Featured 2G Prius Plug-in Reveal - March 23 @ 9:10 am EDT - Live Stream here

also, solar cells will recharge while driving? can you charge and discharge a battery at the same time?

 

Yes, this technology is already quite widespread on high end cars. Volvo might have gotten it from Ford originally.

With the vehicle code written into law, the required agencies really can't do anything until Congress changes it.

 

No offense, but that that claim is a bit of a crock. There have been plenty of people, including me, who complained about the engine coming on at a drop of a hat, often often for no apparent reason. The introduction acknowledged that complaint when they talked about now being able to mash the pedal.

 

well, you definitely cannot mash the pedal without the ice firing, but i was responding to hills firing the engine, which is not a trigger, unless you mash the pedal.

at the drop of a hat for no apparent reason? no, i don't agree with that. there are 14 reasons, iirc, but most are quite rare.

 

it's worse than that. Your ideal reference point is only when the sun is @ 90° - ie; perpendicular / directly over the car ... good if living on the equator .... and even then - only at midday for a few minutes .... and even then only during the few days surrounding the Equinox, and even then only if the panel temperature is under 85° Fahrenheit - which is kind of rare when you live on the equator - unless you're living around 10,000 feet elevation.

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I find the solar panels uninteresting ornaments. We have learned the 4 seats are about weight, 5 people make it too heavy for suspension. OK I get the compromise then. This guy at inside evs is pretty bullish about the new design, even though he doesn't like it personally.

Like it or hate it, The Plug-In Prius Prime Is The 3rd Most Important Plug-In

 

again, a lot will rely on hov stickers and msrp. 3-5,000 units a month? i think not. this guy is all over the place.
less expensive than most competitors? that would be a shocker. i can't get a vibe of where he's coming from. other than maybe, after it's been out a while, the haters will start using his hyperbole as if it came from toyota.

 

I live in Florida, where the tallest "mountain" is pathetic, but there are hills all over here where a PiP will fire up the engine unless you're an asshat to everyone else on the road and slow to 5 mph by their peak.

 

i was just there, yes the driving is inflammatory. do you own a pip?

 

Living in FL, no, as they were never for sale here. I did however get to play with one of the pre-production versions. I got it to 15 miles with one particular hill needing gas no matter what, if I wanted to stay anywhere near a sane speed in the 65 mph zone.

 

Mash the pedal! what kind of driving is that, when does anyone ever mash a pedal? Mash potatoes maybe!

 

I would think that it is pretty obvious that many, MANY people mash the pedal when leaving lights in the USA, at least. My memories of Mexico were of non-stop jackrabbit starts from everyone. If you don't mash the pedal in many cities, you're never going to get anywhere as everyone cuts you off. I had ZERO desire to test drive the Mirai in NYC last week, even with it just being around the block.

 

it may be that the prototype did not have the same ice firing parameters. i can't give you any statistics, but after 4 years of ownership, and reading all the pip threads, i still believe that the ice firing is not a huge problem. but yes, some do want to mash the pedal, and it looks like they'll get their way, if they want to pony up to pip 2.

 

There is one instance where I cannot figure out why the ICE turns on. After a long descent using the brakes to regen, the ICE will kick on for no apparent reason while in EV mode. Battery, inverter, and MG temps are all well within ideal operating range. I'd like to see a Toyota engineer explain that one, but it will likely remain a mystery. In other words, "for no apparent reason".

 

can't argue with that, but that just reinforce's my belief that it isn't common.

 

So, some of you are against ICE firing even when the Kwh is flying out of the window faster than you can burn gas?

 

That is what survey's say most phev drivers want. Its good that there is much higher electric power and electric top speed on the new prius prime, but it may be too little compared to the gen II volt, gen II leaf, etc. Still I expect that if dealers in texas want to sell them, and you can pre-aircondtion, it should be an easy sale compared to the gen IV prius here.