Prius Plugin Regrets

Your base plugin Prius came with some nice upgrades over the base non plugin Prius.
The larger Lion battery offers a fuel economy advantage over the non plugin even without pluging in to charge.
Hopefully you can take advantage of the tax credits which truly help to make the plugin a good deal!

 

buyers remorse, i'm married. been there, done that. it goes away after awhile.

 

In the first post you said your usual commute is <10 miles which you thought you could drive mostly EV.
Now I am confused! is your commute 10 miles one leg? Are you charging both sides? If yes, then what is your EV range each leg?

 

I wish I would have bought a PiP, but am now anxious to see the next generation, and will probably trade at that point.

You should just make up your mind whether you really want an EV or just have the best of both worlds with your PiP.

Good luck with your decision.

 

It's very possible.

 

1. You bought the car in CA so you pretty much paid the same or slightly higher than a similarly optioned Prius 3 after rebates and credits. The premium you paid should be at most $1000 and you'll get most of it back when you trade in the vehicle. So the car really cost the same as a regular Prius making it a no brainer choice in a state like CA because we have high rebates and HOV access.

2. I have to drive like a maniac to get 8 miles EV. I've been averaging 11 EV miles per charge since I got the car 75,000 miles ago. If you bought the car for 20 miles EV, you didn't do your research. The EPA sticker clearly says 6-11 EV miles.

3. Your only complaint that is valid is the PiP is slow as &^%. But that's what the PWR button is for. Use it. Mash on the peddle. Feel the speed. When you are done. Put it back on ECO and maximize EV miles. You see? You have choice.

 

I'm surprised. Others have reported less difference here (John?). I didn't do a precise experiment myself like you did, but my impression always has been that the difference was not that big.

Usually I use A/C not to cool down a hot car, but mainly in wet weather to keep clean windows, with low fan of two or three bars and temperature on low. Could that be a different situation?

 

some people consider 60 mph on the freeway 'driving like a grandmother'. that would probably net you about 8 miles on the flat.

 

But does it actually drop the miles you can go on EV? We go to our favorite restaurant at least once a week. Its a 10.6 mile trip. Yes, at the start the "available" EV mile indicator shows an instant about 1 mile drop when we turn on the AC. Some downhill going and (of course) uphill on the return. Having the AC on makes virtually no difference in the "miles left" when we return home. Having to stop at 3 red lights instead of 1 red light makes a noticeable difference of about 0.5 miles left on the return. So avoid red lights, don't worry about the AC.

 

it would have to, it runs on electricity. if you drive 10 miles in ev with a/c vs not, you will see the difference.

 

Yes, there must be a difference. However, it may be much smaller than variations in other trip parameters. You could sit in Park for a period of time and see how much the EV miles drop with and without AC. Another variable is the duty cycle needed to provide comfort due to the outside conditions. Note: my 10 mile trip is all EV, winter, summer, AC or not.

 

i did sit in a hot parking lot last sunday, waiting for my wife. air on full blast, 87 degrees out, hb was dropping like a rock. i watched it go down for the 9's to the 7's in about 10 minutes.

outside temp and humidity will play a huge role.

 

Wow. I'll have to try that. 2 miles for 10 minutes seems like a lot.

 

i thought so too, never really noticed a big drop while driving. maybe there's more natural cooling. car was sitting in the sun when i got in and started it, so it wa boiling inside, but i did all i could to get the hot air out first. it's hard when you're not moving.

 

A/C consumption is time controlled, so actual miles drop will depend on driving speed,

 

I think you did get the wrong car.

 

Call it a mistake maybe, but just drive it like you want to. You may grow to forget negatives. The perfect start is to stop looking at your EV miles. Just drive it.

 

When people ask me how I like my Plug-in Prius, my stock answer is to just give them my lifetime mpg since 4/12.

Excels at short trips, still can get 60+mpg on the occasional out of town trips.

It's about the average at the end of the month.
Here's my fuelly.com stats:
Prius Plug-in (Toyota Prius) | Fuelly

I had a dip as we had to take a sick dog in a hurry to the veterinary teaching hospital at Auburn U last week, and still got purty good mileage.

 

Cooling down a hot car is good for the occupants as well as to the battery...
I usually drive ECO with A/C on AUTO with temp setting 21-23 C.
My driving this way in a hot day means I am almost constantly on recirculated air, giving it another thought maybe outside air mode is better to the battery? Better air flow through it (natural or by its blowers).
Any comments?

 

I just did the same thing 15 minutes ago waiting for my daughter to come back from a trip. It was just about exactly as you describe.