next year's intro of the Model X. He went on to suggest the car would compete directly with BMW's 3 Series, which, in coupe form, could be a worthy competitor to a Supra as well.