Featured 5th Gen Prius

that'sjust because there's no supply. when there is supply, the opposite will happen. i can't think of anything toyota can do to make it popular, it's just not the american way.

 

obsolete thread?
Will PC survive if there's only a prime?
Prime chat?
.

 

we don't need prius or prime to keep the good times rollin'

plus, there's plenty of broken down old prius that still need help

 

The Cuba Phenomena.

 

Did I say this here? Europe pays something like a 10% import tax on the Prius models. The Corolla is made locally, so doesn't have that added to the price. Europeans have the choice of the Corolla hybrid in sedan, hatchback, and wagon. I think they also have the choice of a larger engine in the hybrid with the Corolla.

With those cheaper options, there isn't much need for the Prius on the European market, except for the plug in. Unless Toyota starts expanding hybrid choices here, there is still a niche for the Prius.

High gas prices made it popular in the past; they can do so again.

Wait, looks like we will be getting the Corolla Cross hybrid. The Prius is doomed.

I, for one, would like to see a small diesel farm tractor engine in a Prius.

 

Nope. In UK both have been withdrawn.

 

Starting to sound like the pasta aisle at our grocery store, at the height of the first COVID wave...

 

The excitement is almost overwhelming. Can't wait to see just how exciting it gets.

 

I am excited about some of the technology that has come out of Solar Racing. Cambridge University developed a way to turn carbon fiber in to battery storage a while back, and I believe that Tesla was planning to make use of that technology.

Perhaps introducing a different kind of market for solar-assisted EVs would be a good way to go. Of course, that would probably involve some significant changes to body design in order to reduce the drag coefficient from nose to tail. You might have a seating arrangement that looks more like a motorcycle, but such a vehicle would fill the market for a long-range suburban commuter, whereas, short-range "family" EVs would make viable town transportation. Most commuters end up being driven by a single person anyway, so filling such a niche market would not really impinge upon current lifestyles, but rather serve to enhance them by making them more cost-effective and green at the same time.

 

The problem with Graphine batteries is the lack of power delivery.

 

Long Range Solar Electric Vehicle - Lightyear One
It's a full size car that is priced at 250k Euros.Part of the cost is because cars have limited space for solar panels in addition to being limited in ideal placement. So a car needs to use PV panels that are more efficient, thus more expensive, than what you would put on a house.

Turns out the Aptera will use PV panels, but the site doesn't give clear info on how well that works out. The Lightyear site says 12km range per hour. The Aptera is a lot more affordable, if it succeeds. https://aptera.us/

I love the idea of a tiny commuter car. Was routing for the Elio, but the ones that do make it to market don't sell well. People have concerns over safety, and the essential costs for making a car don't rapidly drop. Making it a 'motorcycle', like the Elio and Aptera, lowers costs because motorcycles have lower safety and emission standards.

The Chevy Spark is the smallest car for sale in the US. Its MSRP is $13,600 for an ICE. The Aptera tricycle is targeting a base price of almost double that. There will be incentives, but not as generous as for plug in cars, since it is a motorcycle. I think the federal tax credit is $2000.

 

Is the Aptera still around? I thought that project was over since they had trouble getting it approved as street legal.

Undoubtedly we have a way to go regarding both storage and solar panel efficiency. Charging stations make sense if you can get enough battery storage to travel across rural/semi-rural/suburban areas to a proper charging station - and if the charging times are reasonable.

One technology that I think sounds promising, is solar paint. If we can laminate surfaces with solar paints to create PV surfaces, then that could open up a lot of architectural possibilities for charging stations.

 

I rather see mandated 99.9% thermal reflective paint in hot/dry areas, especially if they can make roads thermally reflective reducing the heat island effect.

Reflecting heat is more efficient than generating a little electricity but using massive amounts of AC

 

That is true, however, not every structure is one that will require cooling. The efficiency of solar paints, both in terms of power and cost, as well as opportunity should be weighed against the same efficiency of current PV panel technology instead. In terms of architectural opportunity, there may be several situations in which a non-airconditioned structure might benefit from solar paints. We can't dismiss its viability until the technology has been more fully developed, and we get a better idea of what the cost is per kilowatt - IMHO.