2016 Prius or 2016 Volt...Which should I buy?

I was perfectly happy with the power of our 2012 PiP and 2010 liftback. Then I bought a model S and got used to the acceleration. Now, when driving the Prius, I often get the feeling that it is standing still.

A 240 outlet in the garage cost me $400 to install. Gen 2 PiP better be able to use a standard 240 outlet and not require some proprietary level 2 charger that costs upward of $1000. Charging for 7-10 hrs might be too long to hit the cheap rates window in some states.

 

Gen-1 Volt failed to reach the volume goal GM itself set. Period. That's why we focus on Gen-2 goals now.

The need to replace traditional production still exists.

 

Your point is grounded on the false assertion that all 2016 Volt customers "have no choice but to purchase a level-2 charger".

In fact, many existing Volt owners have only 120v outlets at home and get by just fine without having to mandatorily purchase a 240V charging station at extra cost. I see no reason why this will suddenly change.

I believe studies show that most people's daily commutes are less than 35 miles and that equates to an 8 hour charge at 120V on a 2016 Volt. That means plugging in by 11pm and leaving for work at 7am the next morning. Realistically people drive a bit more on some days and plug in a bit earlier on other days so it all balances out without any requirement for 240V charging at home.

Just ~35 miles a day on weekdays amounts to 10,000 miles a year. Now add in ocassional extra miles plus weekend driving and it's trivial to see that driving the national average of 12,000+ miles a year on a 2016 Volt could be done very practically nearly all EV just using a 120V outlet at home.

In addition, you are implicitly asserting without providing any evidence whatsoever that GM is hiding the fact that 240V charging stations are an added separate expense (~$400 at Home Depot). On the contrary, the customer literature that I've seen in the past is very clear and, in fact, overly conservative about charging times at 120V and 240V.

I've seen no evidence of confused or angry Volt customers complaining at auto forum sites or elsewhere that they were lied to about the need to buy an aftermarket 240V charging station.

 

Gen-1 PiP doesn't. $549 will get you a nice hard-wired level-2 for it.

Wireless will cost more. But that's an extra, the industry-standard connector already comes with.

 

...has nothing to do with what you posted.

 

Okay, then please explain it to me again.

You started this off by writing:

In my way of thinking, what I just posted is exactly addressing the concerns that you wrote about and the assertions that you made.

So, again, what was your point? What is it that I'm not understanding?

 

in order to take full advantage of the EV range offered to them, almost all Gen 2 Volt owners will have to consider adding a L2 charging station at home. Without this it will be so troublesome and planning ahead that they may feel serving their vehicle and not vice versa.

 

That doesn't make it a failure, especially if they only missed targets by 1%. But even if they missed by 50%, it doesn't mean the whole program is a failure - not that simple. I'm sure GM had a list of several goals, some of them to be measured in the future. How many of those other goals did they hit? I don't know, but labeling the Volt 1 as a failure at this point in time is simplistic and misleading.

 

Failing to meet a goal does not make it a failure. Arguing semantics confirms there is much to still address.

 

Why? I'd need L2 charging stations at my destinations (and along the way), not at home where I can leave it plugged in over night, every night.

 

You certainly don't need a level 2, but it will certainly be nice to have. With the PiP, 110 V is fine, but there are a very few instances where I would have liked to get a full 3 KWh charge sooner. With a 20 KWh battery, I would be using the car for longer jaunts and would definitely want to recharge more often. But must have and nice to have are two different items. I would highly recommend to anyone buying a car with a 50 mi EV range capability, to have 240 V available at home.

 

13 hours is a long long night, but you may be an exception.

 

You're assuming the battery is always dead on arrival at home.

My car is typically in the garage from 3:00pm to 6:00am. That's 15 hours. And that's after a 23 mile round-trip commute. Replacing 23 miles is, what, about 5 hours?

 

As I said, your case is exceptional.
BTW, 23 miles round trip commute, L2 charging at destination - it seems PiP is ideal for you.

 

I don't have any charger at my destination, and my destination is 700 feet above my house. In the winter, I'm often going into a wind of 30-60mph in cold temperatures. I doubt a current PIP could even get to work without starting the engine.

 

Understood.
BTW, I did not say you need (L2) I said: Volt 2 owners will have to consider it if they want to take full advantage of the EV range offered to them. With your 23 miles commute and typically no use of the car in the afternoons/evenings it seems you will not take full advantage.

 

I still think it's untrue. Even if we go out for the evening, the car would be plugged in for 2-3 hours before, and about 10 hours after - enough for a full-charge on 120V. Further, even if there are a few days a year where you wouldn't get a full-charge on 120V, that doesn't mean you get zero charge. Maybe you get an 80% charge those few days.

None of the Volt owners I know have L2 charging at home, and some of them live a few thousand feet up into the mountains.

 

Nope, but you sure can judge supply when it is limited.

 

I was speaking of (future) Volt 2 owners (53 EV miles by EPA).
Those who go several thousand feet down every morning do not need to fully charge their car at night anyway.

 

How is questioning why supply is limited the same thing?