Recently, I wrote the Prius had a "second phase" goal of 37 miles in electric-only mode. In the video above, Hans-Peter Wandt of Toyota says the "step one" Prius in testing can go 60 to 100 kph (100 kph is 62 mph) and that future models will go "beyond" that. The current Prius' top speed in electric-only mode is 35 mph. If Hans means step one is the Prius being tested in France, then that means Toyota has developed an electric engine that breaks the speed limit.

The stage one Prius, currently in testing, does not use lithium-ion and only has a 6-mile range. Does it matter if the plug-in Prius can go 67 MPH if it has a 6-mile range? A powerful electric engine in the first phase Toyota could mean a smaller gas engine, which means lower weight and maybe higher mileage. Even if the phase one gas motor is the same size as the current Prius, the second phase Prius will be able to get 37 miles per charge and go 67 mph.

A Prius with that sort of electric-only range coupled with an electric-only speed of 67 mph is on par with the Volt. It's very possible that we'll hear Toyota start to make the same claims as GM has with the Volt, i.e, the car gets very high mileage, you may never have to use gas, etc. And the "second phase" Prius may even have higher mileage. How is that possible? Remember, the series hybrid model may be less efficient than parallel hybrid model. Also, Hans mentions they are open to other power trains and he even mentions co-generation. Does that mean there is a natural gas Prius or natural gas charger in the works?

[Source: YouTube]

There were lots of flashy cars at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. Citroën C-Cactus concept was not the prettiest but it was well thought out with ideas that may soon go into production. The designer of the C-Cactus, Gilles Vidal, says "we wanted to look at the whole environmental question from dust to dust. We quickly realised we wanted a lighter car. There's a virtuous [sic] circle where you add some new technology, and before you know it you need bigger brakes to stop the heavier car, and weight just balloons. The C-Cactus is an attempt to get away from that."

Hypermilers will love the efforts to reduce weight in the C-Cactus like getting rid of the dashboard. We think the lack of a dashboard is a little too radical but the lack of a paint job on the side doors has potential. Conceivably, there are silver, gray, metallic, etc. paint jobs Citroën offers. What's the point if the car is already that color? We have never seen a car have the option of no paint job and think it might catch on like hard wood floors for homes. A Citroën spokesperson says it's possible that feature will be used on future production cars.

[Source: Auto Express News, Car Magazine]

Welcome to the third AutoblogGreen video round up! Like all the video round ups so far, this one is all about the Frankfurt Auto Show. The video above is Bob Lutz introducing the Opel Flextreme concept. Someone in the Opel video says the emissions from the engine will be constant, which seems to fix complaints of the series hybrid model. Has GM solved the problem of engines warming up?

Below the fold is a video tour of the Frankfurt show floor with a look at most of the new green cars. Included in that video is the VW Up! which the tour guide says could be VW's next iconic car like the VW Bug. Also below the fold is another video tour from the show with a quick shot of Rick Wagoner talking green. This year's IAA was all about green cars, and we've got the video to prove it.

[Source: YouTube]