Reasons NOT to buy a PIP

Luckily, the PiP is smart enough to let you know you are still plugged in and refuse to let you put it in Drive.. unlike a gas pump hose, which I have seen people drive away with stuck in the car.

 

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Maybe just wait 3 days for the Gen4 debut?

 

Wrong on essentially every point by a non-PIP owner.

Downsides:
- no spare, but you do get on on-board compressor with a can of "slime."
- higher initial cost, but if you purchase used, little cost difference
- fewer color selections
- fewer trips to gas station

I would purchase a PIP Advanced model if possible, more useful bells and whistles than base model.

 

Did that require a 240 outlet?

 

yes, any L2 would.

 

One word: Mirai!

 

For our next car I created an extensive spreadsheet which includes our typical pattern of driving; daily, short trips (store), medium trips (300 mile round trips) and long trips (1,100 miles round trip). The spreadsheet includes purchase price, loan interest, resale value of our Gen II, resale value of the new car after 7 years, gas and electricity cost, EV range for each vehicle, and non EV mpg. I then plugged in a Prius hatchback, PIP, Volt, and a few more. For the calculation I ignored things like no spare (no sale), and limited cargo space (Volt killer for us).

In our case, not the same for everybody, the hatchback was a clear winner on total cost to own. We can not take advantage of federal tax benefits. Our local electricity rate is 0.15/KWh. If we had solar the PIP would win. For us to have the PIP even come close we would have to charge twice a day.

Would I like a PIP or full EV car? You bet. But an EV won't work for us, and the PIP (for us) is more costly.

 

On your spreadsheet, what was the $$$ difference between Hatchback and PIP? Thanks

 

Yeah, if you can't take advantage of the federal and state rebates, then it would be difficult to make a PiP work out financially. That's an extra $4000 for the PiP to overcome or $9000 for the Volt.

 

It was about $2,000 after 7 years. Not much but enough to make a difference to me. I must emphasize that this is particular to our driving pattern. The main killer for us is taking our son to school and picking him up. Each trip is 13 miles one way. With the current PIP it would run out of EV power on the way to school, then we would charge it for the return trip to pick him up. 52 miles per day for the whole school year is about 11,000 miles. Add in the premium price for the PIP, the lack of a spare, and it wasn't for us.

 

We have a PV system with excess capacity. Sometimes we charge three or four times a day. Really doesn't cost us anything extra. That is why we are getting 70 to 80+ mpg and our gasoline bill is down to about $25 per month ($3.50/g. fuel cost).

Actual, mileage and utility will vary depending on driving habits, specific use, and relative cost of gasoline/electricity.

 

You have to be kidding Where are you going to get Hydrogen as a source of energy?.

 

my pip goes 15-16 miles on a charge.

 

Well, yes and no, we get an average of about 12 miles on a charge (using air conditioning) but when driving around town with a 30 mph speed limit, when the EV battery is depleted we can drive about another 15 miles on HV mode. So in reality we can get close to 30 miles as an EV around town.

 

??? Did you drive bisco's PiP?

??? On one charge?

 

You misunderstood my response or else I did not express myself clearly enough for you. I believe his response for his EV mode range, but my point is after you run out of EV miles, it is possible to go even further as an electric vehicle in hybrid mode if you drive within the parameters.

Yes. Permit me to repeat myself, I get an average of 12 miles on one charge (close to 13 if I don't use the air conditioner). Once I use up those EV miles, I can continue to drive on battery only as a hybrid, AROUND TOWN (25 mph speed limit), if I stay within the parameters (less than half the HSI bar, easy acceleration, gentle braking to maximize regeneration, no air conditioner or heat on, etc.). Yes, I can get close to 30 miles on one charge. I hope that clarifies.

 

it's still a bit of a mystery. are you saying without the engine coming on?

btw, agree with you on battery range, depends on speed, topography, number of stops, temperature, a/c use, acceleration and etc.