The vehicle will be entering testing in the city of Tianjin by the end of this year. The main goal is to see how the car can adapt to the local market and most importantly how useful will it prove to be for the customers and not only.
While Toyota will be selecting the drivers to be taking part in the test, CATARC will help the carmaker measure fuel efficiency, charging times, electric-vehicle driving range and so on, prior to analyzing them.
"As we move to distance cars from petroleum, we view electricity, which can be produced using any primary energy source, as exceptionally promising. Greater use of it is in lockstep with China's electrification policy", said Takeshi Uchiyamada, Toyota vice president said when the announcement was made.
The Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid is powered by a 1.8l 97 bhp regular engine, paired with a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor. The engine develops by itself 97 bhp, while the electric motor adds an extra 79 bhp.
The Prius plug-in hybrid, presented by Toyota as a natural evolution of the world's most successful hybrid, can be recharged in about three hours by using an 110V electrical outlet or in 90 minutes with a 220V connection.
The model can travel some 12.5 miles (20km) in electric mode, six miles more than the everyday Prius. The increased electric mileage can reduce harmful emissions to as little as 609g/km.
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