Well it's not just that. To get good fuel economy, you have to keep the weight down. A higher grade with leather, moonroof and fancy audio add weight. Basically, Toyota is telling the consumer to choose between a high mpg Prius in basic form (but still better equipped than a base Gen 2) or give up some mpg for some luxuries. You're assuming they're the same size. What if Toyota used Li-Ion to save weight and maintain output? Wouldn't that be smarter? They don't need to increase EV range on the regular Prius.
Yes, but it's very rare that you drive downhill for very long distances. It's only relevant if you live in mountainous terrain. Effect of the weight is negated when you opt for a higher capacity, which results in a similar weight, and in any case, it's a small effect.
One further difference between NiMH and lithium-ion is power output ability. Today's power-oriented hybrid Lithium batteries may be able to put out (or accept during regen) more kW. Today's NiMH pack limits the regular Prius to about 27 kW. The Prius Plugin, which has a pack designed to balance both energy capacity and power capacity, can do up to 38 kW. A hybrid-specific Lithium pack about the same 1.3 kWh energy capacity as the regular Prius NiMH may be able to do mid-30 kW. That gives the hybrid controller more flexibility to optimize the gas engine rpms and torque and it allows more regen during braking. The 2016 Malibu hybrid is probably using a Lithium-ion cell design based on power-centric cells from Hitachi Automotive that are theoretically rated for up to 60 kW in its 1.7 kWh pack. Scaled to 1.3 kWh that would be around 45 kW. In reality, they may be limiting it somewhat to conserve battery life.
Right, and it will take several of those small effects to make the Eco Prius get ~60 mpg versus ~55 mpg for the regular 4th generation car. It seems to me like they would need to pull every trick in the playbook.
When I saw that, I was thinking it was a protection for the exhaust pipe. Without that piece right there, the exhaust pipe is the lowest point. Here's a picture I took from a more back-to-front angle.
Thanks for that pic. That is a different muffler configuration, for sure. That protrudance could be protecting exhaust as well, but I'd put money on it being rear jacking point.
Agreed with Giora and Jeff N. The "Eco" trim for the Chevy Cruze, as well as the Civic HF, Ford Focus SFE, etc. have things like automatic grille shutters (yay!), more solid wheel covers, deletion of spare tire to save weight (boo!), and improved aerodynamic touches to contribute to increased fuel economy. We may see the same here.
Question: Didn't the bottom of the Prius seen descending to the stage at the Vegas debut appear a lot less cluttered?
That was not a real car. It was not the red car that was driven out onto the stage. Watch the video or look for pictures and you will notice that the round thing the car rises out of and then descends into is actually 2-cars high. It's Vegas; illusionists are a dime a dozen.
"Toyota plans a slightly less expensive version of the new Prius, the Eco model, which is expected to use the third generation's powertrain." Fourth-gen Prius: A new billboard for Toyota
That statement definitely needs to be taken with a grain of salt to say the least. It's not based on a reference. It's merely distorting Bill Fay's statement that the Eco model will be lower-priced than the high-end model unveiled in Las Vegas.
Yeah, IRS means much more emphasis on maintaining proper alignment, and a slightly more complicated 4 wheel alignment.
I doubt the SiC inverter for Gen IV... Toyota gave out some preliminary test results with SiC Prototype Car during 2015 JSAE Annual Congress (Spring) in PACIFICO YOKOHAMA, and said,
Count me in the more optimistic ~20% MPG improvement crowd. Between increased engine thermal efficiency, decreased frontal cross section, boat-end reduction in drag turbulence, increased efficiency of power transfers, and weight loss, I say we can get there on these alone. Suspect there is more in the formula, though.
Civic Hybrid had some interesting tricks: 1. Two spark plugs, with staggered triggering. 2. Low and high lift cam lobes: the valve stems would normally be under the low lift lobes, hydraulic pressure would shift the high lift lobe over, under heavy loading.
