PORTLAND, OR - Portland State University (PSU) and its Oregon partners, including Portland General Electric (PGE) have been selected by Toyota as one of six groups nationally to demonstrate and evaluate the next-generation Prius plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHV).

Toyota will place ten of its Prius PHVs, equipped with lithium-ion batteries, in Oregon later this spring as part of the company's global demonstration program. Portland State University will administer the program regionally. Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., made the announcement April 13 at the 2010 Toyota Sustainable Mobility Seminar in La Jolla, Calif. Other U.S. program partners include Qualcomm, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Southern California Air Quality Management District, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Colorado.

"PSU will work closely with our partners Portland General Electric, the city of Portland and others to evaluate a variety of driving conditions involving this vehicle in both hybrid and all-electric modes," said Wim Wiewel, president, Portland State University.

"The Portland and Salem metro areas are excellent locations for Toyota's Prius Plug-in Hybrid global demonstration project," said Jim Piro, president and chief executive officer, PGE. "Oregonians have already shown great commitment to being early adopters of sustainable transportation options and welcome the opportunity to participate in shaping future electric vehicle programs."

Portland State University and Portland General Electric recently formed a strategic alliance around a shared vision of the Portland region as a leader in developing and implementing urban sustainability (http://www.pdx.edu/sustainability/partnerships/pge).

One primary thrust of the partnership is to promote "urban mobility," which includes studying charging station infrastructure issues, rolling out test vehicle fleets, analyzing consumer response, and policy development. PSU and PGE are also working to bolster the region's growing electric vehicle manufacturing, charging and supplier industry.

Other key partners in this project include the city of Portland; Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium, a National University Transportation Center based at Portland State University, and in partnership with University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and Oregon Institute of Technology, Zipcar, the Portland Development Commission, and the state of Oregon.

"Toyota's announcement re-affirms Portland's leadership position in sustainable mobility and adoption of EV technology," said Portland Mayor Sam Adams. "We are honored that Toyota has selected Portland and will work closely with our regional partners to make sure that the project is a success."