adding extra 4kw battery for more than double plug in miles

Toyota is keeping low. At this point the market for PHEV & EVs is small. As long as toyota keeps it foot in the door it has the resources to aggressively enter both markets.

 

Well, not really once you factor in the discounts that were available in the past and might show up again in the future...
Base PIP $32,000- $5000 Toyota Finance credit -$2,500 fed tax credit -$500 local utility rebate = $24,000 for the base PIP. Seems pretty reasonable to me...

 

If you want to dream...remove the ICE and put in a bigger battery. Reclaim the trunk and spare tire space.

Mike

 

Interesting. Awaiting for more information.

 

mitch, you sold it, congrats!

 

I think there will be a place for the plug in hybrid for the next 20 years.

 

i agree, i just don't know if toyota does.

 

Okay just spoke to a guy at evseupgrade about the possibility of adding a seamless upgraded battery to the already existing 4 kwh oem pack that would charge in tandem. His response was that it would be extremely expensive to do it seamlessly.

I asked about the enginer packs and he told me about someone having to get it removed from their leaf because the packs fail. His response was if you want more range from the PiP, sell it and get a leaf.




iPad ? HD

 

Do you have the option to use anything but electricity in the Model S?
I think the volt gives you a choice depending on the nature of your journey.

 

tesla is ev only. not is not a comparable vehicle, more like the pip.

 

the attractive thing about upgrading the pip is it's superior hv performance. i guess we'll have to wait and hope toyota comes through.

 

Toyota, come "though" with anything related to EVs? You must be kidding BISCO
Toyota is ONLY producing the RAV4EV in CA to meet CARB mandates on zero emission vehicle requirements (so they can continue to sell their gas guzzling cars in CA). The PiP is being produced because 15 other states have adopted the CARB mandates, and they get credit for those as well. They are most likely losing money on every PiP they sell, but it's less money than paying the fines for non-compliance. Toyota has over a billion dollars invested in hybrid technology, they are not anxious to move on from that technology. They keep saying "battery technology is not good enough", well, it's good enough for Tesla, though quite expensive still. The more EVs produced, the lower the mass manufacturing costs become, but don't count on Toyota to help with it. They really despise EVs, and would be quite happy if they would all "just go away". BTW, one example of this is just how poorly they support the RAV4EV. Do you realize it comes with the same 120V Panasonic EVSE your PiP is shipped with? The RAV4EV comes with a Tesla built 10KW onboard charger, of course you can't use it without buying a different EVSE.. They could have just asked Tesla to supply their UMC with a J-1772 connector on it, instead of the Model S connector, cost would have been similar, but they just don't care enough to show off the RAV4EV in a positive way.

 

i don't disagree with you mitch, but this thread is about plug in hybrids and i believe the prius is the best platform for extended range in the future.

 

Don't count on Toyota for more range in the PiP, unless they can do it for less money than it costs them currently. They have almost no incentive to get more range. Their is the Ford Cmax, but that's only marginally better at 20 miles. Toyota is the new GM, they aren't "hungry" enough to innovate any longer, that's why new manufacturers will soon be eating their lunch.

 

i can't agree with that. they've moved forward well with the prius. will they give us a longer range pip? i can't say, but i'm hoping. they are not being passed by anybody. sure people are nibbling at their heals and yes, they're conservative, but that leads to better initial quality and less long term failures. i don't see why you're so down on them, tesla is a great product so far, but that's no predictor of the future.

 

Toyota has been a big dispointment for me, I've owned a Prius since 2001, I've owned each generation (in fact 2 different Gen 3 models, the 2010 and the 2012 PiP), each one cost more than the previous Prius/Generation, and I'm not sure it was worth the incremental cost. Tesla on the other hand batted a home run straight out of the ballpark with the Model S, sadly I can't say the same thing about the Advanced Plug in Prius I just sold.

I might buy another Prius someday, but probably a beater box so I can keep the Model S garaged in bad weather. Frankly the 1994 Suburban I use for plowing is probably good enough for that purpose. By the time Toyota wakes up from their EV comma, they'll be playing catchup with the defacto industry leader, Tesla.
The only way Toyota is making money with Tesla is their small investment in it several years ago.
I used to think of Toyota the way I now think of Tesla, they've lost all respect with me at this point.

 

i can understand about the beating you took on your pip, and i probably will too someday. but i love my car and the two before it. i'm not ready for ev, so i guess i have a different viewpoint. i give tesla a lot of credit, but i don't fault toyota for their approach, it's their company and they make decisions based upon their philosophy. as you said there are other options for people who don't want what toyota has to offer and probably more coming down the road.

 

Not sure you can really compare the pip to a car that costs almost twice as much.

 

I agree that the Prius is the best platform for extended range in the future. My disappointment with Toyota is they dragged their heels and let the other guys jump out ahead.
To some, the PiP is the best fit for their daily driving needs.
For us, it definitely was not, it actually is the worst.

My wife's round trip commute (no charging at work) is 35 miles. Any of the other EREVs come closer to, or actually cover that distance, where the PiP covers a minority of it.

Toyota has awesome potential with the Prius platform potential. I would just like to see them use more than a tiny bit of it.

 

It's only twice as much now, in 2016 Tesla intoduces their 3rd gen platform, 1/2 the price of the Model S, over 200 miles per charge, and by then, the free to use Supercharger network will be fully deployed, free long distance travel for life. I imagine Toyota will continue to "innovate" in their usual way (in other words, announce/release the 4th generation Prius that gets 65MPG and has a 20 mile EV range)... What a sleeper that will be. It will probably cost nearly as much as the Gen 3 Tesla (as each new Prius generation has been more expensive than the last), but with free long distance fuel for life, game over for Toyota. Toyota is no longer an innovator, they are the new "GM". I speak from experience, I've owned all three generations of the Prius. The Model S is the last car I'll ever have to buy.