Toyota Prius Hybrid and Prius Battery

Category: File - :Ford escape hybrid.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Ford Escape Hybrid was both the first hybrid electric SUV and first hybrid electric vehicle with a flex-fuel engine capable of running on E85 fuel

A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) combines a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) propulsion system with an electric propulsion system. The presence of the electric powertrain is intended to achieve either better fuel economy than a conventional vehicle, or better performance. A vari...

The Toyota Prius () is a full hybrid electric mid-size car developed and manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation. It first went on sale in Japan in 1997, making it the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle. It was subsequently introduced worldwide in 2001. The Prius is sold in more than 40 countries and regions, with its largest markets being those of Japan and North America. In May 2008, global cumulative Prius sales reached the 1 million vehicle mark, and by August 31, 2008, the Prius reached worldwide cumulative sales of 1.43 million units. As a top seller, the U.S. market made up more than half of the 1.2 million Prius sold worldwide by early 2009.

The Prius is the most fuel efficient gas car currently sold in the U.S. according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA and California Air Resources Board (CARB) also rate the Prius as among the cleanest vehicles sold in the United States based on smog forming and toxic emissions.

The UK Department for Transport reported the latest Prius is the second least CO2-emitting vehicle on sale in the UK with 89 g/km.