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This is the Prius version (with additions that should help get the best economy)

Moved to Wanted section, but with link left in the Avensis club - so you're covered for both forums

Sure - it basically shows the level of power being demanded or regenerated. When you first switch on and remain stationary, the needle should be at the top of the "charge" area, as in the picture. The bottom quarter is the regeneration area - if you lift off the accelerator whilst moving above a few mph without braking, you'll see it move down slightly into this area. As you brake, the needle moves further into this area, and the harder you brake the further into the area it moves. When it reaches the bottom, you have maximum regenerative braking - pressing harder will start to use the friction brakes as well. As you accelerate, the needle moves upward into the first half of the "Eco" area (the second quarter of the scale from the bottom) - whilst the needle stays in this area the car will use the electric motor as much as possible, unless there is insufficient charge or it needs to run the engine for other reasons (e.g. warming up, or heating the car). The next half of the "Eco" area brings in the engine as well, unless you have selected EV mode. The top quarter (pwr - power) means you're demanding more power at the expense of economy, but still fairly economical as long as you don't stay there too much. Continuing to press the accelerator after the needle has reached the top of the scale and you're into the realms of poorer mpg. The Prius gauge gives the same information except it's a straight line graph on a display, and available in the HUD if required (on Gen 3s). For best economy, you should try to brake early so that you don't press harder than needed to get the needle to the bottom of the scale. Accelerating up to the middle of the upper half of the "Eco" area pays dividends on the Prius, whether it does on the other Hybrids I'm not sure.

You learn something new every day :)

Copied from Wikipedia: "Japanese carmakers do not use a Vehicle Identification Number as is common in the United States and elsewhere. Instead, Japan uses a Frame Number—nine to twelve alphanumeric characters identifying model and serial number. For example, Frame Number SV30-0169266 breaks down as "V30" identifying the model as Toyota Camry/Vista x30; "S" identifying the engine (4S-FE), and "0169266" being the serial number of the vehicle. Vehicle make is not identified but slight number variations can identify the carmaker, i.e. Toyota usually uses seven digits for its serial numbers while Nissan uses six. Because a frame number contains far less information than a VIN, JDM vehicles also use a Model Code. As an example, SV30-BTPNK breaks down as "SV30", which means the same as above, and "BTPNK" which designates a set of features incorporated in the vehicle."

Couldn't tell you for certain but my general experience of cars says they'll be different.

There is no clutch or solenoid on this system. So applying 12v will not switch it on. It is a variable volume compressor, the compressor receives a pulse signal from the ECU to set the volume required. Note; As the system is always engaged it should not be run without refrigerant/oil otherwise it receives no lubricant. Note the WS manual states this in an od way: --------------------------------------------------- 9. DO NOT OPERATE ENGINE AND COMPRESSOR WITH NO REFRIGERANT IS FILLED CAUTION: This may damage the inside of the compressor because the compressor parts always moves regardless of whether the A/C system is turned on or off. ----------------------------------------------------------- I found a leaking HP pipe on mine under the battery, there is a sharp R Angle bend which seems to stress the pipe

Fuel cells are fud. They're up there with Nuclear Fusion; 10-20 years away - always. The article is biased rubbish too. They say "Another concern, not voiced by Kato (and therefore made up rubbish), is the high environmental cost of lithium ion battery production, which reduces the environmental benefits of EVs of internal combustion". Which effectively means they don't know what they're on about, and probably why Kato from Toyota didn't say it! A fuel cell car has a massive environmental cost, and probably greater than petrol. The only benefit is virtually zero LOCAL emissions. A fuel cell car has a lithium ion battery in it and it is substantial in that it must power the vehicle about 20-30 miles whilst the fuel cell warms up - especially so in winter. Then we get into the significant amounts of 'rare' earths used in a fuel cell itself, and hence why such cars are not available to buy and if they were, why they'd cost about £100,000. And that's before we get onto the massive amounts of electricity required to produce hydrogen and store it under massive pressure - both in the car or the filling station. Hydrogen cars are relatively quick to charge/fill up though, but restricted range is another issue as filling stations in the UK can be counted on one hand. PHEVs or BEVs are probably the ideal way at the moment to clean up our air. Hydrogen is just there to allow Shell, Esso and Texaco to carry on selling you 'something' to power your car. Now this is an interesting read :) http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/hybrid-technology/hydrogen-cars3.htm The cost of the cars is high, too. With platinum as the most widely used catalyst in the fuel cells, the price of a single fuel cell vehicle is currently more than $100,000 and even perhaps considerably more, which is why the only hydrogen cars available for you to drive at the moment are for lease, not for sale. Few people are in a position to afford such an expensive car. Other catalysts are being developed which will probably be less expensive than platinum, but nobody knows how soon they'll be available for large-scale use.

Currently only Prius + & Prius plug in have Li-ion battery all other hybrids use NiMH