Why did you buy a plug in and not an electric car.

I really wanted a Model3 but the timing was off and I wasn't sure I had the patience to wait several years for delivery. A Tesla or Volvo (they're going electric, whoo!) will be on my radar when I'm ready to bid adieu to the Prime. Definitely share some Tesla info and photos, Nancy! I am super intrigued by them.

 

If you want a "moderately priced" pure electric, and don't want to play Tesla's games, get a Chevy Bolt. Yeah, I know Chevy isn't "cool," but the car actually works pretty well.

SM-G950U ?

 

I thought about it, but figured if I'm spending that kind of money I'd rather a Tesla over a Chevy. I never really cared for Chevy, honestly. EVs are steadily getting better and better, also more widely available. By the time I'm ready to trade there will be many more options from a multitude of brands, which is a nice thought. Range anxiety will also be less of an issue, hopefully!

 

Ack! I'd only carry a Jerry can inside a car in a dire emergency...

 

Oh, never mind, just realized you said EMPTY can...

 

Around town, there is no need to carry gas. If taking the i3-REx out of town, especially when the route may have fewer open gas stations, the spare can of gas makes a lot of sense.

Bob Wilson

 

Why did we by a Prime and not an electric?
In BC charging infrastructure is scant as yet and EV's do not have the range we need for some of our travel. Day to day however, we drive something close to the Prime's range. So our plan is to drive in EV mode most of the time, reducing carbon footprint, saving money and still have the capability of longer drives when we go travelling or visit family. Because Toyota has extensive history with the Hybrid synergy system and because we've owned 7 Toyotas in the past, we trust the automaker and it's ability to build a quality Hybrid product.

 

There are not enough charge stations and the cost of charging is way too much. I hate being controlled by the electric range and the anxiety of running out of electricity. It will happen no matter how large the range is.

 

The only reason I have bought 3 Priuses was to get car pool stickers. Along the way they have grown on me. My 2017 is certainly a nice upgrade from my 2012 Plug in. I do enjoy the quality and low cost of ownership of the Prius.

 

The garage is now complete. The Tesla 3 is a fabulous car so far. We have had it about 3 hours and have been figuring out how it all works. The drive and handling is phenomenal and the sound system is fabulous. I need to spend more time with it this weekend when I can get it out of my husbands hands. It is after all, his car! The angle of this photo makes it look small but it is 3” longer than the Prime and has 19” wheels. The roof is all glass. I wouldn’t trade either of these vehicles and don’t see us ever becoming disenchanted with them.

 

Wow, Nancy... garage looking good there! Anxious to read your reviews of the 3 as you get to know it better.

 

I admit I got rapped up in Elon's promotional marketing and was one of the ones standing in line to give Tesla my $1,000 deposit. But I ended up canceling my Tesla Model 3 order and bought the Prius Prime instead. Why? The more I thought about owning an EV, the less sense it made. First the cost of the Model 3 ended up being nearly 2x more than what was initially announced (with options), fuel costs are low, the Prime's ICE is super efficient, and the Prime's EV range covers 90% of my local travels. Also I sold my 2004 Prius after 225,000 miles and had zero problems with it. And Quality of the Model 3's are (so far) not that great. Another reason was, for long trips, the thought of hanging around a charging station for 20 to 90 minutes (as ICE vehicles waved as they went by) didn't thrill me.

 

I WANT an electric car. No question about it. I've wanted one since I was 13 years old. A well designed BEV is wonderful to drive. Someday I will have one. But not this year.

I spent the last 17 years driving a Gen 1.5 Prius, so I am very familiar with the reliability of the design. When I was ready to trade it in, it was because I wanted the new safety features. I drove the Prime and was very happy with the ergonomics as well as the feature set. I've had it a year and I'm still enjoying it. Daily use is less than 25 miles. Monthly use is 1200 to 2500 miles.

Even though I'm now retired and no longer commute 1250 miles a month, I still drive 1000 to 2000 miles a month in support of elderly parents. My wife makes similar assistance trips to the southern California border. Often she will drive south the day that I drive north. Obviously we both need to have a car that will travel half the length of California in a comfortable time.

She drives the Camry hybrid and I drive the Prius Prime. I really enjoy the features and comfort of the Prime. She enjoys the luxury of the Camry and the freedom of knowing that no matter how bad the LA area traffic she still makes the whole trip without worrying about gas.

I felt that I'd have needed to get a Tesla Model Y to have the features (and capabilities) of the Prime. There are now enough supercharger sites along i-5 in northern California to make the trip to Oregon. Two years ago there were not. There are no SuperChargers in her little town, so I'd have to charge with a level 1 charger overnight to get about 35 miles of range per day. A level 2 charge in town would top it off in only a few hours. The Y, unfortunately, is about $20,000 more than the Prius.

I'm quite happy with my choice. Someday I will get a proper home solar installation to charge a BEV and get a self driving model for local use. It will NOT be a Tesla. Their autonomous driving software / hardware has a terrible record compared to the Google effort.

 

never say never

 

I bought my Prime Premium in 2017, to dip my feet in the BEV world, and because it only cost me about $21K new, after all incentives and tax credit.

It has served me well, as most of my trips are local and within the 25-30 mile electric range I achieve. Have used less than 100 gallons per year doing ~14K miles/year, with virtually all that use coming on longer trips.

Of course it pales in comparison to my wife's Model 3 SR+, purchased last year, which is in a whole 'nuther league. Fast, fun and efficient, only drawback is it cost $40K.

The Prime will be the last car I buy with an ICE...

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Living in hurricane country, I've learned to appreciate things with multiple fuel sources, which is why my small home generator will operate on gas or propane.
For all its disadvantages.....propane is shelf stable and carb friendly.

As recently as 2019, I thought (foolishly) that the electric infrastructure in the Gulf South had been improved to the point that there would no longer be a weather event that resulted in a weeks long electrical outage.

Then?
2020 said: "Hold my beer!"

PHEVs are scaling up nicely for now, thanks.
I'll probably wait a bit before buying another single-fuel vehicle.