Traded in the PIP for a new 2014 Volt...

Oh, you're mean, Rob. I won't say the range I'm getting with temps here in the 60's.

But I can't resist reporting that I just drove the Volt the last 2 miles home, the ones I used to drive in stealth mode in the PiP. And I looked like this:

 

" Finalized the building of my L2 JuiceBox kit tonight- plugged it in and it worked perfectly. L2 240V charging at home for under $300! "

so can a non-handy man put that together ? need an electrician ? price is nice !

and getting 45 miles in your Volt - will you get your $ back ?
I'm thinking it might be more helpful to me and my PiP given a much lower range.

Those EPA numbers are wrong btw - I took pics at 10 minute intervals if anyone needs proof.
Fully charged at home in 1:55 using a normal plug, fully charged at The 99 in 65 minutes

 

I'm a DIY kind of guy so when I first heard of the juice box and other DIY kits I was chomping at bit to get one. Until someone pointed out that they are not UL rated/approved so if they ever caused a fire and were proven to be the cause, insurance would not cover the damages. Since I could get a clipper creek for only $195 more with a 3 year warranty, the gamble wasn't worth it to me personally.

I'm not trying to spread any FUD here; just explaining my purchase decision.

 

Also, for those in NY there is a 50% tax rebate on the installation of an EVSE, which makes the commercial stuff quite inexpensive...

 

nice thanks for all the info
When I was house hunting awhile back and brought a contractor type with me I can't tell you how many times we'd see this or that and he'd say - whoa that's not legal ! or that's not up to code...

So I think I'll pay if I can justify the expense but that won't work if MA doesn't have a tax break for those
I'm at 90% EV, bought just $72 in gas last year so while its a neat gadget I'd gain maybe $7 here

 

Whoa, looked at your car info and what a jump! Why from 2010 Prius to Volt and then yet another to an energi?! I can understand PiP to Volt, but less electric range to an energi? Is it the 5 seat idea?

 

"$72 in gas for the whole year? Awesome!

Did you do the EVSE Upgrade for the PIP?
That upgrade helped make my weekends in the PIP almost 100% EV for 18 months- which I couldn't do with the stock Toyota EVSE at 120v. The nice thing is the PIP draws very little even at 240 volts- 9.5amps IIRC, so you don't need a super heavy 60 amp circuit for it! I used 12-2 awg wire for my 240 circuit but derated it by using 15 amp breakers just to be safe. I'm still using the same circuit for the Volt (draws about 13.2amps) and still don't have a problem with the 15 amp breakers."

no upgrade and I'm embarrassed to say I'm not sure what that is ! but I'll check

and yes - I filled up twice in 2013 with about 8 gallons each time and I'm down about 5 gallons right now.
Just like 2013 I think my next fill-up may be forced due to the 6 mo old gas rule.
I'm not special - just coach at the high school in my town and drive my wife to the train and back so all my daily drives are under 13 miles.
I'm starting to figure out that I can't justify the cost of any faster charging toys since I'm already at 90% EV

 

Short version: yes, room.

Long version: The very first hybrid I ever drove was a pre-production Volt during a nationwide test drive campaign. I was in the "ready to buy today" mode but it wouldn't be available for nearly a year and the early adopter pricing frenzy would last even longer so I got the Prius; however, the EV bug had bitten hard. Once the prices came down during the 2012 model year, I got my Volt, driving it with a 90% EV ratio on L1 and all was well with the world.

Then our family world changed and I became Mr. Mom saddled with all the kid hauling duties. After much deliberation, I reluctantly traded it in for a CMax hybrid to get more back seat room and a level hatch opening for the kids band instruments and my work gear. Thanks to all that I learned here on PC, I could easily get 50+mpg in the CMax. We liked the car so much that I gave it to the wife and got a CMax Energi too. Now I'm back to EV driving and don't plan on leaving it again! BTW, even with the smaller battery/range, I'm still over 90+ % EV due to diligent L2 charging even though I typically drive 40-60miles per day.

 

I can't get over how ugly the CMax is. I do kind of like the Sync system, though.

 

But your fuelly mpg...doesn't reflect the 90% EV...or did you stop keeping track?

 

Fuelly was for the hybrid which my wife now drives. I haven't registered my Energi there as the last time I checked they couldn't handle plug-in's correctly. FWIW, it's at 112.5 MPGe or 402 MPG with nearly 6k miles on the clock.

Apologies for the threadjack. We now return you to regular programming.

 

Yes you're right mpg becomes irrelevant. MPGe I don't think is accurate either. I want to see MPG for gas/hybrid mode, and then a separate MPGE (MPG Electric) to show Miles per KW. That's more meaningful especially where the industry is headed anyway. For Hydrogen would it be MPGH (Miles per Gallon of Hydrogen?) lol... then maybe MPGe (lower case) to help determine the equivalence of each car.,

 

I guess the gov't will come up with hGallons.

 

I can understand why they want to make a number equivalent to MPG, but MPGe is so incredibly stupid. I wish they would just publish miles per kWh, as that's really the best comparison between EVs, and makes the most sense as you care about how far you can travel per kWh as you would per gallon in an ICE or hybrid.

 

I disagree. Miles/kWh will minimize the differences for the general public.
For EVs Wh/mile should be used.

As for MPGe, it isn't great, but I do feel it is useful when comparing vehicles that use different energy carriers.
Cents/mile, or dollars/100 miles is also good, but that can vary widely depending upon region and utility.