Discuss The Prius Plug-In Hybrid: A California Car Non-Residents Can Like, Too | PluginCars.com IMHO its too little compared to the kit builders, but will give toyota valuable feedback for the gen IV phv
you have to have the right sort of commute or type of local driving. for my wife and i, it's a no brainer. no hov stickers needed or available here.
I'm guessing less than 50% of Gen II Prius owners even bothered to pull their old/expired yellow stickers off. It's strange to see them stuck on their cars still. Our EV has the same white stickers that apply to the natural gas cars (a few vans, the Honda Civic conversions, and a bunch of the Taxis using Crown Vic's to dead head back to their normal operating area). The white stickers too, just like the new CA green stickers - have a sunset provisions where solo HOV access will eventually go away. If yellow stickers are any indication, the PiP's will continue to sell, long after being kicked out of the HOV lanes ... and a new batch of clean cars will be running around the landscape with expired white - green - and yellow stickers. .
Those are the only cars with gas engines. The ford energis will soon join them. Pure electrics and ngv are on a different program that can use the car pool lane.
We have new HOV-3 HOT (toll) lanes opening by Dec_2012 on the DC Beltway in VA. I need to look up the use rules for Prii and Volts and EV. Next they are doing HOT lanes from here to Richmond on I-95 (eg; construction ad naseum).
I get to work much faster in my Prius Plug- in! It's fun to pass Porsches and BMW's by the score. Zoom, zoom!
(the PIP is not available in MS, I actually considered having one shipped from CA) I see 3 clients a day, but I see any one client once in 5 years, so 'dedicated' chargers are out of the question. But a 2 hour charge at each client (and home) would give me 40 miles of electric range and only need 70 miles of gas, instead of 110 miles. 8000 miles of gasoline / 40 MPG * $3.50 = $700 gas savings each year (for me) so it will be several years to pay back. (There would be a minor electric cost, but under $100 total)
It's a Prius with some driving on the plug, but the driving on the plug will cost you. It's as simple as that. Oh heated seats! And it'll be a bit more efficient. But it's a Prius, so if you don't like the Prius youwon't like the PiP. It's really not surprising it's not yet selling in numbers.Oh and if you would normally buy a 4, tough, you'll have to shell out for the advanced.I expect a significant difference in Gen 4.
Too expensive. If I lived in CA I'd get a HOV sticker for sure, but the Leaf is a way to get the white one, and currently Nissan is giving away Leafs at truly unprecedented rates. The PiP was compelling when it was supposed to be three grand more. Instead it's many grands more.
