Toyota has revealed tie-ups with five Japanese power companies in a bid to offer plug-in hybrid connected services by the time the new Prius PHV is launched.
As a part of the service, the cruising distance on EV-mode, units of electricity charged at home, plus other information which is relayed by the data communication module (DCM) installed in the Prius PHV are shared by Toyota to the respective power companies. These include Tohoku Electric, Chubu Electric, TEPCO Energy, Shikoku Electric, and Kansai Electric.
Prius PHV users can monitor their information on the dedicated website and the service is principally targeted to decrease the impact that vehicles cause on the environment by encouraging customers to use the car's EV-mode to cover longer distances. Power companies will reward consumers with points, who can then use these points to pay their power bills or exchange them for products.
Toyota confirmed that the information received from the vehicles would be constantly analysed so that prospective services could be offered in the future.
