Beginning in early December, select Georgetown faculty members will pull onto campus in a new, high-tech ride—the Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHV).

Two of the plug-in hybrids will be loaned to the University as part of a global study conducted by Toyota and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities Program, according to a Toyota press release.

“By taking steps toward accommodating electric vehicle use, Georgetown continues to advance our sustainability goals, including the reduction of our carbon footprint,” Karen Frank, vice president for university facilities and student housing, said in the release.

Georgetown employees will have the opportunity to drive the cars in three-month shifts before passing them on to other faculty members. There’s a catch, however; each PHV takes between 90 minutes and three hours to fully recharge, meaning that test drivers will have to charge the cars at special parking spots underneath the Hariri building. (The Hariri building is LEED certified, so it is fitting that it will be housing these reduced-footprint cars.)

The Prius PHV is able to operates solely on electricity for 13 miles at normal traffic speeds, then reverts to a hybrid electricity and gasoline-fuel model.

Data from Toyota’s national demonstration will be posted beginning in early 2011. The data will be used to aid in the development of the next generation of Toyota vehicles available for sale in 2012.

Photo: Sustainability at Georgetown University

While every dorm won’t have wireless internet access by the beginning of the semester, students can still expect something new—washing machines!

The front-loading, high-efficiency washing machines, which are manufactured by Speed Queen, will cut down on the University’s water and electricity consumption.

“They’re low-energy machines,” Vice President for Facilities and Student Housing Karen Frank said. “They use a lot less water and a lot less power.”

The new washing machines are part of the Georgetown’s “Green Initiative,” which aims to reduce the University’s energy footprint.

Unlike their traditional counterparts, high-efficiency washing machines use small amounts of detergent.

Frank recommended that students use special, high-efficiency detergent, but Vox has a thrifty tip for you all—regular detergent works just fine, so long as you only use one-fourth the suggested amount.

UPDATE: We’ve heard from a concerned source that regular detergent can’t be used in the new washing machines. Although the above tip came straight from the mouth of VP Karen Frank, the Internet suggests otherwise, we’re going to err on the side of caution.