18 Chapter 2 hybrid system used an air-cooled 288-V NiMh battery with about 1.7 kWh of energy as the basis of the energy storage portion of the THS. Part of the strong market acceptance of the Prius was due to its unique look and aerodynamic design, it became an “image” vehicle for people trying to make an environmental or political statement and very quickly becoming the standard for high fuel-economy hybrid systems.
After over 10 years of success in the marketplace, Toyota expanded the THS lineup by offering the THS in the Lexus brand, making Prius a stand-alone brand by adding the Prius C, a small city car, the Prius V, slightly larger hatchback, and a Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) with about a 10-mile range. Toyota also developed a fully electric RAV4 SUV that it offered for lease between 1997 and 2003 and later partnered with Telsa to develop the second generation electric RAV4. The second generation RAV4 EV battery was based on the Tesla Model-S battery pack and was a 386-V lithium-ion battery with about 52 kWh of total energy onboard.
Honda followed with the introduction of the Honda Insight, a hybrid based on their integrated motor assist (IMA) technology, which actually preceded the Toyota Prius and was the first produced hybrid vehicle available in the US market. Like the other OEMs, the Insight was also a ground-up design that had a major focus on low weight and aerodynamics, however it had a fatal flaw—it was designed as a “two-seater.” And while there were a number of enthusiasts and early adopters, the two seat configuration limited the market potential and ended up with global sales below 18,000 total units between 1999 and 2006 when it ended its production run.
One final note on the Insight, as of this writing in 2014 is that the Insight is still the highest fuel-economy gasoline-fueled hybrid vehicle as certified by the Environmen- tal Protection Agency in the United States. Honda followed that with by adding their hybrid technology to their best-selling sedan, the Honda Civic. The Civic quickly became the second best-selling hybrid in the world, second only to the Prius. The Civic used a 144-V NiMh battery with about 0.8 kWh of energy—about half the size of the Prius battery. Honda also offered a CRZ hybrid with a lithium-ion battery in 2010 and a fully electric Fit with a 20 kWh lithium-ion battery in 2013.
Not to be left behind, the Japanese and Korean auto manufacturers began offering hybrid and electric vehicle options. Mitsubishi introduced the fully electric i-Miev; Mazda offered hybrid options on their Tribute, Mazda3, and Mazda6; Hyundai a hybrid Sonata, Tuscon, and Elantra; Kia with a hybrid Optima; and Subaru with an XV Crosstrek and a Stella Plug-in Hybrid. During the late-1990s and early 2000s, Nissan took a bit of a “wait-and-see” attitude toward hybrids and electric vehicles. However, once they made a decision to develop a fully electric vehicle, they created a large world-class development team with a single focus—to develop an affordable electric vehicle.
The result was the Nissan Leaf; as of 2014, it was the best-selling mass production electric vehicle in the world. Renault–Nissan also