Why do some owners never recharge Prime after purchase?

Well, for some living in a very high electric rate area, charging and driving PRIME on EV mode cost more than using gas and running it on pure HV. I happen to be living in such a region. But for me, conserving the use of gas even if I have to pay more for electricity and saving the upfront cost of the car was enough reason to buy the PRIME twice and keep plugging in when needed. In our region, PRIME is cheaper than regular Prius. I have charged my PRIME daily for almost 3 years, but unfortunately, in the past 3 months, I have driven less than 1k miles, and currently, I drive only ~40 miles once a week. I do only weekly charge now and try to keep the traction battery 30-40% full during inactivity.

 

Some buy the top of the line, even if they don't use top of the line features. (this is true of any car)
Some buy to get in the HOV lanes. (this is huge)
Some buy for looks. (it is less ugly)

Some have no electricity available where they park. (Apartments, off grid, evil HOAs)
Some pay more for electricity than gas. (this is rare)

Do not discount not understanding PHEVs.

 

I had a neighbor with a 2017 that did that .

Never took the cord out of the storage spot.

But his was a county supplied Prime, so he wasn't focused on that aspect.

The HOV sticker was the selling point for the county I guess.

 

We lived in the corn belt and tornado Alley for 3 years (outside of Wichita, KS), so a Hybrid was a badge of honor to a certain degree.

We left before the Hybrid tax was instituted, but in fly over country where coal rollin is prevalent, why not do a tax that isn't sensical.

But charge it up.

 

If there was one mile of HOV lanes in my state, then I might get HOV access, but I doubt it.

 

When I got my 2017 in March of last year, the EVSE was still in the bubble wrap and the fuel economy history on the MID made it obvious that the original owner didn't plug in.

 

Some people purchase plugin vehicles with no intention to ever plug them in because after discounts, federal and state tax credits they are cheaper than the non plugin similar hybrid vehicle.

 

His previous county car was a gen2, so he was familiar with Prii.

But charging was another step, and the cord wasn't long enough to get to the nearest outlet outside.

I asked him if he ever used charge mode and he said: What's that.

 

That is huge... and Toyota knows it. They look for opportunities to push technology out in a way that will naturally create used models in a few years. In fact, that is why we have seen a historical pattern of mid-cycle updates where people are baffled why that feature wasn't offered in the first place... for example, the middle-rear seat.

HOV was a guarantee for used availability. Toyota knew some would purchase the vehicle for the sake of exploiting that and tax-credits, then it would be sold a few years later. It's a situation where everyone wins.

 

since we got home from florida in march, we have only driven 1,200 miles. but it's 97% electric. if we had prime it would be 100%.
but then we'd have to leave the gas tank empty, or burn gas needlessly.

plus, we're paying twice as much for electricity as gas

 

Oh my! Had he discovered the radio yet?

 

Now, now it isn't that obvious .

But definitely not the look in the manual type either .

Like most, somewhere in between.

 

At the time I purchased my 4th Pri - June 2018 - the Prius Prime was available at approx. $30K - however, I would receive a check for $1,500.00 from MA and a US Fed tax credit of $4,500.00 (you need to owe at least $4,500. 00 in Fed taxes to take advantage of this benefit)

So...$6,000 off of the price of a nicely equipped Prime ~ $30 k - $6K = $24 K vs buying a plain Jane ( ugly) Prius II for $24 K

Having said that - I set up my Garage for charging, and did so on a regular basis. As of April 2020, I have stopped charging the Pri,
Gas is less than $2 / gallon and around here the break even is ~$3 / gallon. The Prime is 2 different cars, the one on electric is much more fun to
drive than the gas version.

I'm sure gas will go up in price, and I'll return to charging my Prius. I really like the Prime and 2nd is the 2015V.

 

Choice is one of the best benefits of a Plug-In-Hybrid!

It is your choice to determine the fuel you will use - gas or electric. A hybrid gives you the power to decide which fuel to use and why:

If you believe electric power is cleaner then you can plug in and run only on electric if range allows.

If you are practical and gas is the cheaper fuel in your area then you can use gas.

Neither all electric vehicles or an all gas powered vehicle give you the power of this choice.

Many who have decreased their driving during the pandemic and own a Plug-In-Hybrid may not have had to buy gas at a gas station since March 2020.

 

Yup. I have only used 1/4 tank since February.

 

well, it will eventually turn on just to burn up the old gas. That's one thing about the old converted hybrids that now plug-in. They didn't get programmed to burn up old gas. Here at Disney, the state, county, and City send out inspectors and I asked one of these folks how often they plug in their coonverted vehicles.



"never" I was told.
Gotta Love government. The Optics look good driving around plugins, & they'd likely have had to have paid good money to convert GEN II's. Oh well ... at at least they're getting 50 MPG.
The other good thing about the conversions is they proved the manufacturers were not telling the truth ..... people WOULD buy them ... & people DO want to plug in ..... just not everyone.
.

 

mine runs every 124 miles if you don't use the engine. that takes about 10years to empty the tank.

from what i've read, prime isn't programmed to run.

our daughter worked at the vermont dept of transportation. they had 10 converted prius, but never plugged them in.
i see a town of wellesley prime running around and wonder...

 

Conversions only supported very slow 120-volt charging, making it extremely inconvenient. Many weren't able to do anything more than assist anyway. So there's really nothing in common with Prime.