Prime vs Prius vs tesla 3

As far as I know, HV mode puts out the same power if the battery is full or not. Are you using EV Auto mode when passing? I've noticed no difference in performance in HV mode, whether the battery is full or not.

 

In equilibrium conditions (i.e. during cruise at constant highway speed, with ICE spinning more or less at constant RPM) regular Prius state of charge is about 60% of the overall battery capacity (or 60% of the HV portion of the traction battery, in the case of the Prius Prime)

Schematically, when the traction battery goes below 60% SOC, for instance after sudden acceleration, HSD brings back the SOC to the original state generating energy through MG1 which acts as agenerator drawing power from ICE.
As a result, the overall power available at that ICE RPM is inferior, in order to obtain the same power you have to press more the accelerator pedal, and ICE RPM are higher.

Viceversa, if the SOC goes above 60% (i.e. as a result or a braking) HSD tends to bring back the SOC again through MG1, which this time acts as a motor helping ICE to spin the wheels.

In the case of Prius Prime in HV mode (with EV portion of the traction battery NOT depleted) the tendency to maintain the original SOC is less evident and during surge of power requests the HSD makes happlly available more power from the battery, and the car is more reactive to accelerator inputs.

I have also noted that if the traction battery SOC is low , this exuberance of power in HV mode is a lot less evident , I believe because the DCL is inferior in such conditions.

 

Something I noticed when I owning an EV is that it is annoying to worry about charging. Most of the time it is fine, but if you forget to plug in one night, or something urgent comes up, it's one more thing you may have to worry about. This is compounded by the recommendation to not charge to more than 80% and general range loss in winter.

That to me makes the Prime seem like such a good choice. You can select EV for errands or when in urban areas, and then use HV with a deep buffer for highway.

 

Why so expensive for a Model 3? Base is like $40K on those, add FSD (Full Self Driving) and it’s $48...

So the price difference isn’t so huge.

if you can plug in the 3 I think it’s your better choice and it’s funner and more tech-forward. The big screen in the center is very cool too!

but of course the Prius is a lot cheaper and even at 40K miles a year you won’t get your money out of the bigger investment via fuel costs alone... in the end if you can afford either then don’t obsess over the savings on the cheaper Prius and get the funner Tesla but if the cost is important go Prius, it’s a great car! Neither is gonna depress you to drive and own, both have their cool factors.

 

I used to drive sports cars. Lots of power, great handling. Stick shift. That's what makes a fun car for me. Glad I got that out of my system when I was young, because I learned sports cars, and really most brands other than Toyota, are a pain in the nice person when you have responsibilities in life and it's one more thing to worry about breaking down on you.

The Tesla to me is heavy, not stick shift, ok handling. The real benefit of the Tesla is that it is very nice looking and is perceived as a very luxurious/hip car these days that will get you envious looks and has that "wow" factor.

So for me, if I want a fun car, I get a powerful sports car with stick shift. Did that when I was young. If I want a car to impress people, I get the Tesla (did a bit of that when I was younger too). If I want a reliable workhorse of a car to save money, get me A to B in (relative) luxury, while openpilot drives for me, I get a Prime. Regular Prius was never really on my radar. Prime is the first Prius that I actually liked the look of. Also, with rebates, the regular Prius is overpriced.

 

For me, it is between the RAV4 Prime or the Tesla Model Y. The Tesla is about $10K more than the Toyota, but with the $7500 rebate on the RAV4 Prime and the additional cost of adding 220V and a Tesla charger to my garage that difference is closer to $20K. Think I will wait until next year to decide.

 

You may not need a Level 2 EVSE. Depends on your use and BEV range. For example, I have a 60 mile commute, and Level 1 from a 15 amp outlet would charge at least 40 miles a day. A BEV under 200 miles, which most are around 150, I would need a Level 2. Above 200 miles, a Level 1 will be fine to get me to work for 5 days, and the weekend plenty of time to top off the battery. Now I would have a second car for long trips under such a scenario.

 

The Tesla has a range of 315 miles, so would definitely need Level 2. And, as time goes on, it is an upgrade that would be expected if I ever put my house up for sale.

 

Do you drive over a hundred miles a day?
With my situation, that Tesla would still have 200 miles of range after I got home on Friday. Local errands on the weekend are within 10 miles. Unless weekend trips are a regular occurrence, then a Level 1 charger will work. Level 2 is more of an need with short range BEVs.

If access to faster charging is expected for selling a house, that is cost regardless if you had a BEV or not.

 

Those three cars are not in the same category to be compared. Yeah, maybe Prius and Prius PRIME in some regions. But where can I buy Model3 at the price close to the PRIME, under $20K?

 

@bwilson4web traded in his Prius Prime for a Tesla Model 3 and he couldn't have been happier. I guess if you have a lot of money and the limited driving range of Model 3 is not an issue, Model 3 is an excellent choice for you. I don't want to spend three times the money for a Model 3 and may decide to drive 300 miles to Las Vegas or even a longer distance to Northern California one day; so, I couldn't have been happier with my Prius Prime myself. Everyone is different.

Between Prius and Prius Prime, going with Prius Prime is no brainer—it costs less after rebates and you get much more of a car.

 

I never realized that I would really enjoy driving a BEV until I got my Prime. For me, the logical upgrade is either a Prime with more room and a battery that goes farther or a pure BEV.

 

That's exactly where I am at... Tesla Y or RAV4 Prime. Between state and Fed incentives, I'm looking at about $9500 in rebate/credit. But The RAV4 Prime is selling at MSRP (or above, if you are crazy enough to pay that price), and difficult to get as I want it. If I can't get it by end of October, then I'll lease the Tesla Y (MY). It's a business write off for me, and I'll still have the HOV benefit for 3 years.

 

well - have you ever heard of swappa? You can pick up a car from someone who wants to get out of a lease. For example, ~ 24 months left, under $14,000 Long Range. This way you don't have to pay the sales tax on it, someone else has already eaten the depreciation from driving it off the lot a yr ago, & there's however much license/registration left for the current year. Great way to not take too big of a hit, especially if you end up hating the car. End of lease, you just walk away and get something else. Or if you love it, you can pick it up for an even better used price;
2019 Tesla Model 3 lease in Los Angeles, CA
Many of these people are so hard up to get out from release, they also will kick back cash to you.
We've done this before. It's not too shabby.
.

 

I can't see $14K 2-year lease of a used model3 is a much bargain compared to $18K purchase of a new PRIME, but I get an idea. If I wanted a shorter-term lease, it may work.

 

Now that I've heard that Elon Musk has been experimenting with animals, doing brain implants to them, I will never buy a Tesla vehicle or the Tesla stock. He reminds me of Thomas Edison, who did a lot of animal cruelty.

 

I would go for a prime- I am biased as I have one and so far have been getting over 80mpg on 150-200 mile trips with calm driving (not 80mph more like 65 tops and 45-55 in rural/country roads)- also almost always get 30 plus on ev after full charge and have gotten 40 twice. My otd door price on a xle was 25k including all taxes ,plates etc,- $3500 off f/toyota, $1100 state rebate, approx $600 f/dealer- this 25k is not counting fed tax credit of $4500 which many people can use- so all told about $10k off- so much less than a tesla and never any range anxiety/waiting for charging station to free up/sitting while it charges etc.With prime you can always force charge ev part back up while you drive-I did it only one time so far but it only took about 50 mi of driving, so then you can save that ev up till later if you want.My friend has a model 3 performance awd tesla which i have driven-amazingly fast! But his range when driving as he likes to is only 170mi or so-also fit and finish/paint quality is pretty mediocre- nowhere near toyota quality-I have been under both cars rustproofing/tire changing etc and I predict quick rusting on teslas in northeast due to this lebel of quality.Funwise -tesla all the way! Practical, long life efficiency, value -Toyota.

 

Seeing how all medical devices undergo some type of animal testing before they can be made available to the public, it sounds more like Musk is just following the current laws. Comparing him to Edison, who killed an elephant for a publicity stunt, is unjust.

 

One of the more interesting stories I read about Edison was when he was a youngster on a farm. He noticed that geese could pass a piece of fat thru their digestive system very quickly. He tied a long string to a piece of fat and fed it to their geese flock. Within a few hours he had some geese tied together, beak to tail. His father couldn't figure out how he did it.