"I will be disappointed if the '09 Prius doesn't have...."

Rationale for "plug-in" capability?

My skepticism here may well be ill-informed. I am actually asking if anyone knows any real advantage(s) to plug-in capability for hybrids or pure-electric cars.

I STILL don't get ANY car company's rationale for plug-in vehicles, hybrid or straight electric.

Electricity, if not solar- or wind- or water-generated (or produced by regenerative braking) still HAS TO COME FROM SOMEWHERE.

The electricity that any plug-in car takes in will almost invariably come from your home.

99.999% of homes get electricity from "the grid", which supplies electricity 99.9% produced by fossil fuels.

Explanations please?

 

I will be most disappointed if new Prius does not have better traction control. I have been disgusted with my 2007 Prius being unable to climb the gentle slope of my driveway only because there was a patch of ice under one of the front wheels. I almost traded the Prius for a Ford Hybrid Escape as a consequence of the all too frequent experience.

 

Re: Rationale for "plug-in" capability?

I agree 100%,plug-in has no advantage at all!
Solar seems to be the only real alternative for vehicles.
Unless someone comes up with some way to make plug in THE cheapest way.....

 

I am not nowledgeable in cost of electic vs gas but I doubt it a charge would be equal to the gasoline to run the car the same distance.

 

Re: Rationale for "plug-in" capability?

Quickly some important points:

- More wind and solar power generation is being added to the grid all the time. i.e. the grid is getting cleaner all the time.

- The grid in the USA isn't 99% fossil fuels. It may be as low as 50% coal.

- It's easier to clean the emissions from 100s of power plants than 100s of millions of tail pipes.

- Electric power from "wells to wheels" is at least twice as efficient as gasoline.

- with EVs urban air and noise pollution is greatly decreased.

- electricity is way cheaper per mile than gasoline.

- gasoline production takes large quantities of water and electricity.

 

I will be disappointed if the new 2009 or 2010 Prius does not come with the optional solar panel. It is said to produce an additional 20 miles per (sunny) day. Anyone ever seen of these in person? Or used one?

Please, please, please, Toyota, give us the option to have one of these added as a dealer option. I, for one, would pay an extra couple thousand for the coolness factor alone!

 

Re: Rationale for "plug-in" capability?

Not totally true. A significant amount of the power generated by the electrical grid comes from nuclear and hydro-electric to name two. Slow over-night charging of on-board batteries at the going rate we pay for electric energy at the present time would bring the Prius' effective cost down dramatically. So cost and some independence from the oil cartel are a couple of good reasons.

Check out the website for the new Tesla Roadster at Tesla Motors. They have a cost estimate for their car (all electric) and although it is beyond our financial reach, their calculations give a driving cost of $0.02/mile at current kW-Hr rates. The range is 220 miles and the 0-60 mph time is under 4 seconds! <gasp>

Sign me up!!!!!!!!!!

 

I'll be disappointed in the '09 Prius doesn't use a high-def backup camera and MFD. Spinning hubcaps would be a nice option too...

 

I would genuinely like to see the door handle unlock sensors on both of the rear seat doors... it can be somewhat annoying to want to put something in the back seat and have to open the front driver door and then manually unlock the car or have to grab the front passenger door handle first before opening the right rear passenger door... surely this would not add much cost or weight to the car... also... perhaps limit the backup beep to 3-5 beeps and add an external beep as many others have mentioned... having pedestrians constantly walking out behind me as I am in reverse is scary... i have literally come within inches of running some folks over before..

 

Not so fast.

Ethanol has ~25% less energy than real gas so the E10 hit should be about 2.5%. Thus the price of E10 must be at least 2.5% LESS than real gas (if you can find it) to be a $/mile break even. Around here, more and more are going to E10 and the price is NO different than the stations still selling real gas.

Thus, when I am forced to buy E10, my $/mile goes up by 2.5%. So does my anger at the 'replace real gas with Ethanol' strategy instead of decreasing fuel consumption either with technology or behavior modification.

 

You don't need to open any door or grab a door handle to get the other doors unlocked. Just putting your hand slightly in either front door handle hole will unlock all the others (IF you have it set up to do so). Why add the expense of 2 more proximity sensor handles when you can easily reach an existing one?

 

Re: Rationale for "plug-in" capability?

Plug-in hybrids don't pollute AT ALL while running on electric. The source of that electricity may be renewable or not (more so as we run out of dinosaurs) and cleaned at the source (with a lot of arm twisting) to be clean even if it is from fossil source. If the vehicle can perform 95% of your driving without starting the gas engine, the world is a very much cleaner and quieter place.

The advantage of plug-in hybrid over electric is the former has no range limit. The latter must be recharged after some number of miles (at this time MAYBE a couple of hundred) and that recharge takes many hours.

I just saw an article on hybrid dump and garbage trucks. Seems they are finally seen as a GOOD THING. Not because they get great mileage hauling tons of stuff but because they spend about 80% of their 'on the clock' time standing still and idling. Using a lot of fuel to get ZERO MPG.

 

Not me. The current ICE is plenty powerful enough. I would rather they up the MPG using whatever new technology they find. The Hybrid Camry SHOULD get the same mileage as the Prius, they are practically the same size, but the Prius gets 33% better mileage. The HyCam mileage suffers because it is over powered (as are 95% of the vehicles on the road) for the way they are actually used. Yes, to move people around cities and states, not NASCAR or Le Mans courses.

 

After 4 days of driving rental Prius here is my list:

1. Plug-in (meaning much bigger battery, much higher "electric motor only" speed limit)
2. Driver's seat height adjustment (wheel or handle, not electric)
3. Please somebody kill backup horn!
4. iPod integration
5. Everybody says that NAV sucks. I didn't have it in my car but I hate if NAV sucks, so better NAV
6. nice person warming seats. Being in Canada that is very desirable option

Since I believe that EVERY car should have ABS and HID lights I shall not put it on the list.

All above means 2008 and 09 won't cut it so I am waiting for 2010

Zack

 

Oh yes! The Prius hatchback design is part of the charm . . . after 37 years of using pickup trucks and SUVs nothing else would do for me but a comfortably arranged - and useful - rear end.

I just installed a light-shade.com hood and it does a nice job, but could Toyota actually engineer improved visibility into their touch screen models?

JohnC :]

 

A wide tire option on the standard car with 15" wheels. Goodyear will not accept a new tire swap to wider tires because Toyota only specs the 185/65-15 tire.

 

I'll bet you hit the nail on-the-head with your proclamation - "PLUG IN" is no panacea . . . but an EV button would be nice for backing the car out of the garage without choking fumes . . .

Take it easy!
JohnC :]

 

i would like to see retractable and heated wig mirrors....larger tank...and more mpg. ( i do get 560 to 610 miles to a tank) and 58 to 63 mpg (imperial galls in UK)

 

legroom... I've driven a number of them for varying distances, but in spite of salivating every time I see one, I haven't bought a Prius for the simple reason that I cannot get comfortable in one. The front seats are too high and do not move far enough back. I came close after talking to an outfit near Boston that has modified several Priuses to allow more rearward seat movement, but I was concerned about airbag sensors, seat belts etc. I'm sure that engineering a change would have been more complex than I imagine, but I'm amazed that Toyota has not addressed this issue since the '04s arrived on the scene. Judging by comments on these forums, inadequate legroom and marginal seat comfort seem to be significant issues. Btw, what I do NOT need in the next Prius is a bigger exterior, the lack of a hatchback, more power, and certainly not a turbocharged engine that uses premium fuel.