Hello, I am new to the world of Prius and to this forum. Last Sunday I picked up a Blizzard Pearl, Basic PiP and I LOVE IT!! I have been driving a 1998 Dodge Caravan that got approximately 18 miles per gallon. I am not knocking the Dodge Caravan I still have it and after 123,000 miles every button, switch, dial on the car still works perfectly and it the car runs great. But eventually it's time to move on. In my search I test drove the Nissan leaf and I really loved it. However I must admit the range of approximately 75 real-world miles concern me. I then test drove the Chevrolet volt and again I loved it but car felt a little bit confining to me. However, it was a real thrill driving both of those. Then I stumbled onto the Toyota lot and I noticed that Prius had a plug-in version. I test drove it and absolutely fell in love. So, I now seem to have the best of both worlds I get my electric driving "fix" in and when the EV range expires I have to suffer through a vehicle that gets 50 miles per gallon! ha ha. I just love driving in the electric mode, it is such a thrill. Also, I'm having great fun learning to use all of the high-tech gadgets that come with the car such as Bluetooth, hands-free cell phone operation, streaming the music from my iPhone onto the radio, and just now getting into some of the stuff with the Entune system. The car is like a Christmas tree that that you continue to find gifts under! However, I have been an electric guy for some time. When I was in to radio controlled model airplanes I flew exclusively electric controlled model airplanes. I have also owned a battery operated lawnmower for the past 8 years. So I guess getting an electric/hybrid car was the next step. So I look forward to learning from everyone here on the forum and enjoying the electric ride. Rob
congrats and welcome! i feel exactly the same way about electric and all the cars you tested. you're gonna love it, all the best!
Rob, As the newbie you have a lot of info here on PriusChat and more comes every day. If you have any questions and can't find the answer in a Search, then ask. Get a Kill-A-Watt on Amazon for $20 and keep track of the kWh you add to the PIP. And add your Gas Fillup data to the PIP MPG Spreadsheet, at the top of page 1.
Just be cautious when listening to Priuskitty. He/she drinks a lot and doesnt always make a lot of sense. J +2/ PK 0
Welcome.. your gonna love it. With respect to the kill-a-watt, they are not really intended for permanent use. You might borrow one so you can calibrate your usage, then you can track by just knowing your conversion factor (or can even approximate via other people's conversion factor). More important than meetering is just logging the data the car gives you to PluginPrius Spreadsheet
Welcome. Something to think about evse upgrade to 220/240 I'm sending mine in after labor day. iPhone ?