My PiP - After One Year (Stats)

Huh? Cleaner grid means higher ev range? So if I have solar panels my range will be better than your PiP? Now I see it as cleaner overall and more economical if you have solar, but that's with any ev car you attach to it....

 

WADR,

Just for the record, you can get a weather-proof/portable EMW JuiceBox L2 (240V) charger up and running for $285 total. (Some assembly required). Before that I used the stock L1 with a 'Killawatt' meter recording Kwh.
I am hoping to have a built-in Kwh meter on the JB soon.
Now that I have L2 I can do multiple trips on the weekends and I end up not having the stinker come on for weeks at a time.

Anyway, for months I spent ~$39/mon. for the Volt. But that was not using any gas, unless I went on weekend road trips to Larryville, Ks or airport runs for the family.

That e-usage includes 'Preconditioning' the car for 10 mins. during that gadawful winter.
I can hop into a nice warm car, back out of the drive and punch it, using all 150 HP and not worry about warming up the old-fashioned ICE. No oil changes at set miles.
I changed my oil the first time at 2500 Gas miles, because I'm that kind of guy.

So currently my onstar app shows Gas: 4326, EV: 9317, MPG: 104.(I bought the car with 2400 miles, those Texans didn't plug it in much at the dealership) Also the 'guessomator' says I have 36 miles of EV range waiting for me today.
That MPG number is useless, no? It's not any sort of cost/mi. number. Is it simply ODO/gals. that have run through the engine, right?

 

"That MPG number is useless, no? It's not any sort of cost/mi. number. Is it simply ODO/gals. that have run through the engine, right?"

of course (its ODO / gallons) - but I combine that with my monthly Chargepoint report if and when I want a better cost analysis. From there you can back into your home charging costs - some months I've managed 20-25% free charges.

question for anyone who's installed a fast home charger - does that give you cumulative stats ?
I can't justify one cost-wise, just curious

 

MMMM, Free Charging !!!

You must have an outboard Kwh meter for L2 charging. Inexpensive 240V Kwh meters can be found on ebay.

There are free Chargepoints around town, but I don't feel like hanging out at the library just to suck up some free juice. Paying for charging does not make financial sense with a Volt or a PiP, right?

 

We were told repeatedly by Toyota that emissions were the highest priority in response to asking why a plug-in model wasn't offered yet. Having a clean source of electricity trumped even the cost issue.

That was not the same choice another automaker made... which makes it worse when those driving their vehicles exclude the amount of electricity they consumed from their stats.

 

There are lots of ratings...
MPG (total miles/gallons) - gives you how much you're driving vs how much gas you're using, so someone who runs primarily on electricity will have a pretty high number.
MPG (gas miles/gallons) - gives you how efficiently the gas is being used
MPGe (total miles/gallons equivalent) - gives you how efficiently the car overall is being used
l/km...
$/mi (or $/100km)
mi/kwh
wh/mi
emissions per mile...
etc...

Many of these metrics also don't cover a bigger picture - for instance, someone who drives 100 miles per day at 50 mpg would be consuming more than someone who drives 10 miles per day in at 10 mpg. It'd also be kinda silly to drive around your neighborhood in circles once you arrive home just to increase your total efficiency. There's both that can be improved, if possible. (And in the case of commute time, would also mean more time for other things). Conditions permitting, short commutes could be done with a bike - low emissions and gives exercise. Many ways to accomplish a goal, question is what the goal is.

Plenty of factors in a given choice too - initial cost, operational cost, maintenance cost, gas usage, electric usage, production emissions, operational emissions, recycling, efficiency, cargo space, visibility, seat comfort, gas station stop frequency, etc... lots of factors, and different people have different weights on each factor.
That doesn't mean that the weight someone gives to a given factor makes sense for them to you either, necessarily - plenty of people buy vehicles for features they use 1% of the time, and overlook some of the features they use 99% of the time. Some might be peace of mind, some might be show-off factor, some might be thinking that some feature comes in handy more than it actually does.

 

If I were looking for a plugin with an ICE I would definitely consider a Prius with a longer battery range. I certainly have nothing against the Prius or Toyota generally. They've shown excellent leadership.

I got a Volt for these reasons;

1. No BEV under 50k in 2011 was fully practical for my driving pattern and the public EV charging infrastructure.

2. No other plugin hybrid was available in 2011 and I was already tired of waiting for a plugin.

3. After owning Prius cars since mid-2000 I was ready for the novelty of a non-Toyota hybrid.

The Volt design center of BEV plus range extender was exactly what I was looking for and 35-40 miles of range was adequate.

Most likely I willl switch to a Tesla Model E with 200 miles of range and supercharging capability rather than buy another plugin hybrid when I replace the Volt in another 3-4 years.

I have access to low carbon grid power so driving electric makes especially good sense for climate reasons.

 

PG&E E-9A hasn't been available to new customers since Aug 2013, as you say, the new rate plan is EV, which seems to be better if your usage is routinely in tier 4 or 5. If you want 10c kWHs you should move to a location served by a public benefit utility (PBU) such as Silicon Valley Power where they charge ~10c/kWH all day/night/year and aren't trying to game rate plans to extract the maximum from your bank account.

At ~3 kWH to full charge a PiP, you would be adding max 100 kWH to your monthly usage. 30c for 11 miles vs. your gas price.

It seems like all CPUC sponsored utilities charge double what the PBUs charge, which might lead you to question how well the CPUC is regulating their monopolies.

Disclosure: we bought a base PiP as the cheapest, reliable way to stay in the carpool lane through 1/1/19. Liked the Honda Accord Plug-In, but didn't want to buy the first model year and the extra $16K didn't seem worth it. Lease was out due to miles driven and the domestics didn't have Prius legendary reliability (or millions of miles of experience) to count on.

 

no "hanging around @ Chargepoint" here
Lucky in that there's one right at my bank and supermarket. I take care of
those errands , come out and my PiP is fully charged. There's a benefit as the PiP charges faster than my friends Volt

He hits up the free charge while at WholeFoods but claims to gain just a mile or two tops.

 

No, your PiP just stops charging sooner than his Volt. The smaller battery fills up in a shorter time while the Volt's larger battery keeps charging.

The PiP can charge at a rate of around 2.2 kW whereas the Volt charges at a rate of around 3 kW at the same Level 2 voltage. That means the Volt adds EV miles at a faster pace than the PiP in terms of miles per hour plugged in.

 

Jeff, I'm with you. I would love to have the next Tesla that comes out. I think it will be called the Model X. (unless Toyota can come out with a good hybrid small truck in the meantime)

 

I would love to have a Tesla also! A little pricey tho!

I do have a place to plug in my new Tesla when it arrives, just 5 miles from my house. Just across the street from were my daughter works.

 

The next one will be much more mainstream (aka lower priced). They are hoping to get it down to $35k, give or take a bit.

 

markabele,
When you get your Tesla you can walk to Gizzley's while you are charging! when in Eau Claire!

 

If that cheap great but they may not let a person from out of state buy one? Besides a long buy list.

 

The next Tesla is indeed going to be the Model X and it will come out next year, I think. It is an SUV based on the Model S platform. The car I was referring to buying is the Model E which is targeted to have a base price of about $35,000 in today's dollars and a 200 mile EV range and will come out in 3-4 years. It will be built on a new underlying platform that it will likely share with a new generation roadster sports car. They plan to sell large numbers of the Model E and recently announced a new huge battery factory for it that should help drive down the battery costs by 30%.

 

With a Level 2 charger, he could walk to Chicago from Eau Claire while it's charging.

 

If I'm not mistaken Tesla has a larger charger with a special plug and charges in much less time.

 

Yes, their "Supercharger." Not practical for a home nor would I expect businesses to rush to put this proprietary technology in, effectively shutting out all other EV/PHEV users. Tesla's building out its network of Superchargers, but they won't be in every neighborhood.