Beware Buyers

As others have pointed out, ambient temperature, your driving style and use of the HVAC fan will affect how far you can go w/o the ICE starting up. I regularly drive 14 to 15 miles on EV alone. But that is in town, max speed about 35-40, and I keep an eye on the traffic and signals to maximize my EV miles and regen. As an experiment today I did one of my normal trips but kept up with the traffic and made no particular effort to avoid the ICE starting, or maximize economy, for that matter. It came on several times, especially while accelerating away from stops. I still got 58 mpg on one leg of the trip, and 74 on another. The latter was slightly downhill, so more chance to regen.
This doesn't excuse sales people making misleading or uninformed statements, but you basically said it yourself in the thread title: Caveat Emptor. I would suggest trying some of the things known to get the best mileage on most vehicles, including coasting when approaching a red light or stop sign, light braking to regenerate EV miles, light acceleration, etc. Experts have long suggested "driving as though there is an eggshell under your foot" for both the gas and brake pedals. Racing great Jackie Stewart preached "smoothness and consistency." Give it a try, and I hope that you come to appreciate your new PiP for what it is and what it will do. Good luck!

 

Sorry to hear you were misled, but please don't blame Toyota corporate. They delivered model of Prius you purchased to clearly display this emblem:



Finding fault with salespeople & dealerships is an entirely different matter. And by all means, sound off when that happens. We, as owners & supporters, will help convey the detail needed to make a well-informed purchase decision.

Hybrid means blending of two power sources. The EV you experience can indeed be with the engine off, but there is no promise of that or even that it will be the first miles driven. The addition of the plug enhances what Prius already offers, hence being a package option. The test-drive experience will reveal that, especially when you exceed 62 mph. The purpose is to provide very high efficiency and very low emissions... which happens regardless of how the electricity from the battery is actually consumed.

Give it time. Your purchase in the dead of winter means there is much to look forward to. EV range increases as the temperature warms. The engine runs less often and at shorter intervals once the cold is gone too. Local errand running becomes a pleasure, rather than a chore, as a result. Being one of the few who owner a PHV back when there was still snow last year, I can point out how much of a difference it makes.

 

Has anyone else noticed that Michael Flaherty has only 1 post and has not replied to any of your Insight or Suggestions?

Say Good Bye, Michael !!!

 

yes. the funny thing is how long we'll go prattling on with all kind of opinions and advice without ever hearing back from the op. what is the definition of insanity?

 

Which way did he go?
Which way did he go?

 

Who Waldo?

 

Troll?

 

i do not know, didn't seem like a troll type post. sometimes people just need to vent i guess.

 

Well, Troll or not, I learned something.

 

what's that?

 

Follow up on your OP!

 

I learned:
1) That the plug in may fire up the ICE if you don't drive it right
2) Careful driving must be implemented to avoid this

 

i've seen youtube review videos where the host explains that the car will work in ev mode for the initial 11 miles before the car converts to the standard hybrid prius. i'm guessing there are lots of factors which can alter thesen umbers. overall if your getting 20 more mpg than the standard prius it's doing it's job.

 

true, but it's not like it's difficult or anything. my current tank is 80/20 400 miles pure ev and 100 miles hv. that's in temps as low as 9 degrees. i think regen with a full charge and outside parking are the most difficult things to deal with.

 

Please! take some long trips and give the rest of us a break, so we can catch up! Thanks in advance!

 

I agree with 1 but 2 makes it sound like walking on egg shells.

There's a lot of reasons listed for why ICE in EV mode but there are basically only 3 that you have absolute control over.
A. Don't press defrost
B. Don't use heat
C. Don't go into the power band of the HSI

A & B is where people mostly trip the ICE in my opinion especially in the winter. Toyota has mitigated the first 2. You can use the feet and defroster setting and the seat warmers to not use ICE. I know the power band is easily approached in HV mode but in EV mode on the PiP, there's more power. You'd have to step on it a lot harder to get into the power region.

For example, at 60 mph, I'm at about 70% of the HSI in HV mode. I'm at about 50% in EV mode.

 

Add:
D. If driving in weather colder than 10 degrees F. keep it at 33 MPH or less.