Hate to be a skeptic

Well, this very much disputes what everyone else with a PIP is saying. They are quoting trips of around 30 miles or less and often with recharging before return trip. Now if you had a trip of 40 miles there and back (under adverse conditions) for a total of 80 miles your experience may be reality. Only time will tell. So far we have been having not great, but, fantastic reports. Maybe you just did not get a chance to test drive it enough.

 

you're not being a skeptic. if you need thirty miles, consider the volt. i need 15 and the pip is perfect for me.

 

exactly what I'm thinking. I don't have time to recharge it 3 times a day and schedule my time around charging the Prius. it needs at least 30 mile range. people always assume that 30 miles in a PiP is 100 MPG because 15 EV range and 15 miles 50MPG on gas. it doesn't work like that. the first 5 miles is horrible. mid 30's to low 40's for warming up.

 

Last night drove 3rd gen across town about 4 1/2 miles, cold start, gage at 50.1 MPG (ok, let's say 47.5 actual). Car sat over an hour, returned home, gage still at 50.1. I've seen mine do 47 on some 5 ish mile trips and I think it might go up a little in Summer.

I think 35 MPG on Prius is like 1 mile from cold start... and that's all one ever does.

 

What is not being considered is the regen of the EV portion during a long trip, this has not been addressed yet. According to one of the early testers discussing test results from Madison Wisconsin to Chicago, his mpg readings were in the 80's. He is also one of the talented hypermilers, so I doubt he was doing 80 MPH. This regen ability of the EV portion may be the real PLUS to the Pip. :cheer2:

 

Not having a Pip yet. I have a question: When driving in HV how does one know that the regen obtained is going into the EV portion of the battery. And after total regen is obtained in EV, can it be isolated and saved for later use?

 

My very first day driving, I traveled 60 miles with only one recharge. The result was 59 MPG.

The next was 53 miles with one recharge, providing 70 MPG overall.

Next day, 57 miles for 71 MPG.

Yesterday was a two recharge day. 103 miles. 66 MPG.

Today, I recharged twice. Distance traveled was 50 miles. The result was 121 MPG.

In other words, be extremely careful drawing conclusions with limited sample data.
.

 

I am currently waiting for my PIP to be delivered. I believe Toyota has been very honest and upfront about who the PIP is best suited for and who would be better off driving a regular hybrid or some other vehicle. The PIP has never been universally recommended.

In my case, I commute just over 5 miles to work; even factoring in an errand or two, such as a stop at a grocery store or the doctor, I should be able to make my weekly commute without using a drop of gasoline, assuming I charge every night. And if I program to charge at night, using residual power from my PV cells on the roof of my home, maybe it will all be free!

But I am the exception and I know it. I have been planning for this since I first heard about the PIP 3 years ago. I tried to make it work. I really don't want to fund Mobil, or Exxon, or Kuwait, or any other petroleum-based economy if I can help it. And I don't want to leave any more footprint than I need to. But not everyone can manage to make it work and that's why Toyota still makes the 'regular' hybrid version. Yay!

 

My PiP will take its first trip to the gas station to tomorrow (details will be posted tomorrow), but I took a quick glance at the MFD and saw about 800 miles and 90MPG. Coming from a car whose past 7 year average was 18.03MPG, I think the PiP was a good choice for me. I would've considered a Volt if it was made by Toyota and if it had more interior volume.

Just to reiterate what many above have said, the Prius Plug-In is not for everyone. But I think those who have decided it is the best choice for them all seem to be very happy with it (even if it was just for the HOV sticker).

 

I don't see why the OP thinks he is skeptical either. The PiP fits some drive patterns and not others. Is that surprising ?

When I drive it is long distances, and I am currently unable to source electricity from clean sources, so I bought another hybrid recently rather than a plug-in. While I absolutely love driving in EV, I probably count as skeptic towards EVs as a national goal because of the subsidized costs and unproven reliability. I keep my fingers crossed that the tech will improve dramatically over the next decade.

 

The car tells when it has filled up the HV "portion" and is now filling the EV portion. You can manually put the car the in HV mode and it will preserve the current EV charge level for later EV use.

 

This pretty well says it all.

 

There is only one battery. While in HV, the more regen the higher the charge and more EV miles available. The Li-Ion battery can accept a higher charge rate than the NiMH battery in the standard Hatchback Prius. John1702a talked about HV use and "banking" the regen charge for later EV use.

 

John has been promoted? thanks for the reply.

 

Never let them promote you. That captain's chair is the place to be... 1701-A got officially transferred from the 2010 to the 2012 PHV just two days ago. So, the dream lives on.

As for the regen, I was surprised this morning to see how hard I could step on the brake without engaging friction for slowing. According to the Eco-Meter, it was almost totally regen. Lithium can absorb a greater electric punch than NiMH. That's a nice bonus for the plug-in model.
.

 

I would think the OP feels they are being a skeptic, and is apologetic about it because
1) they don't see the value of the Plugin Prius
2) they are admitting they are questioning the "religion" that all new things prius are better.

One definition of a skeptic is
"a person who doubts the truth or value of an idea or belief"

Another is someone one that follows skepticism one definition of which is:
"doubt concerning basic religious principles"


So the OP is recognizing they are questioning strongly held beliefs, especially posting that questioning on PC.

However, SageBrush is correct, they OP, and others questioning if the Prius PHV is right for them, so not feel bad or skeptical. It fits for some people's needs and not others.

To the OP: Realistically the Prius PHV is often very very hard to justify in economic terms. Then again reducing gas consumption is not just a economic consideration. However, nothing wrong with waiting for the next gen especially with a 2010 model.. economically you should probably wait for the gen after the next gen.

 

I think we all wish we could have 30-40 EV range but right now that's not reality in a Prius. I chose PIP because my work commute is 4 miles one way but I also have a nonprofit where I frequently travel 50-200 miles in a day and usually can not recharge. So the PIP is perfect for me. Some days I am 100% electric other days I am avg. 50-95mpg depending on length of trip. Time will tell on overall mpg. but I am projecting 65-75mpg with my mixed use (based on first 300 miles of use).

 

I think it's a mistake to think of the PiP as having some EV range and then being a "normal" Prius, or thinking of it as a range-extended EV with a very short EV range.

The PiP is a gas-electric hybrid, just like the regular Prius, but with a small amount of plug-in capacity, allowing it to achieve greater FE over moderate distances. Yes, it will drive EV for a few miles if the speed and power demand are not excessive, just as the regular Prius will drive EV for a mile or so if the speed and power demand are not excessive. But its real strength is that within the 50 or 100-mile range (not sure the exact point) the blended electricity allows it to achieve much higher FE than the regular Prius.

If you want pure EV (as I do) then buy an EV (as I did). There's also the Volt, with a longer EV range but worse FE after the ICE starts, and built by a company with a worse reliability and customer service record.

However, whether the extra $5,000 (?) is "worth" it for the relatively small battery, is a purely personal decision. It probably won't save you money. No new car will "save" you money compared to a good used car. But for some people, burning less gasoline is worth more than the cost of the saved gasoline. And even the limited EV range is fun.

So you're right to be skeptical. You have to make that decision for yourself. I won't buy a PiP because I prefer to drive a pure EV in and around town, and my 2004 Prius is fine (probably as good as a PiP) for extended road trips, and is much more economical (since I already own it) than trading it in on a new car. I get 50 mph on my long road trips. if I put 1,000 miles on, I use 20 gallons of gas, If the PiP gave me 52 mpg on those long trips I'd "save" less than a gallon. Definitely not worth trading up from my 2004 to a PiP. But if I could not have an EV, and the Prius was my only car, the PiP might be worth the cost to me for the cool factor.

If money is your only consideration, you probably don't want the PiP. If other things matter, you have to weigh those. If your wife doesn't like it, maybe keeping her happy is more important to you than a bit higher FE.