I doubt Prius Eco would get AWD, as AWD decreases the gas mileage. Once again, my guess is that the Prius Eco features a premium engine with the Valvematic technology, which results in higher fuel economy (about 60 MPG vs. 55 MPG) and available horsepower (about 157 hp vs. 150 hp). Prius core models get a downgraded engine with no Valvematic.
What you're pointing to there don't look like suspension components, but the directional-stability vanes present on the current Prius, larger and moved back and outboard.
Could be for PiP2. Electronic On-Demand 4WD HSD can improve gas mileage. See Highlander hybrid and Lexus RX400h or 450h. MGR (rear motor) load balances with the MG2 (in the front). MGR is tuned for higher efficiency at low speed / high torque.
Toyota Prius naming philosophy and strategy? That's a forest I don't walk in alone at night. Don't forget Toyota decided in it's infinite wisdom to expand The Prius Family by creating a never ceasing and ever changing labyrinth of different trim levels, model number designations, all the while calling EVERYTHING a Prius. You could easily be correct about the upcoming "Prius Prime" or....it could be the name of an inner company Steak. I've given up trying to figure out Toyota's method to naming madness.
I've heard mention of the vanes, but I do believe these are suspension components. I opened the pic in photoshop and raised the shadows a bit: The muffler outlet is a little more obvious too.
Actually, the various reviews published recently were uniformly positive about the 2016 Volt's ride quality and handling with several saying it was noticeably improved from the first generation. The chances of GM making significant changes to the rear-suspension for the 2017 model year seem near-zero to me. GM is not delaying or limiting the 2016 Volt launch in the 11 CARB states where the large majority of Volt sales have been historically made.
My guess it is for the Prius; to give more distinction in conversation than, and likely better sounding, nothing, liftback, or regular. So the Family would be Prime, c, v, and Plug in. But Toyota could easily choose to drop the idea after trade marking it. Hasbro did so for transformer name that had been used on an older toy when they learned it was an offensive slang term in the UK now. If that is so, it doesn't show up in the EPA test, but the 1 mpg lower combined for the AWD isn't exactly a massive penalty. Compare Side-by-Side Could you have been thinking of the Tesla S D's? Compare Side-by-Side
Don't get caught in the MPG nonlinearity trap. That is approximately 1 MPG off a 30 MPG rating. Translated to gallons-per-100-miles, that could easily become a 3 to 4 MPG hit when starting from a 55 MPG vehicle. PS. I looked up the raw unrounded EPA figures for that 2014 Lexus RX450h. 2WD: 29.7833 mpg; AWD: 28.6072; difference = 1.1761 mpg. Expressed in the more meaningful Gal/100miles, those mpg figures become 3.35759 and 3.49562, for a difference of 0.13804 gal/100mi. For a Prius at 55.0000 mpg (1.81818 gal/100mi), adding that much fuel consumption produces 1.95622 gal/100mi, or 51.1190 MPG. Many buyers will surely notice the labeling showing a 4 MPG drop. The real loss will depend on details of the loss mechanisms that we PC readers don't have. But I will wager that a Lexus RH450h-type AWD on a Prius would lose closer to 4 than 1 MPG.
On the current EPA scale, the 2000 Insight MT scored 53 MPG combined. Don't get caught comparing 1980s-2007 EPA scores as being equivalent to today's scores .
If we're questioning the rear suspension, I can tell you that the Prii in Vegas had independent rear suspension as illustrated in the image here: Also, the muffler is turned sideways. The exhaust pipe comes into the middle of the side and exits on the passenger side.
Thanks for that. I think I see the jacking point. For anyone getting one of these, spray all those shiny bolts asap with some wax/oil protectant, Toyota's bolts seem very rust prone.
Few things about the ECO version: 1) The blue car with the Eco label have 15" with plastic cover, no foglights and we know that the high grade shown in LV have the Li-ion battery. But because press release mention also an upgraded Ni-Mh battery, if the ECO should have a Li-ion and the High grade too, there will be no room left for the Ni-Mh. So i would forecast an ECO with 15", Plastic wheel cover, no foglights and Ni-Mh battery: that is ECO stands in the same time for ECONOBOX and ECOlogic because the 15" and a different rear cover will give some marginal extra economy. On a side note compare the ECO smooth and flush black rear cover (that leaves the muffler partially uncovered) with the one of the high grade version, of different shape and extending on the lower part, covering completley the muffler. 2) The reason of my interpretation about the ECO comes from the use of the same ECO label on EU Auris, the Auris HSD Active ECO: that model was the base trim, had the 15", tons of missed accessories, 2 small side spoiler at the side of the rear window and of course some % of better declared mileage. That is, in the same time the cheapest trim and with the better FE (basically for the 15"). Unwise choice, people could spend extra money for better mileage, and they're rather thinking that people interested in FE wants the cheapest buying price....
If Eco trim is to have highest MPG, it can use Li-ion battery pack and perhaps without spare tire, to reduce weight. Also, SiC inverter would boost the efficiency but at higher price. It'll be interesting to see what they are doing with it.
Li-ion batteries don't help much with fuel economy if at all. They just give more EV range. Plug-in Prius with Li-ion batteries has lower fuel economy than the regular Prius with NiMH batteries in Consumer Reports tests, despite EPA numbers for combined MPG being the same. It was said during the unveiling that Eco will have a lot higher fuel economy than the core model. It's not a marginal improvement in fuel economy over the core model. My guess is that Eco engine will have Valvematic vs. no Valvematic in the core engine. But this is only a guess on my side and we will find out in a few weeks.
More EV range (larger battery) doesn't help on gasoline-only operation. NiMH battery on the Prius is already large enough to give the highest hybrid efficiency that is possible. It doesn't matter whether the internal-combustion engine is driving the wheels or recharging the battery -- you lose the same amount of energy as heat due to the limited thermal efficiency of the engine. In fact, you would probably lose a little bit more energy if you directly drove the wheels through the electric motor and use the engine only to charge the batteries, as you lose some energy due to electric resistance in the intermediate processes of charging the battery and running the electric motor. EV mode is only efficient if you recharge the battery at home. That's because the power stations of the utility companies have a lot higher thermal efficiency than the internal-combustion engines. Steam turbines can reach 80 - 90% or more as opposed to the low 40%s of the Generation 4 Prius internal-combustion engine. They also use renewable energy sources when available.
That's a little unfair. They were comparing the regular Prius to the Prius Plugin which is 150+ heavier due to having a battery with a bit over 3x the capacity. And even with that, the EPA rates it the same at hybrid-only city mpg and 1 mpg higher for highway. CR rates it as 43 mpg on their different test cycle vs 44 for the regular Prius. In the CR review, they attribute this difference not to Lithium vs NiMH but to the weight change due to the larger rechargeable capacity. A Lithium battery for a regular Prius is likely to be lighter than a NiMH battery so the weight disadvantage of the Plugin Prius would not be relevant. US National lab tests that I've read in the past have indicated that charge/deplete/charge cycles on modern NiMH hybrid batteries are roughly 85% efficient while Lithium packs are roughly 95% efficient or thereabouts. That's not a huge difference for hybrid use but it's something and the reduced weight can help slightly too. Again, not a big difference, but I would expect to see newer tech in the super-duper Prius model to help squeeze out the best possible mpg and to help Toyota field test new tech for wider future use. This is why a new SiC-based inverter seems possible as well.
Battery with larger capacity can capture more kinetic energy when driving downhill, Prius battery is not the optimum in this respect. Li-ion battery is lighter than NiMH one for same capacity.
