Vegas Heat mpg issues?

As far as battery health, if its anything like Gen2 or 3, we'll know in about 7 years. No reports of failures to date, nor would we expect any yet. MPG is normally favored by heat so not expecting issue there either.

Some people give a new model a year or two to allow any refinements. IN this case, I don't think you have to, but if you wanted to you could.

 

One way of reducing 'pumping' losses in an engine is to have the throttle more open more often. (As you know the throttle is ALWAYS open in a diesel, so they removed it) The less dense air in hot weather has the throttle open wider to pull in the same number of oxygen molecules, so hot air favors engine efficiency. The downside is that A/C runs more to cool both the driver and the battery. Long trips with A/C are more efficient than short trips with A/C.

Battery Chemistrys vary in the effects of temperature, Wikipedia says "Lithium-ion chemistry performs well at elevated temperatures but prolonged exposure to heat reduces battery life." So storing your car in shade may be more important than driving your car in heat. Had you lived in Ely, NV the winter cold temps would be more a concern than Las Vegas's summer heat.

Should you buy a Prius in NV, it has a 8 year, 100,000 mile battery warranty, which is not pro rated.

 

High ambient temps raise the battery temp. Worst is parking in direct sun I think. Underground parking helps.

 

OK lets look at the idea. Would you buy a new engine for an 8+ year old car? New Transmission? NO, you would get a rebuilt or a 'pull' from a junk yard.

Same for a HV Battery, many more Prius are wrecked than wear out the battery, so on ebay you can get one pretty cheap. $800 to $1500 (Most totaled cars are from front end damage, leaving the battery unaffected)

Toyota Prius 2008 in Other | eBay

Not all of these fit a 2008 (a 2008 would be 8 years old today, so in 8 years your 2016 battery would be as common)

While heat is a concern, mountains seem to cause the heat IN the battery, not climate itself.

 

That's a good reason not to be too reluctant to use "B" on major descents, especially when the battery is already warm.

 

Even driving in "ideal" conditions, near-level highway with 80 kmh limit, cool evening, I see battery temps around 35C.

 

How much would a clutch replacement or engine chain cost?
How much would a double clutch replacement cost (like on some modern VW and similar cars with "automated" gear shift)?

 

HPFP, not DPF. Hope you get cash and not a credit to buy another VW.

 

Florida heat seems to not effect battery life so far. Make sure the battery cooling vents are not blocked.

 

What would you say is a safe high ambient temperature range for the inside of the 2016 Prius to get before over time it will adversly affect the lithium ion battery?

 

What kind of issues did you have with the TDI? Any carbon build up at 40k-60k miles? I was considering buying a TDI before the scandal broke back in September. I'm hoping the HV battery would last more than 10 years, anything less than that would NOT be ok in my book.

 

No prius had a li-ion battery before 2016 except the plug in, which i do not think was sold in NV.

 

The battery is low and under , and it draws it's air from the passenger compartment.
I think that high temperature air that could hurt the battery would probably kill the passengers first.

 

Uh "VW" ????

Bob Wilson

 

Decision has been announced and just waiting for public comment period which ends later this month, and then judge will sign off. Buy back is for clean trade value as of 9/2015 plus cash which varies according to age of vehicle, minimum of $5,000. Payouts not expected to begin until October 2016. I went ahead and parked my TDI and am enjoying my new Prius 4. J

 

People always worry about replacing the hybrid battery but it is very rare. Look at longtermqualityindex.com which has statistics for power train problems in over 1 M US trade-ins. The Prius has fewer problems than any other compact car, and that includes hybrid battery problems. You are much much more likely to have expensive transmission or engine problems in a VW/Audi -- most of their models have below average long term reliability. My 2004 Prius is going strong on its original hybrid battery with 182,000 miles now.