Toyota Expect To Sell 20k Plug In Prius In US

Hey Mike, it's me

May I ask.. what do you do for a living?

 

with the Leaf, that will be 4 new cars in 5 years. would be tempting but might have to wait a bit.

 

I know Prius Chat is a pretty specific enviroment.

But I would think that prediction very conservative. 20,000 US? Few tens of thousands globally?
A lot might have to do with how the economy is doing in general. But I know a lot of people who are/have been waiting for the Plug In Prius. If gas prices would spike, The Plug In Prius could easily become one of the most sought after vehicles on the market.
I suppose we shall see, but I think those numbers could easily be low.

 

I'm in the camp that paying more to use less gasoline is the norm. Payback? it's called being able to breathe clean air. It's called moving forward with fuel other than carbon-based. why are these things NEVER put in the equation(s)? nothing else will matter if these 2 things are not addressed. sorry, but it is an inconvenient truth. we've had our cake and now it's eating us...time to think smarter and get off oil.

 

i "was" one of them and had it been 2010 they intro'd it, i would have one. but now, there are many other options that will be on the table and the demand will be spread out amongst a dozen options by 2012. granted, most are not for me; Volt, Tesla, etc. but the Leaf does fit and fit well. granted, it would still be a two car household, but it works.

in this case, being out the gate in the middle of the pack is a HUGE disadvantage

 

Well, that depends upon where you live.

Here's a link to an interesting site put out by the epa to calculate your carbon foot print. I like it because it uses data bases, based on your zip...which then sets where you derive most/all of your energy from. Here on the East Coast, a good portion of our electricity is still derived from fossil fuel...and that's not likely to change anytime soon.

Individual Emissions - Household Emissions Calculator | Climate Change - Greenhouse Gas Emissions | U.S. EPA

In any event, I put in some numbers for MY specific case just to see what the differences might be (in carbon output) between a G3 Prius, and the plug-in Prius. I used my zip and made the following assumptions:

(1) Assumed annual mileage to be 15,000
(2) Assumed MPG for the G3 to be 50 ( I get 61, but will use the advertised number of 50 MPGs).
(3) Assumed 80 MPGs for the plug-in. I'm sure some will get more, and some less. I've read a number of articles that use 75, so 80 sounds reasonable.
(4) Assumed that re-charging my plug-in would add an additional $10/month to my electric bill. I think that's a conservative number.


Here's what the EPA calculator said:

- Prius G3 would put out about 6,126 lbs of CO2/year.
- Prius plug-in would be responsible for about 5,070 lbs of CO2/year (~ 3,829 from just the car + 1,241 from the additional/added electricity used to re-charge the plug-in).

So, there's a difference (litttle over 1,000 lbs of CO2/year), but this amount is still less than an order of magnitude lower than the CO2 emitted just to heat and run the lights in my house - and that assumed only 1 person in the house. I have 5 people in my house, so the difference is probably closer to 30-50X more carbon output from my house, when compared to my Prius G3.

I commend going green. I agree with you that it's critical we start to move in that direction. But folks should realize that the carbon savings, for most of us that live in the large urban centers in this country, and still rely on fossil fuel to generate electricity...the savings are a 2nd order effect. Putting better insulation in your attic will have a far greater impact when it comes to your overall carbon foot print.

 

I'm going to buy one. Price doesn't matter, the only thing that would persuade me to buy something else is a better product on the market.

When I bought my Prius in '08 it was the best hybrid choice IMHO. I don't have much confidence in GM so the Volt really isn't a good fit for me. So unless something changes I'll be in line to order a PHV Prius in '12.

 

Tesla.

 

i don't think you can compare a tesla to a phev prius. two different animals and purchased for very different reasons.

 

June 2012 seems to be somewhat of a long time from now for the PHEV Prius to finally become available. So does anyone think that Hyundai will beat Toyota and offer a plug-in sooner?

 

Leaf -At the Alt Car Expo in Santa Monica over the weekend they were offering free test drives of the Leaf and it was way oversold of people trying to drive it (and that was Friday when most people were working). Many already had orders in.

Factor in any state sticker incentives, or goverment credits into this equation and for some, it tips the scales to either Leaf (in CA it could cost only $20,000 after tax credits,etc.) with carpool sticker, or the Prius Plug in (new carpool sticker). In a populous state like California, things such as rebates/incentives/stickers are worth a lot (considering the Volt cannot get a sticker in 2012 since they do not meet the emmission standards to get one).

 

I do. Hyundai or Nissan with its Leaf. I know these are totally different cars but if most people are like me (I know, I know) they are tired of hearing about cars that are 'two years out'. And Toyota seems to have lost the 'fire in the belly' that led them to introduce the Prius back in the day.

 

getting the Pri here in WA will still be a pretty good deal. not sure what the fed tax break will be on the battery pack, but the purchase will still be exempted from sales tax. that is basically $2500+ right off the top.

 

Based on forecast Prius HEV sales, Toyota's marketing strategy dictates that they will make more money if they wait until 2012 to launch the plug-in Prius. Drove one last weekend at the Green Auto Expo in CA, and I would love to have the option to buy one sooner.

 

Well at that point the early adopter market will be mostly saturated but Leaf, Volt and possibly Coda and Wheego. If the early majority gets on board at that point, then The PHEV Prius could be a smash hit. Toyota is letting its competitors open the market.

 

i test drove the Volt and it has the opportunity to "one up" Toyota and they blew it. its a downsized car that was a mistake. for the price, its too small. if it were a mid to medium large car, it would sell. as a compact for $41,000 ??? no way and they know it too but too late to change now. that is why they came out with very good lease terms. that alone will salvage the Volt long enough to push out a bigger design

 

It wouldn't work in the UK. If you had to carry around one of your power connectors, the extra weight would kill it.



Tom

 

2012 is too faaar away!!