City Testing New Toyota Prius

Over the next few weeks locals might catch a glimpse of a brand new Toyota Prius that isn’t even on the market yet. According to city Energy Efficiency Coordinator Alicia Hunt, Medford is taking advantage of a demonstration program offered by Toyota and will be testing out a plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius that has yet to become available to consumers.

According to Hunt, grant money could be available in the future that could help cities and towns purchase more environmentally efficient cars such as hybrids, so Medford is curious to test the Prius.

This particular Prius is new because it’s a hybrid with a battery that can be charged by simply plugging the car into an electrical outlet and no special equipment besides the car’s electrical cord is needed. The battery takes up to three hours to fully charge at a cost of about forty-five cents. The car can go thirteen miles on just the full battery and up to four hundred miles on a full tank of gas. Manual controls inside the car can shift between gas and electric usage while the car can also do that on its own, according to Code Enforcement Officer John Bavuso, who will be regularly driving the Prius while on the job.

Mayor Michael McGlynn in the Prius with Bavuso (passenger seat) and Hunt (back seat) at Medford City Hall on Friday morning.

– InsideMedford.com