Toyota Crown PHEV goals for electrical miles, dwelling backup functionality

The Toyota Crown is getting an all-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid variant in Japan.

Often called the Toyota Crown Sport PHEV, the brand new mannequin was unveiled Monday. It is based mostly on the Japanese-market Crown Sport crossover SUV unveiled in October. It is one in every of a number of Crown physique types, together with the high-riding Toyota Crown hybrid sedan that is out there now within the U.S., and the Crown Signia hybrid SUV that is coming right here for the 2025 mannequin 12 months.

The plug-in hybrid Crown—no Prime badging, as of but—makes use of a 2.5-liter inline-4 engine and all-wheel drive. This isn’t the Hybrid Max system that is used on another variations of the Crown, although. Moderately, it is possible just like the system used within the Lexus TX 550h plug-in hybrid which, in a primary drive, Inexperienced Automobile Stories discovered well-suited to the TX’s function as a fast, quiet folks mover.

Whole system output is 301 hp, and Toyota estimates 55 miles of electrical vary on the Japanese testing cycle. However the actual spotlight stands out as the availability of vehicle-to-home (V2H) backup energy functionality. Toyota claims the Crown Sport PHEV can be utilized “as a dependable storage battery throughout blackouts and different occasions of emergency” in addition to cost utilizing extra energy generated by dwelling photo voltaic installations.

Toyota Crown Sport PHEV

This is likely to be the primary Toyota PHEV permitting full V2H dwelling connectivity—which for years Toyota hybrid homeowners have been in search of, in some instances with aftermarket options. The Ford F-150 Lightning and the Kia EV9 are providing dwelling energy backup techniques, however the Crown PHEV’s functionality to make use of gasoline is an additional dimension of catastrophe assist.

Toyota hasn’t mentioned plans to carry any variations of the Crown Sport to the U.S., however it’s not arduous to think about the identical plug-in hybrid powertrain making it into the U.S.-market Crown Signia or Crown sedan. Toyota is making plug-in hybrids a significant a part of its future technique, together with plans to push vary out past 120 miles.