a brand of hybrid car, one of the first commercially successful, that runs at lower speeds on an electric motor powered by a battery pack, and at higher speeds on a gasoline engine, which can also recharge the battery.
Origin of Prius
1997; from the Latin prius meaning “coming before”; also related to such English words as “prior” and “primary”
Quotations related to Prius
"In hybrids such as the Toyota Prius, computer software decides when to run the [gasoline] engine, when to run the electric motor and when to recharge the battery. … A full hybrid, such as the Toyota Prius, can provide a fuel economy improvement of 60 percent or more. "
-Joseph J. Romm and Andrew A. Fran Hybrid Vehicles Gain Traction Scientific American (April 2006)