Vote - Guess the new PiP EV range

Toyota has the resources, but going by past products and statements, they appear to be stuck in the thinking in the BEV conclusions of the old MITI LEV program; that BEVs will only work as short range city cars. A program in which NiMH was the highest tech battery available, and still expensive. Their still born eQ had a range of only 50 miles, or equal to the gen2 Volt, while being smaller and lacking a range extender for nearly the same price.

If hydrogen FCEVs take off, the others might be playing catch up in terms of a product, but not in technology. Honda and GM likely have the technology advantage there.

 

Voted.

Agree with this statement. The competition is even going to be greater when the unveil the new affordable Tesla in the next 2 weeks. I am sure many are looking forward to it including myself.

 

Just to be the dog-in-the-manger: has Toyota said there will be another Plug-In Prius?

 

I'm guessing 25+, simply because anything less than that is nothing to brag about nowadays.

 

Yes, but then Toyota also said the original PiP would be available in all 50 states. Instead they stopped production for all states before the next generation was ready.

 

The only way for the range to remain the same is to
1) Use a very old battery technology or
2) Make the battery significantly smaller.

The PiP dithering reflects some very convoluted thinking at Toyota HQ.

 

Has anyone thought about the possibility that Toyota might purposely fail the PiP 2 so they could scrap the plugin line in the near future? They can say that hey we built a plugin hybrid and it's a failure because nobody wants it so we will no longer be offering it. They'll use that excuse to ditch battery power all together and devote all their resources to FCV.

 

On the contrary I think the reason why the stopped production of Gen 1 PIP well ahead of Gen 2 could be because Gen 2 was going to be a big leap so much so that it would be wrong to be selling old model to customers months before new one came.

 

have you seen the article about it debuting at the new york auto show next wednesday?


MERGED

nope.


MERGED

they made enough to cover demand. which was quite low.

what dithering do you mean?


M E R G E D

no one thinks the range will stay the same.

 

There was a comment made to Danny by a Toyota spokesman at the test drive in California suggesting that there was something very significant coming with the next generation plugin's battery. He couldn't discuss it, of course. It was very tantalizing. I am sure range will be increased greatly.

Sales may not have been huge, but there are sure a lot of very satisfied owners of the first gen plugin.

I expect the new plugin to be very exciting both in terms of the engineering advances it adds to the already impressive gen 4 and its appearance, judging by the leaked images.

 

Did Toyota say it was new PIP?

 

Toyota Reveals Stand-Out Style, Intelligent Eco-Tech at NY Auto Show | Toyota

 

Toyota statements about nationwide PiP availability.

 

I am thinking CARB wanted more than 6 miles range for ZEV credits, so that was part of the problem with PiP1.

 

<rant> Toyota is in bed with CARB. That's why battery capacity is required for credits and not EV distance traveled. That's why a tiny 4 kWh battery qualifies. That's why fuel cell vehicles get more credits than BEV. </rant>

 

I see nothing about PIP in that link. It could be, could just as easily be some sorta coupe.

 

You're upset for Toyota acknowledging and responding to the market?

What kind of an automaker would prevent themselves from having that flexibility, backing themselves into a corner, being stuck with a design...? Never mind, we already know the answer to that one.

I'm still amazed how some continue to dwell on those misunderstanding of purpose & scope. Why not take advantage of technology changes and what was learned from early rollout?

 

Media Speculation! Toyota preps plug-in Prius for N.Y. – Automotive News

 

HT @Sergiospl who linked this article a few months ago from HV development chief Shunsuke Fushiki:

Interview: Toyota on Next Prius PHV (1) - Nikkei Technology Online

The basic composition of the next Prius PHV is the same as that of the new Prius...To ensure EV driving performance, we will employ a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery and motor that are different from those of the new Prius. The Li-ion battery of the new Prius is focused on output density. Because EV driving will be prioritized for the next Prius PHV, we are currently developing a battery with a focus on energy density. Also, we will employ a drive motor larger than that of the new Prius...for the next Prius PHV, we are considering enabling the engine to rotate the generator more and storing more electricity in the battery...For the new Prius, we moved the battery from under the luggage space to under the rear seats. To install a battery in a limited space, we reduced cell size and improved storability. We are still considering how to lay out the battery in the next Prius PHV. It is possible that the battery, whose capacity will be larger than that of the new Prius' battery, will be stored in the center console or luggage space.​