Prime still viable without immediate charge access?

I got my Prime in May and didn’t get the ability to charge in my condo garage until August. No problem whatsoever other than impatience. You don’t need to be plugged in to remotely start the climate, but you do need a charged battery.

 

if the prime is a good deal compared to gen 4, and you can live with 4 seats, smaller hatch and no spare, i'd go for it. you don't ever have to charge it, and with ma electric rates, charge mode is actually cheaper than plugging in.

 

Depends on where you are in MA. I'm in the center of the state and pay about 12 cents/KWH. I know others who pay more and some who pay less...Seems to vary quite a bit across the state depending on your provider and if you have options for metered usage.

 

so not having access to charge the car is not a deciding factor? I ask because I live in an apartment, but will qualify for the tax break, based on last years return. I figure the cost would come out about the same as a Prius 4. I've moved, and need safety features like BSM because traffic is insane here. Also need something more suitable for winter driving, as I took public in winter when I lived in Chicago. Don't have to worry about snow when you ride the el to work.

 

I would say go for it, if you can afford it, and can live with 4 seater, smallish cargo, no spare tire as @bisco pointed out. It will be cheaper than your Gen3 for sure with $3250 rebate, deep dealer discount, and possible $4500 tax credit. Your will get 60+mpg easily without charge. However, my understanding is that remote climate start requires sufficient charge in traction battery, so without charging, you may not bet that feature. Good luck.

 

I have a 2016 Prius 3 now. Wish in retrospect I'd gotten the 4. Not seeing any discounts or cash back at the moment here. Styling is not near as bizarre as my 2016. 2016 looks like someone took a massive dose of LSD and then designed the car. I'd be able to wait and go through Costco if I go for a Prius 4 instead. No 2018's at participating dealer at the moment.

 

There was a thread on this topic somewhere that showed nice table for break even point for electricity and gas price. I can't find it now, but I recall, for my area $0.17/kWh electricity is about $2.20/gal gas or around there to break even. Someone correct me, if I'm wrong, or show me where to find the table I am talking about. So, for 22cents/KWH, if your gas is less than $2.20/gal, it cost more to run by EV only. You still get great mileage, even without charging, though.

 

correct. i'm paying 24 cents, and gas is around $2.40 here. if i didn't love driving ev, i would just run it as a hybrid.

 

The equation is pretty simple.
1) 6.3KWh for a full charge (see: KWh/ Mile? Justifying 19 cent KWh electric rate | PriusChat)
2) Your Rate (mine is 0.12 cents/KWh)
3) How many miles do you get on a full charge. (for me, summer=33, winter=24 so far)
4) how many miles would you get from a gallon of gas (for me, summer=68, winter=55 ish.)

In the summer: 6.3KWh/charge * 0.12 $/KWh / 33 miles/charge * 68 miles/gallon = 1.56 $/gallon equivalent
In the winter: 6.3KWh/charge * 0.12 $/KWh / 24 miles/charge * 55 miles/gallon = 1.73 $/gallon equivalent

With Bisco's electric rate: 6.3KWh/charge * 0.24 $/KWh / 24 miles/charge * 55 miles/gallon = 3.46 $/gallon equivalent.

You see a good bit of variation in many of the elements. Some people are doing better, others much worse in terms of EV miles/charge. I think John reported something closer to 18 miles on a cold Minnesota morning. The electric rate certainly varies quite a bit with some reporting as low as $0.06/kwh...The economics can vary considerably. Fortunately the fun doesn't....

 

The Prime is a better hybrid due to its larger battery. That battery does take up some cargo & seating space...there ain't no free lunch.

 

We survived for a month or so before we could get our L2 ESVE installed. We did use the 120v plug-in unit that comes with the car, but because we had to have a cord across a city sidewalk (with an orange traffic cone placed on top for safety), we could not leave the Prime plugged-in overnight.

However, there are lots of ChargePoint public charging locations throughout the area. Check out the web site www.plugshare.com to see what's near you or locations that fit into your regular activities. For example, most Whole Foods stores have a couple of charging stations. Also in the municipal parking lots in several nearby towns, the garage at my physicians' offices, many parking garages which provide it as a free or discounted service when you pay for parking, etc.

If you use the remote climate start and you're not plugged into an EVSE, it will use power from your battery and reduce your available EV driving range. But, you can do it. It just means that your Prime will switch itself to hybrid mode sooner.