Got Prius 2010, worth Upgrade to PiP?

Clueless sales rep. You can charge as little or as much as works in your situation.

 

I went from a 2010 Prius to the PiP and couldn't be happier. You get heated seats/Nav/backup cam standard and better mpg even after the battery is depleted. I get on average 4-8 better mpg AFTER the battery is used up. The PiP acts just like a standard Pruis when the EV range is done but with better regen while driving. I only charge at home myself. My commute is 9.1-18.3mi 1 way depending on the day. Your battery does not need to be fully charged to use.

 

I traded in my 2012 Prius Five for the PIP Base when Toyota came out with the $5k finance credit last year. I also got the $2500 fed refund and my local electric utility gave me a $500 rebate check for the PIP.
I get free charging at work 5 days a week- so that helps too.

Stats FWIW- (I drive about 1400 to 1500 mi/month average):
-2012 Prius Five avg mpg per month (over the six months I owned it): 50.3mpg
-2012 PIP mpg: April 2013- 95mpg, May 2013- 96mpg, June 2013 (as of 6/24) 99mpg.

-Home electric utility bill increased about $18/month since I got the PIP (22 cents/KwH here)

-2012 Prius Five- had to gas up once every 1.5 weeks
-2012 PIP- gas up every three weeks

-2012 Prius Five- saw as low as 29mpg on short weekend trips due to ICE warm-up cycle
-2012 PIP- can go most weekends without ever starting up the ICE

Average daily commute to work then back home- 56mi total x 5 days a week. Average about 30+ miles of weekend driving consisting of mostly short 5-10 mi trips.

 

Yeah, that's how it works-
Even though they're not- think of them as two separate batteries in the PIP- one for the EV (up to 64mph use) and one for HV use (up to 42mph). When you plug in for recharge it charges both (even though it's just really one large 4.4kw LIon battery) batts- once you deplete the EV portion of the batt, the display switches to a graph of the HV portion of the battery which is still full once the EV portion is exhausted. Now the PIP acts more like the regular Prius- you have to keep under 42mph to prevent the ICE from starting- and even if the HV portion of the batt is full- excessive pressure on the accelerator will call for more power than the HV batt can supply and the ICE will start up.

If your EV batt is depleted and you're heading to a long downhill road- regen braking will first recharge the HV batt portion all the way- then it will recharge the EV portion as well. But due to the larger capacity of EV batt- it's very rare to get a decent charge to the EV from regen braking.

 

I upgraded from a 2010 solar to a 2012 plug-in.

On days when I only recharge at home, the MPG average for my round-trip commute (34 miles) in non-winter temps is in the 80's. When I also recharge at work, it's well over 100. There's a clear efficiency improvement for commutes.

Running errands around town, the improvement is profound. Suburb driving is all eletric. It's great! No more short-trip penalty.

 

I didn't know our Electric Co had that rebate either- till I read a forum post here. That post got me an extra $500!

The PIP gas tank is a bit smaller than the regular Prius tank- My last fillup was 8.6 gal, $32 at $3.71/gal. The gas gauge was on the last pip- but it wasn't blinking yet. 8.5-9 gallons is average fillup for PIP drivers.

Yes- there's a free ChargePoint station across the parking lot from my job. That was a major consideration in purchasing the PIP.

Well in most states- the PIP battery comes with a 100'000 mi warranty. If you live in a CARB state (like NY) you get a 150'000 mi warranty on the battery!

 

+1
I used to dread the weekend hit to my monthly mpg in the Prius- with the PIP I now look forward to an all-electric weekend that boosts my monthly MPG stats. I went into this weekend with a 97mpg monthly stat- this morning I'm at 99mpg for the month thanks to may Sat and Sunday errands.
Love the all-electric weekends in the PIP!

 

You don't see NiCd batteries much any more; maybe in cordless shavers and electric toothbrushes, but that is about it. Things are at least NiMH, if not LiIon.

BTW, the Gen 1 Prius was NiMH, like the current standard Prius. Just sold my 2002 this year.

 

how far is your commute? you won't get much regen unless you're going down some serious hills.

 

I use a dount spare that I got from the local junk yard for $35 and a plug kit just when I leave on trips out of town.

 

Most of my driving is in town short trips, 8-15 miles round trip, works really well for me. I do go out of town 4-5 times a year for a 500 mile round trip. My mileage is really nice due to all the in town short trips. Your trips are just the opposite. You still should get good MPG as john 1701a has shown. Also check out his web site, great stuff to see and read. John's Stuff - Toyota Prius and more

 

you're describing a commute that could be very advantageous with a pip. i have no experience with large hills, my biggest gives me .3 miles in regen. i also have a used donut i throw in when going far enough from home that i on't want to call toyotacare and get towed. the goop kit is a nightmare if you watch the video. btw, a new donut with tire is almost $500.

 

What is the split of 90 miles commutes compared to 20? If 90 are the majority then the pip won't save you much on those. And how often do you do errands within 5-10 miles of your home?

I forget, did you say you can charge at work?

 

Sure you will see an advantage just not as much. I would think maybe 57-60 MPG depends about type of drive and speed. My 500 mile round trip to my brothers house mostly interstate rolling hills was 60MPG next round trip was 69.3MPG mostly 64-69 MPH. I did leave with a full charge and charged at my brothers house. Temps. 70-85 drgrees f.
You will do really well on your short trips!

 

We are all hopeing for some nice changes in 2015 model. Only Toyota really knows what the changes will really be!
Maybe more electric, better mileage, ect. We will see.