Wildlife Photograph

Ijams' Hybrid Vehicles

Prius
Ijams Nature Center uses two Toyota Prius vehicles, one of which is on generous loan from Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

Ijams Sky-Blue Prius is seen here with Melissa Copeland, former Community Relations Manager of Alcoa, Inc. a major sponsor of Ijams' Living Clean & Green initiative.

The key objective of the Toyota Prius is to improve gas mileage and reduce emissions for city driving. The Prius gets better city mileage than highway mileage (60mpg/51mpg). The Prius can accelerate to a speed of 15 mph before switching on the gasoline engine, which only starts when the car exceeds a certain speed, typically around 12mph; thus eliminates the need for a starter. The heart of the Prius is a gearbox that hooks the gasoline engine, generator, and electric motor together. The car can be powered by the electric motor alone, the gas engine alone or they can power the car together. The car uses only the electric motor powered by a battery when it is driven at 15 mph or less. At speeds greater than 15 mph the gasoline engine is used. When the car accelerates, the motor will draw extra power from the battery. The Prius uses regenerative braking to keep the battery charged for the electric motor. As the car slows, the electric motor acts as a generator and charges the battery.

Visit Ijams and ask to see our Toyota Prius vehicles or participate in a Living Clean & Green program.