A wish list dream for a future Prius C

If they used Lithium batteries, they could fit.

 

Alright here is my wish list:

- lighter and shorter car (make it 3-4 inches shorter) but still safe enough for bumpy/dirt/divot roads and snow
- 3 cylinder engine, like the old Honda Insight...then I could get like 100 mpg on the highway instead of 60 mpg
- improved mpg on short trips - I don't want to have to rely only on battery and fast discharge when the car starts up and while the engine is still "warming up"
- more control over when I the car can run on electric only (again, mostly on short trips) e.g. no 10 mph limit for cold-ish engines
- I think this would address Phil's post since I just looked up and saw it
- If you make a 2-seater then I would go with 2 cylinder - they've already done this with the Fiat 500 overseas

 

A plugin version with super-capacitors would be nice. 100km EV range, instance charging, infinite charge cycles, same price. I suspect it would be quite possible in 20 years (that's how long I plan to keep my current car).

 

Lithium Ion batteries are dropping in price. That's why the LEAF is so cheap now and it's battery is about 7-8 times larger than ours.

 

Display instantaneous mpg and rpm regardless of which Display mode is up on the screen. (Yes I know I can see that with Scangauge.)

Sportier looking option package.

 

My biggest complaint with the C is the fuel economy. But how should they have improved it? The car is already lightweight, has an efficient engine, an unbeatable transmission, and sufficiently large electric battery for my needs.

They could offer a PHEV version so I could run the car on a blend of gasoline and other energy sources (predominantly coal), but a cost-benefit analysis tells me batteries are too expensive compared to the benefit they provide. Even so, it's likely that my next car will be a PHEV.

They could offer a more aerodynamic version. It would be a longer car with a less usable cargo area, and would look like a scaled-down liftback. See the Toyota 1/X concept, which claims 108mpg. I don't throw adults in the back of my car for extended periods of time (at least, not adults I like ;-) ), so why not move the rear occupants' pelvises downward and lower the roofline? Speaking of lowering the roof, the same treatment could be applied to the front seats if you lengthen the car and place the driver's legs in front of him rather than beneath him. But I'm describing a car with very limited market appeal. Fuel's just not expensive enough for a small, aerodynamic vehicle to make sense for most people.

 

Just to clarify... I mean 3-4 inches "less tall" and not 3-4 inches "more compact"

Maybe an all-electric version...?

 

A switch from nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) to lithium-ion (Li-ion) would (might) require additional battery cooling (not a good idea right now) ?

 

Why would it require extra cooling? Our PC's have more cooling than a Nissan LEAF.

 

Some Li-ion batteries don't last as long in extreme temperatures, particularly in very hot climates unless cooling is provided

HowStuffWorks "Lithium-ion Vs. Nickel Metal Hydride Batteries"

 

Certainly would welcome a sporty hybrid. Something in line with the Yaris Hybrid R

Toyota's 400hp Yaris Hybrid-R Concept Is The Coolest Hot Hatch We've Seen All Year - Car Throttle

 

plugin ofcourse!
or a 2 seater plugin EV1, the prius two / II / 2

 

sounds like a scooter haha
2013 Fiat 500 TwinAir engine sound and 0-100km/h - YouTube

 

What makes you think a larger - or more efficient - battery and bigger engine would get better mpg? The physics and engineering to move a vehicle any given distance and elevation changes pretty well defines the energy required The key factors are weight, rolling resistance, aerodynamic drag, and efficiency of the creation of the work and thus horsepower used to achieve that motion. Bigger engines and bigger batteru=ies don't help miuch and if fact if that cobination weighs more (which it does) your mpg will drop, Fitting the larger combo will also add to the vehicle structure to meet safety standards will add weight.

toyota would be better served to turn Yamaha ngine people loose on producing at least 175 hp from the existing 1500 engine to yei\\yeild a hot rod hybrid. (what you didn't know Yamaha did engine work for Toyota? why does Yamaha not have a car business like Honda. Suzuki, and Kawasaki) Sure mpg drops to 40 mpg but Toyota owns then the hybrid market. Honda failed to that with the CRZ and thats why they are languishing on dealrer lots even with large dealer rebates.

PS I've gotten 100+ mpg on my Prius c but it was downhill all the way. Anfd I didn't average 8.3 mph either; in fact almost 50 mph. cheers.

 

The Honda Accord Hybrid and CR-Z prove that there is no market for a "hot hybrid".

 

Lord help you. The Accord hybrid was slow and the CRZ slower than dirt. and didn't get much better mpg than a Fit. All of us waited with handfuls of cash to replace our CRX with a succesor. It is so bad Sochiro's still spinning in his grave ! Where we expected the CRZ to be a 200 hp hybrid like the Porsche 918 except for the common Honda loyalists. Whoever at Honda was responsible for that disgraceful CRZ should be banished to Mongolia or the arctic. Let Toyota produce a 150 hp Prius C and see what happens.
PS the Porsche 918 is reputed to be sold out already before on sale at $848, 000 each, minimum. You think the Prius CSI at $28 grand won't sell outjust as quickly? You have a lot to learn about the automotive market.

 

Bigger batteries don't always = heavier batteries. Depends on if you are using the same tech or not.