Curious about the PIP for the rest of the country?

Hey Guys, I have several questions about the PIP. I own a 2011 III and live in South Georgia. My questions are does anyone have an idea when the PIP will be offered nationally? When you guys run down the battery pack does it have to be plugged in (like aftermarket kits) to recharge it or does the Regen Braking recharge it too? I get on the average of 60 MPG with my regular Prius and I wonder would the price difference and MPG difference be feasible to buy here when I live in the country. I am 7 miles from my little town. I usually stay with in a 50 mile radius unless I travel. I have 42000 (for which time I have averaged about 56 MPG) on my 2011 and I wonder with the PIP would it possibly get the money back living and driving in this area. What real life mileage to you get with driving on just battery before ICE kicks in? If I could go from home to town and back that would be very good for me.

I have been using a brand of oil (Schaeffer Oil) that a lot of Truckers use in a 5-20w synthetic. They don't make a 0-20w but it did increase my MPG a bit and I will send in my oil sample in about 2000 more miles (at 10,000 now) to see if it needs changing. I have a friend that gets about 20,000 in his Mercedes diesel car. I also switched to a K & N air filter and seem to be able to hold a little higher speed consistently, but I am not sure if it helps on mileage.

Guys I would appreciate any and all info you can offer towards the PIP. Thank you!

 

Thanks Shira, I have thought of the Volt, but I must admit I do like my Prius. My previous car was a BMW 3 series that only got 29 MPG no matter how easy I drove it. So this Prius has doubled my MPG. The Volt is still a possibility but I think it is still a little high priced and want to see how that platform lasts over the next few years. Thank you for your info.

 

Thanks John for that statistic. About how far do you get to go on just electric? With my 2011 I get a little more but I really try too. I know when I first bought my 2011 that I only got, no matter how hard I would try; about 48 MPG than as it slowly broke in the mileage went up a little bit. My biggest jump was when I accidently found out that they still made gas without ethanol. My mileage went up about 10% to 55 to 58 MPG but I was still babying it. I have since changed oils and added a K&N air filter and it is more consistent and better power so when I travel the interstate here (which is fairly flat with slight hills) I still get around 55 MPG. I do pay a little more for my oil but I don't mind and I change it myself.

Hey John, for me to go to another state I would have to go to New York, plus if it needed work I don't know if I would trust a dealer here to work on it. Not to say I have not thought about it. I guess I will have to be patient.

Shira thank you for the info about it regenerating faster. I had not thought about it producing more electricity faster to the larger batteries. I am interested in (VW I believe) the car also using electric motor in the drive line just for regen purposes as you are driving along on the motor. So that would also allow a quicker regen but I wonder how much of a hit it would take drag or resistance.

I really enjoy reading about the new things they are trying with cars and I think I may be willing to see what comes about in the new gen IV Prius this time next year and find out what plans they have for the new PIP.

I believe the one thing that the auto companies should look at is allowing as an option larger battery packs for more mileage and allowing us to choose. I am hoping in the next few years we will see some big changes in battery range (crossed fingers).

Once again you guys thanks for you input.

 

Thank you, everyone for your feedback. It really helps a lot.
I really believe that if they utilize the old Tranny tunnel down the middle of the car and under the back seat they could install a much larger battery set up. Yes it would weigh more but it would still allow for a balanced car. I don't believe it would take up much room. I use the back seat for my wheelchair or my dog. I also think someone should look at making a generator that would be run by a back wheel somehow. I do know that some company is trying to look at making a generator that would mount between where the wheel and tire connect up to the suspension. That could help the Regen if it doesn't add too much drag. I am really interested in seeing what Toyota does with the Next Gen Prius to see where that takes us. I just hope they put in a bigger battery for the PIP. I have decided to wait and see where the next Gen comes in and if they make improvements to help with the extended range of it. 2015 is not that far away and I do have the extended warranty (7 yr.,/100,000) to use up.