adventures with the PHV model Prius

Reasons for request not to use extension cord could be:
They have no control on the extension cord rating.
They have no control on the cable length, even if the cable is rated correctly. They correctly assumed that some of the testers will measure charge energy during plug-in, any added component like long extension cord is adding to the charge losses showing artificially larger reading at the wall socket which they wanted to avoid.

Giora.

 

What they REALLY don't want is someone trailing a cable through their house, and then tripping and injuring themself, trapping the cable in a door and electrocuting themself, or using a low rated extension and causing a fire.

Any of those would be VERY bad for publicity.

 

I saw Toyota does not recommend to use an extension cable on the owners manual.
But, Mitsubishi, in Japan, provides the genuine 5m extension cable as an option item for their i-MiEV.

Hope Toyota will also provide the option for the consumer version of Prius PHV.

Ken@Japan

 

The plug in prius is a tough sell for me because of the low electric mileage (13 miles). I know that cost wise vs. range that is what it comes out to vs. the GM Volt, but the distance is too short for me to want to buy a brand new plug in just for 13 miles of electric riding, before it reverts back to a normal hybrid.

 

Hopefully in the future the range can be extended and also done in a more cost efficient way. Right now though the technology is still too new and too expensive.

 

13 miles actually covers majority (51%) of all the round trips, without charging at the destination.

Plug-in hybrid will blend gas and electric because it is a hybrid. The goal is not to eliminate gas consumption. Electric car is for that purpose but it comes with a set of disadvantages.

 

I was under the impression that the Prius gets less mileage than a conventional hybrid (after the 13 miles of electric) due to battery weight. I think net-net overall though it gets better gas mileage. My drive each way to work is about 13-14 miles so that would cover me one way on just an electric charge. I suppose I was just expecting more electric utilization than just the 13 miles, although I believe that is the best cost/benefit ratio.

The GM Volt's price is probably largely due to more batteries=40 miles. Plus it runs only on premium gas. No regular. I found that interesting.


I also must have misinterpreted the new Prius as being an electric only vehicle. (i.e. the car would have a charge and be all electric with a backup gas tank to charge the batteries.) This is what I prefer.


I didn't realize that it had a small electric charge, then turns back into a hybrid. I may wait until the future as I really prefer electric over the hybrid aspect. I don't believe the Leaf has a gas tank to charge the battery for those "oh sh-t I'm out of power moments".

 

The "normal" starting mode of PHV Prius is EV mode. It can get up to 14 EV miles with decent acceleration and speed below 65 mph. This is ideal for around town trips to do chores.

If you average speed of 14 mph, that's an hour drive. If you average 28 mph, that's a 30 mins drive. See the video recorded by htmlspinnr showing the EV acceleration. It appears more than sufficient for my local trips where I live.

PHV Prius has two powertrains so using both of them to its fullest extend is a good thing.

 

Does the plug-in prius need a special adapter to plug in or can the main harness with the yellow button be connected to a standard 110v house plug ? How long is the primarly cord used ? 6ft ?

I still like the Prius and I'd get it any day over the GM Volt, but I'll just have to hang around and see. I recently got a 2010 Prius just this past Feb so maybe in a few years I can swap it out for a plug-in.

 

Yup, it plugs to the standard 110v home plug and gets fully charged in about 3 hours. This opens to opportunity charges wherever you go. I think it is a plus before more high power charging stations are available. Charge often and save money with the smaller battery.

 

If the 2 battery packs that provide 13 miles of electric charge are completely depleted and the vehicle is back into regular hybrid mode, does normal driving around (coasting, braking, etc....) eventually recharge the 2 battery packs, or once they are completely depleted they can only be re-charged via plug ?

 

The PHV battery is divided into 3 packs. The main pack, sub pack1 and sub pack2. Once both sub packs are depleted, it runs in HV mode with the main pack. Both the sub packs will not be recharged again until you plug it in. That's how the demo units behave.

The role of the packs get rotated so they all share the load of running on the HV mode. Each subpack is 1.73 kWh; more than the 1.31 kWh NiMH standard pack.

 

Following is JP Prius comparison in HV mode and the PHV is better than the conventional Prius.

Prius Plug-in 30.6 km/L (JC08 mode)
conventional Prius 30.4 km/L (JC08 mode)

Ken@Japan

 

I'm sure the idea was probably brought up, but I'm surprised they did not integrate the solar roof panels to charge the batteries assuming there is nowhere to plug in ?

According to the video I watched the EV batteries can be recharged through normal driving but I assume this is with the exception the car is still in EV mode and not depleted.

 

The solar power from the roof panels is so low that it wouldn't be cost effective to even bother. The 80 Watt peak output wouldn't add enough energy even if left in full sun all day.

 

First the PV panel doesn't put out 80 watts. The solar panel only puts out about 60-65 watts optimally, meaning if the sun is directly over head, on a 70 degree/cloudless day. PV panels are less efficient the hotter they get. So realistically you could count on 50 watts for at best, 5 hours a day ... or put another way, you'd get one 250 watt hour per day. So, if the traction pack holds 5Kwh, that means your solar panel could restore only FOUR per cent, if it was charging all day long with perfect/cloudless weather. A real world scenario would be more like 2% recharged all day long. But then, the PV panel couldn't run the ventilation fan. So ... what would be the point.

.

 

Well, 250 Wh can go one mile. That will boost the MPG especially of a short trip.

 

So, with all the talk about MPG and EV and such (it's great,keep it up!)...what about weight specs, load capacity with the added battery pack(s), etc. I'm used to my "old beater" carrying ALOT of things, as well as towing things (small trailer, brush and yard stuff...and only once up any significant hills). What's the expectation for total cargo with the Plug-in?