With many a pretender to the hybrid throne coming from its rivals, Toyota is moving to protect its title with the Auris HSD Full Hybrid Concept, which promises to be even more advanced and efficient than Toyota's current green champion, the Prius.
While the Prius employs a Parallel Hybrid drivetrain, which uses an electric motor to augment an internal combustion engine that drives the wheels, the Auris is a Full Hybrid, which can run on any combination of electrical and combustion power. Toyota has upgraded its Hybrid Synergy Drive technology so that the Auris can be propelled either by its electric motor, its internal combustion engine or a combination of both and do so at any speed.
While the current Prius is limited to using electrical power for low speed propulsion and to augment its gasoline engine, the Auris can drive at any speed with only the electric motors providing thrust. Further, its internal combustion engine can either help drive the wheels directly or simply generate electricity to power the electric motors. The Auris' engine computer will decide which propulsion method or combination thereof is best for any given situation, be it performance or fuel economy.
Allowing the internal combustion engine to power the wheels as well as act as a generator will make the Auris more versatile than other extended-range electric vehicles such as the Chevrolet Volt and could give Toyota a leg up on the competition. For now, though, the Auris is only a concept.