Should I use up my EV daily for work?

I agree, that is the best strategy. That being said, there are some special situations that requires more thinking if you want to maximize saving $$$ and still doing good for the environment.

 

You are obviously not qualified to be a "real" hybrid owner.
No paranoia.
No OCD.
No overwhelming curiosity about insignificant minutiae.

 

Well, SCE ($1500 rebate), CA state ($1000 rebate) and Fed ($4000+ tax credit) did qualify me as a PHEV owner!

 

I have almost the same commute as yours. Mine is 100 miles RT and about 3 miles to fwy. In my situation, I try to use up all my EV miles since there is a free LADWP charging station near my work (0.6 miles walk). Going to work is mostly downhill, so out of 50 miles, 45 miles are in EV and 5 miles in HV mode.
Use plugshare app to find charging station near your work place.

 

In California gasoline and electricity are both expensive, and they cost about the same to run a Prius Prime.

I definitely prefer EV for short trips, as otherwise an engine that doesn't fully warm up will have shorter longevity and more breakdowns in the long run.

The way I would run it in OP's case is that I wouldn't use the charge fully in the first leg of the trip so that I don't idle the engine in the parking structure. Likewise, I would leave about 2% charge when I make it home so that I don't idle the engine in the driveway and garage. This should not only save fuel but reduce emissions and noise.

 

Another way to think of it: a ratio.

Assume 55 mpg for HV mode and a conservative 4 miles/kWh. That means a gallon of gasoline will move you the same distance as 13.75 kWh. That means as long as a kWh is less than the price of gasoline divided by 13.75, electric driving is less expensive.

Here in Los Angeles I can get gas at Costco for about 3.09. With those figures above any electricity that is $0.22/kWh or less makes EV travel less expensive than gasoline.

 

yikes. math.
luckily i charge at home and at work for free...lol
and only a 12.5 mile commute one way.
so most days i make it to work and back on a single charge. even in winter.
when i am cold i turn on HV to warm up car faster, and burn some gas.
feels strange to me to have the TRANS and engine spinning in ice cold ATF.
anyone move to make their commute ideal? aka less than 30 miles one way?
or round trip?

 

The transmission is spinning no matter what. It has very few moving parts, and it should never wear out.

 

yes i know its spinning, but does the fluid warm up ? or does it even need to warm up ?
i'm using old ICE trannys as a baseline, they got hot, and fluid was designed like motor oil to perform when hot.
aka warmed up.
i'm sure its probably fine in the prime, but old habits die hard. lol
i just kinda like knowing everything is warmed up.
so when its freezing out, i dont mind flipping over to HV for 15 minutes to warm up the cabin
and the engine /trans

 

It doesn't have friction plates like a traditional automatic transmission. Just planetary gears (and some kind of one way clutch for the engine). It's closer to a differential than a transmission.

But I think the motors are cooled by transmission fluid, so in that case it probably heats up quite a bit.

 

As @m8547 said, the transaxle creates quite a bit of heat with all the gears spinning and the big electric motors running, which is why it needs to be cooled. (Electric motors get HOT!!)

Here's the video with all the details how it works.

And here's the tldnr version

 

Yes, the OP should use up his EV daily for work or anything else!
Don't even think about it. Just drive.