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Featured 2023 Prime review

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by bwilson4web, Oct 31, 2023.

  1. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    I suffered with a first model year Prime, lowest trim, that ended my Prius history. This 2023 model year review shows one that is ‘less bad’ than my former Prius:


    Bob Wilson
     
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    not a bad car, but too many compromises for me. my days of sitting in a sports car like position with limited visibility are over.
    supply and price are another major problem.
     
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  3. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Purely for entertainment value, a review as I might do it:

    It was the 'bang the stops' lane keeping that most pissed me off about my 2017 Prius Prime. It sounds like someone discovered PID for lane keeping.

    Skip to the last minute to see the cost per mile.

    Bob Wilson
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    that was pretty good. of course i'm one of those who cross shopped, the downside of the prime i've already mentioned above.
    they are too very different size cars though, which was a major factor for me.
    cost to drive? prime would be cheaper for me at NE electric rates and $3.50/gal, but those things are regional, and that should always be mentioned in any comparison.
     
  5. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    It is perhaps slightly ‘less bad’ or slightly ‘less good’ than Gen 4 but about the same. ;) Consumer Reports hasn't reviewed the corded Prius Prime yet, but the vanilla cordless Prius scored about the same as Gen 4 but lower than the much cheaper Corolla Hybrid and much, much lower than the similarly priced Camry Hybrid.

    Are you talking about your lovely Chevette or Prius Prime?

    What was wrong with your Prius Prime again?
     
  6. mikefocke

    mikefocke Prius v Three 2012, Avalon 2011

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    An obsession with cost per mile or per trip rather than lifetime total cost is sure to mislead.

    Driving that 250 miles at 70 MPH on a highway in my hybrid I would have had my driver assist on (no extra cost, requires the same degree of attention as FSD does and has since mid 2019). My range today is better than when I drive it new off the dealer's lot (500 miles plus).

    I would have had no refuel time though I might have stopped just to take a bio brake. Without that need, I could have driven twice the distance before spending the time refueling.

    My hybrid SUV cost for fuel would have been $17.50 (based on a 31k miles over 3.5 years fuelly supplied average fuel cost of $.0701 per mile). The same price fuel is today for my local fill ups. (yea, I know, gas war here. But then I often take advantage of lower fuel prices to pick where I refuel during a long trip. )

    And my vehicle purchase price (which I don't disguise by deducting my trade in), depreciation, insurance, licensing, etc costs would all be hugely in the hybrid's favor. If you add in paid dealer maintenance to the fuel costs it would be maybe 10% higher per mile.

    I would have had refueling available about every 15 miles on average and lots of refueling devices at every spot. I'd have had no need to plan the trip around the car's needs but rather my convenience. I wouldn't have to buy special tires (I'll get 35k out of mine and replace while they are still legal as they are still well under the state requirement for replacement.) There is a dealer handy 2 miles from my house and 1,274 others I could visit if need be. And lots of third party repair shops to compete for my business. I have an onboard spare tire. And no need to pay for for special house wiring nor a charger nor to carry an adapter. And more and better shaped storage capacity.

    Not for every use case. Your needs and wants may vary.

    The youtube fuel costs were believable for his trip. But they weren't the whole story.
     
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    who knows their lifetime costs until after they are dead? and don't forget the wake and the funeral
     
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  8. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    So, @bwilson4web, what was wrong with your Prius Prime again?
     
  9. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    The 2017 Prius Prime, lowest trim level:
    • lane correction - was not PID controlled but bounced line to line. On the 3d cycle, the car was headed to the ditch or on coming traffic lane.
    • 25 mi EV range - my job was 10 miles away and lacked on-site charging. I could barely run three stops in EV before getting a charge at home. My 72 mi EV, 2014 BMW i3-REx easily handled ten stops, EV.
    • ~3.6 kW L2 charging - way to slow, it only added about 15 miles EV range per hour. The 7.2 kW, L2 charging, 2014 BMW i3-REx added 30 EV range miles per hour.
    • no fast DC charging - the BMW i3-REx handled up to 40 kW and revealed the unreliability and high cost of CCS-1 network.
    • soft EV mode below 55 F - unlike the BMW i3-REx, the Prime control laws would start the ICE even though set in EV mode.
    • out of battery charge and gas - the Prime required a 12 V, reset, to get the car to start the ICE and use the added gas. Earlier Prius gave three attempts to start the ICE on gas.
    • Prius calm vs BMW snap - the BMW with a shorter wheel base was a traffic jam scamp. See an opening and you're there. The Prius required more strategic planning in dense traffic.
    • wasted cabin space - a minor nit, the rectangular traction battery was in the 'spare wheel' depression about 2-3" above the floor. Instead of making a conformal traction battery flush with the floor, all the space behind the rear seats were raised to deal with an poorly designed, traction battery (or too shallow spare tire well.)
    As a Prius, the 2017 Prime was fine. As a plug-in hybrid, the 2014 BMW i3-REx was much better.

    Ironic, I bought a 2017 BMW i3-REx to replace the 2014 and it has 106 mi EV range versus 72 mi of the 2014 BMW i3-REx. I paid $15,000 versus the just under $30,000 for the 2014 BMW i3-REx. Used PHEVs are eligible for a $4,000 tax credit next year. A better City car than the Tesla, it already has more than 3,000 added miles, just passing 60,000 mi and reducing wear on the Tesla battery. The BMW has 95% of its original traction battery capacity.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #8 bwilson4web, Nov 3, 2023
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2023
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  10. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    BMW i3-REx is not a PHEV because the engine is not hybrid, hence missing the "H." 111 mpge and 35 mpg are not so good. 97-mi BEV range is bad for a BEV.

    A PHEV doesn't need DC fast charging. Regular DC fast charging will reduce the battery life.

    TSS 2.0 came in 2021 and TSS 3.0 in 2023, adding lane centering among other things.

    A Chevy Bolt—a "Chevyboltette?" ;)—would have been a better buy than a used BMW i3.

    The combined range on my 2021 Prius Prime Limited is 900 miles.
     
  11. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    I don't care what label others want to use for my Range Extended Electric Vehicle. It has an EV only mode and a gas powered generator that works while driving beyond EV range. It shares operational characteristics of a Plugin Hybrid Electric Vehicle. Regardless, I'm quite happy to call my 2017 BMW i3-REx something other than a PHEV or perhaps "Better than A Previous Prime" (BAPP).

    At $15,000, the used 2017 BMW i3-REx was the same price of a new Tesla battery a Tesla service parts employee told me. I'm also using the BMW I3-REx for urban errands thus reducing the battery aging cycles on the Tesla battery. It also supports self-maintenance of the Tesla.

    I rejoice that Toyota is fixing some of the worst aspects of our former 2017 Prius Prime. That it fully meets your requirements, great. Just as my 2019 Tesla Model 3 and 2017 BMW i3-REx meet mine.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #10 bwilson4web, Nov 4, 2023
    Last edited: Nov 4, 2023
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    900 miles is hyperbole
     
  13. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    It is spelled hypermile.
     
  14. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    It is true. I did get just around 900 miles in combined city and freeway driving. As a proof, you can look at my DTE posts, and my record was 768 miles, and that's with almost two gallons remaining. Add the BEV range on top of that, which is 40 miles in my case, and I get around 900 miles with some hypermiling.

    [​IMG]

    In fact, the car is capable of up to 125 mpg at low speeds; so, that's roughly a 1,500-mile combined range. Of course, it is not practical to drive the car at 20 mph for 1,500 miles and 75 hours.
     
  15. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    The Volt was an EREV. Is it not a hybrid?

    Series hybrid is a type of hybrid. It's in the name.

    Comes standard on the Japanese Prius PHV. The Prime didn't get it in order to keep the price low, and because our gas is cheap.
     
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  16. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    What?? No, this is simply false. Prius PHEV does not have DC fast charging anywhere in the world. Toyota is very conservative about the charging C-rate of the battery to maintain its longevity. In Japan, it has 200-V Level-2 AC charging with a similar-kW (or the same) charger.
    OK, I guess if you can call a 1.9-gallon tank and a 647-cc ICE a hybrid option.
     
  17. FalconSeven

    FalconSeven Active Member

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    https://www.chademo.com/products/evs/priusphv
     
  18. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Where have you been? The gen4 PHV having CHAdeMO in Japan has been discussed here in multiple threads. The PiP even has one there. Access to home charging might be lower in Japan. It's part of the reason why they pushed for hydrogen. Then the CHAdeMO port is used with special chargers there to provide whole house emergency power. The Mirai has one for that reason.

    Since the gen4 PHV can take over 10 hours to charge at some residences there, I'd be surprised if Toyota dropped the CHAdeMO port with the gen5 for the home market.

    https://www.chademo.com/products/evs/priusphv
    20 minutes to 80%.
     
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  19. Mr.Vanvandenburg

    Mr.Vanvandenburg Senior Member

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    So about 20 kw charging. Is it also true in Japan they don’t keep their cars over a certain length of time, or is that a myth? I used to see used engines from Japan, in fact had one put in a Camry. 20 kw wouldn’t satisfy ev drivers on the road in the US.
     
  20. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    Apparently not to Prius-mod sites. In Japan, the car only comes with a 100/200-V AC charger (4 hr 30 min) from the factory.

    トヨタ プリウス | 機能・性能 | 走行性能 | トヨタ自動車WEBサイト

    20 kW is under 40 minutes for Prius PHEV's 11.6-kWh plug-in battery capacity. However, this doesn't seem to be a factory option but an aftermarket modification. The factory OEM charger is 3.5-kW.

    It looks like Japan has relaxed the rules on older cars. Until recently, it was expensive to keep cars over five years old and very expensive to keep cars over ten years old, but it seems to be cheaper now to keep older cars.
     
    #19 Gokhan, Nov 5, 2023
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 8, 2023
  21. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Ran errands in the BMW i3-REx this evening with ~60 miles EV and about 50 miles remaining EV range. Just parked it plugged into the home L2 charger. Expecting to add 15 kWh for $1.80 in about 2 hrs which will be done well before I get up in the morning.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #20 bwilson4web, Nov 6, 2023
    Last edited: Nov 6, 2023
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