I never really thought about purchasing a plug-in Prius because my daily commute is 95% highway at speeds are 65-70mph. My commute also features a 1200ft. elevation gain in the morning. We all know that the plug-in Prius will benefit those with short commutes but with the knowledge that the plug-in can work in a mixed-mode condition when on the freeway I started to wonder how much I could benefit from a plug-in. I assume that my morning commute would still hurt but with the downhill evening session would likely boost MPG significantly. Any thoughts?
I had similar questions, and a 400 ft elevation change (downhill to work.) The first question I would like answered is: Is the EV mode selectable on the plug-in, the way it is NOT on the Volt? In the Volt, you have to burn all your electric power before the ICE kicks in. I would like to save the charge for the drive home, instead of using it on the downhill coast to work (okay, 10 ft per mile is not huge, but it is over hills of decreasing heights (lower and lower troughs), so increasing heights on the way home. That is where I will need it.
My normal commute is approx. 47 miles one way. I often have to visit a preserve or two during the day or the hospital on the way home so my minimum commute is about 100 miles per day to a max of 130 miles. Currently there are no options for charging at work. My elevation gain is fairly gradual most of the way and the 1100ft. gain is within the last 13 miles so mpg instantaneous drops down to mid 20s or low 30s depending on what wheels I have on at the time. For around town driving the EV option would provide a very nice boost because everything I need is within 13 miles.
From what I have read the plug-in will allow you the choice when to use EV. That would make a huge difference in overall fuel economy for many owners who could use the EV power when it is most beneficial.
i'll be interested to see what people have to say. it will be great if the plug in is beneficial in a number of different circumstances!
Toyota hasn't said how the 2012 Production PHEV's will work as far as when the electric power is used, on the demonstrator PHEVs, there was no choice, it ran on electric power until it was exhausted, then the engine/hybrid mode was used, it was not selectable. Of course this sais nothing about a production model, which could be different (or perhaps not, time will tell this story)
Well the EV miles can definitely help offset the 1,100ft gain near the end. And because you have no charging options at work, hopefully you can recharge the battey back on that hill (at least until pack 1 is full on the demo model). There's 13 extra miles there for "free" (or at least to further offset the climb in the morning). The only way to know is to take one out for a test drive when they arrive and go on the same route.
While the EV mode is not selectable on the version currently under trial Toyota has said it will be selectable on the production version. Things to remember though, The ICE will cut in once speed increases to over 62mph so unless you commute at 55-60mph your freeway miles are not going to be in EV mode. When running on the freeway or climbing a hill in HEV mode, the battey larger battery pack means that you are going to be lugging around more weight, although I have no idea how much more than the curent NiMH pack the Li pack will weigh so not sure how much that difference will be. for those with long commutes the HEV will possibly give you better mpg than the PHEV. Noel
Theoretically the plug-in may improve MPG even if you don't plug it. For example on my commute I drive 1.5mi before hitting highway, and in the morning you loose a few tens on MPG during this. Second, there are many situations were regen braking is lost due to battery capacity and low charge rates. Third the ECU on plug-in is programmed to allow full electric up to 62MPH and favor electric more then non-plug. here is the C&D review of plug in; they found some real life improvements, take a look: 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid - First Drive Review - Car and Driver Pers I will wait untill GenIV comes out as it will be all plug-in.
Thank you for the replies. We've heard a lot of details about this car but most of it really focuses on those with very short commutes. I recently watched a youtube video with a review of the car and it talked a lot about mixed mode driving and how even speeds above the 62mph threshold the extra battery power significantly increased mpg. In this case the plug-in option would work for a broader demographic. This is especially true if the additional packs can accept energy from regen and offer the ability to be turned on or off as needed.
Last I heard, the production version would have an EV button. Since the PHV starts in EV mode by default, that button is really a HV button to disable EV mode and into hybrid mode. You'll have a choice. You can choose to blend or save the PHV pack for later use. In your case, you want to use save the fully charged PHV back until the last 13 miles incline. That should boost your MPG. On your way back down, you can regen charge it. You can choose to use that charge on the highway on your way back home or use it about 13 miles near home (guessing city traffic). It is just my guess but I think you need to play with different scenarios to really find out the best usage for you. That's the fun of it. PHV pack is like a nitro tank. Blend it wisely for a boost.
I suspect that even with a longer commute, the PHV model will still save a lot of gas. Just as an example, instead of getting 50 mpg, you might be able to achieve 65 or 70 mpg for your average. if there was any way you could recharge while at work, you might be looking at 80 or 85 mpg averages.
