I really don't get it???

You get to drive 13 miles without using any gasoline. If you continue driving then the engine starts, and you just keep going. If your commute is 26 miles per day it's like getting more than 100 MPG. Depending on where you get your electricity this can be a significant further reduction in greenhouse gas emissions beyond that of a non-plug-in Prius.

 

It doesn't have to be about the commute. One can use this for their regular "around town" shopping and errands. In my case, I commute 110miles a day but in the evenings and weekends I run around our small town multiple times throughout the day. In this situation I could use all EV miles and reduce my pollution footprint instead of driving a few miles at a time with a cold engine.

At first I assumed the 13 miles (approx.) was useless because I focused on my commute but the more I thought about what drags my MPG down from my excellent freeway average, I realized it was the short trips I make to pick up food, car parts, Home Depot, etc.. During those short trips you might only average 35-40mpg. This drags my 53-57mpg freeway average down to high 40s or low 50s depending on how many trips I make.

 

A "regular" Prius is incredibly efficient, and while it has both an electrical power system and an internal combustion power system all of the energy used by the car comes from gasoline.

In a Plug-in Prius, the battery will be larger than a normal Prius and you'll be able to bring electrical power on board through a plug rather than generating your own electricity by burning gasoline.

For the first 13 miles or so the primary source of your motive power will be the electricity that came into the car through the plug, assisted mildly by the ICE during heavy loads or when it is most efficient to do so. After that 13 miles it reverts to operation exactly like the normal prius to generate its own electricity and share propulsion more evenly between the electrical and ICE power systems.

The idea is you get a boost from your local power company that helps reduce your need to use gasoline. Some people with very short commutes or who can charge at both ends of their commute will burn very little gasoline at all, but if you have a longer commute its not a problem as you'll still get operation as good as a normal prius plus the boost of burning substantially less gasoline during the first part of your trip for a much better overall fuel economy.

 

And anyone who is familiar with the Pulse & Glide technique will know that a 13 mile "glide" would be awesome for your average MPG.

 

Pricing hasn't been announced, some people here think it will only be an additional $3000 or so. Part of the benefit depends on how much you can charge, if you charge at work you get double the benefit of charging only overnight, or if you come home and plug in for a little bit before heading off to dinner or something.

Also gas prices have more than doubled during the lifetime of my last car, think about your payback period at $8 gallon gas.

 

Where did you get the idea that the plugin would be $10k more?

 

we don't know the price yet, but it likely won't pay for itself on fuel savings. the point is to slowly move toward alternative/renewable energy sources so that someday, we won't be dependent on oil and also can reduce pollution.

as for you, if you can find a prius now, i would buy it. the plug in won't be generally available for a good two years or more. all the best!

 

As stated, the price has not been announced and even once it is announced you can factor in the state and/or federal rebate for it being a plug-in car.

That being said, I don't think the car is set up to be so economically viable that you will pay off the "premium" for the plug-in in a very short period of time unless you have a very short commute like I used to (13miles to be exact). Also keep in mind that the first 10miles or so of a commute is done with a cold engine and your mpg will actually be closer to 35mpg unless you do some seriously hypermiling and grille blocking, engine block heater etc..

Some will also buy the car for the pollution reduction like I would be interested in. If I could drive around Davis in EV mode and not spew pollution in the faces of all the joggers and kids riding their bikes then I would be happier indeed.

 

He is in SoCal so he has a better chance than most of getting one.

 

NP man. You're not the first to think "Wth? How is this of benefit to anyone?".

 

now, it all makes sense.

 

Why would we hate you? It's a cool car and if it fits your needs and you don't mind the reduced fuel economy and reported reliability then go for it. You'll still get great gas mileage as long as you don't drive too many city miles and short trips (34ish mpg avg.).

Fun is defined differently by each person. I grew tired of sports cars/trucks where the only fun to be had was speeding or corner carving (still speeding). I can cruise along in my Prius and have much fun by trying to bring my MPG up or see how long I can glide while using no fuel etc.. The Prius is a different kind of fun. More like a video game where finesse is the key to success.

 

Putting aside that some can charge more then once a day, larger capacity charge/discharge rate battery will improve MPG, so you might actually see better MPG all around, even after the initial charge is gone.

Investment recovery may actually be far less then 25yrs, would be interesting to see real life numbers.

 

It's all good homie. I wish you the best of luck with whatever car you purchase.

 

My general complaint with the Prius is its handling but I have recently added a strut tower bar and had to replace my bald Yokohama avids and now I have a car that handles very well for its size and weight.

I can now make up for its general lack of speediness by taking corners faster and having fun that way.

But yeah...get what makes you happy.