PIP Vs. Regular Prius

My commute is pretty much exactly that profile. I find the PiP significantly more economical overall:

My previous Prius lifetimed at 55mpg (UK gallons, that is). My PiP with an 81/19 HV/EV split is on 75mpg and rising.

My average speed overall is 42mph for both vehicles - influenced by the time I spend on Motorways.

 

You need to define what you mean by "much benefit". as in 5% better mileage? 10%? more? Something else besides mileage? Residual or trade-in value?

If your 10% EV is just driving around your neighborhood, then you may see that as a benefit if mileage is what you seek. But it's not like electricity is free, so you are still paying for those miles as well. Comparing cost per mile might be a fair way to derive some level of benefit. Not sure if anyone's done that, but perhaps they have.

You're spending about 1/8 more to get into the Pip over a similarly equipped Prius w/o a larger battery, so is there a 12.5% benefit in that? It's another way to think about it.

Driving at 75-80 MPH isn't going to get you much of a benefit in the mpg department in any Prius. You'd benefit the most by slowing down to 55-65MPH. You won't get much better than 50-55mpg at those higher speeds. But no one wants to hear that.

 

Is that a daily commute and what's the length? Can you charge on the other end? If it's a long drive with no charging, you would still benefit, but not worth the additional PIP cost. You'd probably sacrifice speed for economy, but that wouldn't be a bad thing. Curious, what's the speed limit? Ninety percent driving at 75-80 MPH seems hectic, even if you're going with the flow of traffic.

 

You'll benefit from the extra electricity regardless of speed. The engine will get a boost from the battery-pack, allowing it to operate at a lower RPM... which reduces gas consumption.

 

It still isn't in 35 of the states. National rollout won't happen until this fall. 2012 & 2013 model years will be limited to the initial 15 states and to those owners who were willing to purchase elsewhere and transport home.

Mine was among of the first 21 delivered to the United States. I signed the papers on February 29. So technically, mine won't be a year old for quite some time still.

 

How many miles do you drive per day on average? How much will you be paying for the PiP if you are qualify for tax credit? How many times will you be able to charge per day? Can you get free electricity from work or elsewhere? The PiP is definitely a better car than the standard Prius. However, how much money could the PiP could save you depends on your driving pattern and whether you'll have access to charging stations at work. For me, I felt it wasn't worth it since I couldn't charge at work.

 

I do 50 either way, can also charge at work, cruise at a true 70mph on the Motorway, so I think the info on my earlier post may be directly comparable.

 

I think you should check with your accountant to make sure that you're qualified for a tax credit. Also, make sure that your state is not going to tax you for having a hybrid car or EV. I heard the state of Va is taxing their hybrid owners. As a rough estimate, the PiP should save you about $1.35 per day by charging at home and getting free electricity from work. On weekends, that saving goes down since you probably won't be getting free charges. Again, this is just a rough estimate since how much you'll save highly depends on your electric rate and gas price.

 

in cali, the HOV sticker is a huge benefit during highway commute.

 

You are going to see the exact same benefit that anyone who charges once per day is going to see...you will be using ~3 kwh of electricity for propulsion instead of gas. If you can charge at home and at work you could double that, etc.

Whether this is a small or large percentage of your energy usage depends on how much gas you use.

Mostly, it makes no difference if you use 1 gal or gas per day or 5 gal of gas per day. If you charge once per day you will use (for example) 3 times 365 or about 1100 kwh per year. This will replace, roughly, 75 - 90 gallons of gas, depending on your driving style. If you charge less you'll save less. If you charge more, you'll save more.

Mike