Prime for newbie

absolutely, not a problem at all, but don't pay more for it. there was a time when they were cheaper, then it made sense.

 

gen-5-prime-charging.178


it's the only one in the gen 5 forums, because they figured everything else was the same. makes it confusing though, and they forgot to put gen 5 in the title

 

don't forget, it's heavier, and no place for a spare. not sure if there are other differences, but if you can get it for the same, don't need awd, and want the ev once in awhile, absolutely worth it.

 

The latest Prime gets worse fuel economy than the hybrid when not charged. Something to consider.

 

Well, it IS heavier...

 

For clarification you don't need a built in charger to charge the prime. In addition you can't charge at the DC fast chargers. The car comes with a charger you can plug into most (120V/210V) outlets.

 

nothing wrong with that if that's what you want

 

I have found that after enjoying driving my Prius for a few years I will never go back to an ICE as a primary vehicle. Just filled the gas tank last week; previous fill was in September. I would recommend you look closely at the available parking in the condo garage. Some spaces may have a 120V outlet available. Not sure of Canadian laws, but would think that if the government subsidizes EVs, they may encourage the building management to have available charging as EV ownership will be more common in the future.

 

Unfortunately the Province of Ontario in their wisdom removed any incentives years ago for anything related to electric vehicles or plug-in-hybrids of any sort. There are incentives from the Federal government.
Anyone installing charging equipment in a condo has to get condo board agreement which can be very costly and time consuming. I find it quite easy to charge up at many free or very inexpensive public places such as parking lots at shopping centres etc.

 

What else did you see expect from a conservative government...

 

Primes have charge mode that will charge the traction pack all the way up to 80 % State of Charge by starting the engine to charge the battery. (Hold the HV/EV button for 5 seconds and see the charge mode indicator on the dash light up).
It's not a feature I'd use instead of plugging in to charge, but if you don't have local access to a convenient outlet to plug into, it's really nice to have this feature.
Learning how to use Charge Mode sparingly, and adjusted to all your local conditions, and the other behaviors of the car, when the taction pack has at least some EV range available, the Prime can be very efficient and even fun to drive. Especially if you learn enough about how it works to make it fun for you.

 

I've used the Charge mode a few times for about half and hour before leaving an intercity highway and getting into town so I can run in EV mode while in the city.