Not impressed w/lack of spare & flat-sealant

OP will have an opportunity to slam the car on Toyota's customer satisfaction survey. At this point in history a number of cars don't come with spare tires or the spare is an option. Some of those cars cost way more than $32000. Some cost way less. Which manufacturer will be first to charge separately for the other 4 wheels & tires?

If a plug isn't going to fix a flat then sealant won't either.

If the car had come with a tire strapped on the deck would there be complaining over a lack of cargo space?

I'm sorry you aren't happy with the car. Maybe you can trade down to a standard Prius or up to a large EV that will have enough space for a spare.

 

This isn't totally a PHV Prius issue. More cars are coming with fix-a-flat in a can.

To me it's not as big of a deal as some people are making it out to be. If you frequently get holes in your tires, then buy a small spare and strap it down in the back. I've only had maybe two flats in the last 10 years so I don't really care about the fix-a-flat can of goo. Besides, I'm not the one cleaning the tire out to fix it LOL.

 

Some car companies used to mount the spare under the trunk area on a special carrier that dropped down, I don't know if this mod is conceivable on the PIP. I have had my doughnut behind the right front seat and in trunk. Both places work but Niether is satisfactory.......maybe a roof rack ? To disrupt airflow!

 

The technology is there for a three inch thick high tech spare with a bolt pattern that can be made to fit any specific car with the outer diameter being the same as the standard fully tired wheel.

The spare can be nearly flat and neeeds only to clear the brake parts. The wheel can be made of steel with pressed in strengthening spokes like many wagon type gun carriage wheels that were designed since prior to WWI for military use.

It can use the same technology as the "run flat" tire insert and use a four ply class c rated motorcycle like tire. It can laso be urethane foam filled.

The spare, however, may not serve as a drive wheel, which means that it must be used only on a "non driven" wheel.

The industry, however, took the economy move of the sealant and/or the compressor.

The type of tire would not be cost prohibitive when produced and supplied in large numbers.

It has not been developed or supplied, because the public has NOT demanded it. Adding only 3 inches to the trunk floor might be the most viaable alternative.

 

It won't work. The trunk floor must be raised, and that area has already been allotted to the PIH battery. The 3 inch thick spare appears to be the ideal solution.

 

Bigger battery - Yes!

Look around, folks. Unlike other PHV's there is a tremendous amount of space to stash anything you want, to include spare tires. Think about it - can any alternative give you this kind of electric fuel efficiency, gas fuel efficiency, plop a spare in the trunk and still seat 5, or a spare on the back seat floor and still seat 4 with that kind of space left to stash more gear?

I want more battery capacity more than I want any other improvement to this platform. Looks to me like minor tweaks could triple the battery volume by expanding the battery pack to encompass the currently unused rear under-deck volume in conjunction with raising the rear deck as Paradox and others suggest. Available, inexpensive technology doubling current energy density of Lithium Ion could result in a 2015 Prius Plug-in giving us a six-fold increase in realistic EV range of 72 miles (advertised as 84, of course) with little change in form factor other than a slight raising of the trunk floor.

Toyota, are you listening?

 

nope.