What Prius Prime needs.

It is a long term goal.
Hydrogen's hurdle is distribution infrastructure. We can make renewable methane and diesel that uses existing infrastructure now, if we so choose.

 

Thank your Toyota dealers.
If Toyota has their way,
It would have been under 20 miles and a full hatch

 

I’d like to have a bigger gas engine. HyCam gets 50mpg with a 2.5L engine, Prime is smaller with better aerodynamics so using a 2.5L wouldn’t lower HV mpg much compared to our wimpy 1.8L. The benefit would be 200+ HP when needed, and still retain excellent efficiency in EV mode. It would be more fun to drive and eliminate the anemic Prius 0-60 numbers that turn off potential buyers.

 

Would a bigger engine even fit under the hood...

 

I agree. Haven't batteries improved in the last 4 years? The next model should have more range.

 

or a larger hatch

 

Why would you want a larger hatch, it's already humungous. (I bet you mean storage!)

What I want is no hatch at all, turn it into a sedan or coupe would be great by me. (or at least a power hatch, it's unusable for me as is. (I'm too short to close it)

 

Yes, storage. My next car will like be a larger plug in

 

Rumor is the prime will get a better packaged battery.

GM moved to better chemistries during the run of the gen1 Volt that yielded better slightly range; same with the Spark EV. It isn't something I see Toyota doing.

 

With 20 years of proven performance, do they need liquid cooling?

 

Is Toyota using NiMH in their plug ins?

 

no, but they've had good success with air cooling of both types. i don't see the point of liquid cooling a phev, or a need for faster charging of a 25 mile battery

 

Toyota has only been using Li-ion since the PiP and Prius v in other markets. These are really small packs relatively speaking. Nissan and Hyundai have had more experience with air cooling larger packs, and I wouldn't call one of them a success. Air cooling could work, but it generally requires a more expensive chemistry, which could negate the cost reason for going with air.

The Prime's pack is about the limit most other PHEVs have gone with air cooling. Most above that have gone with liquid cooling. The Rav4 Prime will have a loop off the HVAC system to help cool the pack. Exactly how, we don't know(direct cooling or chilling incoming air). Less details are known about their BEVs, except photos of the packs have air blowers.

 

Yeah, more specifically, forced air should have no difficulty cooling a battery about a meter long and a meter wide (roughly). It might be pushing their luck a little, since air has very-low specific-heat — it can’t conduct away a whole lot of heat, but I think that all in all they’re fine.

When you’re talking about a much larger floorboard-sized battery it’s far harder to get enough cool air into that large an expanse, so liquid is pretty much the only way you can go (other than just letting the battery slowly crap out like Nissan does).

 

Well, I thought we were discussing what the prime needs.
If you take the o/p’s premise of 50 mile battery, throw in fast charging and liquid cooling, you’re going to have a $50,000. Car with no hatch space.
Not a hot seller imo.