PHEV Help: Prius Prime, Honda Clarity, or Volt

That is a YMMV based on traffic and driver behavior. I am pretty much a one pedal driver in a Prime unless I come to a complete stop. Not that I mind using two pedals -- it just does not happen much.

 

Sure you can, and you can turn it on too.
Just change the set-point temperature

 

To be honest, even though I've had the Prime for almost a year now I had no idea this even existed in the car. I mean it's great and all, but I prefer to drive a car myself. I would have greatly preferred to simply have a regen/decel paddle like in the Volt/Bolt.

Honestly, I think you guys are taking my comments to be more negative than they were supposed to be. It's not meant as some kind of value judgement - it's just how the car is and I honestly don't see why one-pedal-driving is such a big deal.

The Prius simply drives more like a traditional automatic transmission car - it honestly doesn't slow down all that much (especially compared to our Tesla, and an older Porsche I drove a few years back). Regeneration on the Model S (and I assume all other electrics which are designed to aggressively regenerate on accelerator-lift-off) can also be negated by partial throttle/accelerator application (apart from setting it to "low" mode).

I mean you could theoretically drive any automatic car with a single pedal given the right traffic circumstances?

 

As you can turn any EV into a two pedal car all the time, given the right driver.

 

But that's kind of intentionally obfuscating the point - in average-to-heavy (not light) traffic that your average suburban/city driver is going to experience, driving a Prius (in D mode) is likely to be a two-pedal affair whereas in a Tesla (and I understand the new Leaf) it's more likely to be a mostly one-pedal experience. Again, I don't see why this is a big deal - the cars are simply different in design and philosophy and I have a really difficult time seeing one-pedal-driving as this particularly superior experience.

I will say that I envy you for having the low traffic and the kind of drivers around you which allow you to drive using only the accelerator in the Prius. If I were to do that (not at 4AM), I would have countless people cutting me off and SUV drivers aggressively tailgating.

 

That is not obvious to me. I also drive in a 1M resident city and find the same.

I agree though -- this marketing blitz touting one pedal driving is waaay overblown.

 

I guess it will only be the Prime or the Volt for you. You already mention you find the Clarity too big and the suede dash not to your taste and plus it is neither the best EV or ICE wise.

I may have missed it, but i did not see you mention the bulk of your trips. I also missed how often your back seat will be used by your extended family.

If you often do cross-country, or more than occasionally have a back seat passenger, the Prime will be best for you.

Otherwise the Volt should creeps in.... but only if your trips are comfortably within it's EV range. If it's borderline, the Primes more efficient heating during the cold months may tip it back in.

The difference in trunk space should be a wash. You can always fold the rear seats if you need more and it's really how you place your stuff that determines how much you can squeeze in the back.

So sharpen your pencil and do your homework and figure those out and your choice becomes a bit clearer.

 

Generalization was not the intention. Merely pointing out that not all felt it was great. Besides, it is of little value to someone no longer making regular daily trips.

Perhaps it is time to ask Danny to change my name back to ShellyT.

One pedal driving comes down to personal preference. Just steering, ride, and other qualities of a car.

It is the KISS solution to regenerative braking, and one with a long history in application. Trains with electric drive trains have used it for decades. It was just called dynamic braking when there wasn't battery to recapture the energy. The only thing new plug in cars bring to it is using foot controls. How much money did Toyota and others spend to get the blended control on regen and friction brakes on one pedal to work, and then to do so as seemlessly as the friction only brake control on a non-hybrid?

 

it IS the most efficient method of driving. But a "blitz"? Iduno - Tesla, having the greatest amount of regen doesn't market regen at all .... heck, they don't even advertise!

.

 

Even for the others, statements about one-pedal driving, mostly seen in reviews, are simply to inform the reader/viewer. Like whether a car is FWD, RWD, or AWD.

 

An early Prius PHEV adopter (early Spring 2012) who traded up to a Clarity PHEV last December, I can say that at least between those two vehicles, there is no comparison. Clarity is by far the better vehicle. Harder to say that in comparison to a Prime since I only drove one a few times. However, I can say that I have used less than 12 gallons of gas for 2500 miles of travel so far. I typically get more than the advertised 47 miles of EV range on every charge, and those are actual EV miles. It's a bigger, heavier car, but the electric drive moves it seemingly effortlessly. Off the line torque puts the Prius to shame. The interior ride is silent. I liked my Prius PHEV when I had it, but I don't miss my old ride now. The price of the Volt, with all of its add-ons was somewhat of a turn-off. After driving one a few times, I wasn't more impressed with it than the Clarity.

 

For more in today's money and today's tech, it better be that way.

It's realistic to see Camry that way later too, once the plug-in demand reaches mainstream consumers.

 

I've just learned to adjust the HVAC before I go into reverse. With each car I've owned over the last 40 years, I've had to change my habits in some way or another.

 

I agree. I have learned to adjust and change driving habits. Although ... I do have to say that the backup camera only takes up the top 1/3 of the screen. They could have left the audio and climate controls in the lower half. I often drive around my parents and elderly grandparents. They all complain about the air conditioning.... so anything helps.

Lets just hope that the screen never bugs out and we lose access to the air conditioning.