Prime Owners: Tips, Notes and Observations

19" or 17"?

 

Thanks for the info in 1), I was wondering about that! I drove my XSE strictly in EV mode the first week, getting a range of 39-40 miles. I drained down the battery and have been running in HV mode to see what the gas mileage is like - I am seeing ~45mpg highway, less in town. I am generally pleased though would love for the gas mileage to be a biit higher in local driving (this is about the same as my Gen 3, though it got 50mpg on the highway (which this may ultimately do).

 

I'm trying to break in the ICE a little bit and also get a feel for how I want to drive it. I suspect I will also be using EV mode most of the time, too. I have not driven in HV mode with a charged battery yet to ee how that differs - I am curious to see how the gas mileage is affected, and how quickly the EV range decreases while driving.

 

I think the prime fuel system preserves the gas so it doesn’t go stale.
The o/m should have info

 

It also helps if you can get ethanol-free gas.

 

Yeah, once I figure out my driving patterns, if I am going to charge every night and go EV, I will stabilize my gas. Important point for many.

 

i think 5 gallons a year is all you need to know, and do. on the pip, it ran the engine every 124 miles, whether you wanted to or not.

 

Never owned a PIP (guess maybe should be called a Prime). And how slowly Toyota is making them available I might never get to.

• Off topic though did see a news items saying there is 4k discount off used PIP vehicles it seems. Since this is still 2023 don’t know if that was a tax write off at tax time, thinking it was direct discount from dealer. Maybe that would be a way to get a Prime, be it used though a gen4 most likely. Plus many dealers charging over msrp anyway…even on used ones would figure.
• It would take away some of the sting from the smaller rear storage area and ability to see out the back by getting a Prime since driving in EV mode would just seem so cool for like 40 miles. I really like the tiny bit I can do in EV on my 2020 highlander hybrid.
• Realize I am combing out this from the wrong way, probably, but it would be nice to just drive in EV mode, as I do a lot of around trips at times. Just not thrilled to listen to the sound of the prius ICE engine.
  
  Though maybe it is not as bad as prior Gens plus 17” tires might how keep the sound down a drop. Then again, maybe it is only when you do wot (if that is the term for when you floor the gas pedal go really fast to get up to a set speed) when the ICE gets loud. Since gen5 has more power maybe this is not a concern.
• Thought I saw an option to get the rear camera mirror, to fix the lack of rear window viewing, not certain if that is simply an ‘add on’ after the fact that the dealer can do or must be part of the prime order as an option.
  
  Maybe it is just for gen5 non prime prius models, saw it on the Toyota brochure PDF for non-prime models. Have not see a Prime toyota brochure posted yet.
• So how would this work…say one have a full battery and drives like 40 miles in EV only mode, the ICE kicks in. And if driving on highway or other road without traffic lights, how long would it take to recharge the prime battery? Maybe that is not really a thing that happens per say and instead one must return home or go to a charging station to charge the prime battery. Not a bright question I realize…just never owned a Prime before. Well, guess it could recharge if driving down a mountain pass for a miles and miles and miles lol.

 

correct, it won't charge on level ground. a good long mountain will do it.

there is a force charge option, but it is using gasoline, so unless you need ev for a specific reason, it isn't worth it.

 

Can you link the article? There's maybe more to it, "discount" by whom?

 

a used ev tax credit i think

 

Don't doubt those numbers, but they are probably for gas in a can for the lawnmower. Emission regulations means car fuel tanks are better sealed against evaporative loss; it is the light fractions of the gas floating away that drop the octane. PHEV manufacturers might take the design a step further.

The Chevy Volt had a fuel maintenance mode that would activate when the average age of the gas went over one year. Then it would run in hybrid mode to use the old fuel. Add enough gas to drop that calculated age down, and the car would leave FMM.

There was also an engine maintenance mode that would run after 6 weeks or so if the engine wasn't used to circulate fluids and warm things. Such behaviors are known for the PiP. The Primes should have something, but the details of when such maintenance cyles happen aren't known. Since the Volt first came out, manufacturers have more field data on fuel and fluid life. They were more conservative with these modes in the past.

The PiP predates the Prime. It is a forum abbreviation of Prius Plug In that was based on the gen3 Prius. Prime is a name used in North America for Toyota PHEVs. In the rest of the world it's PHV.

The discount is a federal tax credit. The exact amount depends on the price, which can't exceed $25k. There might be limits based on the EV range or battery size.

 

Yes, that is my recall. If I can unbury the email I sen to myself with the link to the article will post it on this page. It was part of the grand ev rebate thing (tax return credit for new 2023 purchases…not prime of course and 4k taken off at time of sale on used pip think it was though not 100% certain if that went into effect this year else maybe not til 2024.