How many of you are engineers etc?

LOL!! Brothers from different mothers.

 

Yeah but how are you with nanobot societal impact theory!!

.

 

I think we engineers are highly likely to think we know what we're talking about, especially technical matters, so we speak up on forums like this.

As far as ownership rates I think it's more about the greeness of the owner rather than the geekieness. I chose the Prime for the Mrs. approval. The Mrs. loves it. I'm the engineer, she's a librarian.

 

I think "greenest" is a slur that anti-hybrid, anti-efficiency, pro-fossil fuel advocates use to paint us as Bambi-loving, leaf-looking, anti-technology, radical green peace hippies. It is a slander and slur when we also have a lot of folks like me who are cheap frugal engineers.

If some folks want to be anti-fossil fuel, they have already moved on to a Leaf, Tesla, or other EV. More power to them (as they need it!) But I have no sympathy as cross-country travel either requires using restricted routes or they have a second car, a gasser, on their driveway. Let me give an example, the "Dust-to-Dust" report by CNW Marketing.

They claimed that in 2006, driving a hybrid was a 'style' decision. Given a hybrid Camry and gasser Camry, the gasser would be driven more. So the hybrid Camry was cheaper per mile yet the authors of "Dust-to-Dust" claimed it would be driven less than a more expensive per mile gasser. Their claim was hybrids were a 'statement' like a set of Esquire cuff links and that insult remains today.

This is one area where we'll have to agree to disagree. We have two, plug-in hybrids, a BMW i3-REx and Prius Prime. We use both and they have both excellent City and Highway mileage. They are affordable to operate, more so than a dedicated EV or gasser/diesel, with the ability to be a single vehicle solution.

Bob Wilson

 

Thaumaturgist (retired)

 

You have what I consider to be one of the nicest avatars I've ever seen!

 

I think that there's something else going on, too. There's a real, but slight, intimidation factor involved with the level of technology in hybrids. Most folks understand gas motors, or are at least comfortably familiar with the cars/trucks that use them. Most folks understand electric motors, or are at least familiar with the golf carts, etc. that use them. But putting the two of them together in one vehicle involves technology that most folks don't understand well, if at all.

Toyota, with it's MFD displaying a lot of information not usually available with other cars, didn't help cut down on this even a little bit. As a result, I think engineers and associated folks with a comfortable familiarity to machinery and sophisticated electronic technology have an easier time accepting hybrids.

 

Hey Uncle Bob, here's the link to an article totally refuting the CNW so-called Marketing Research:
Exposé of the CNW Marketing Research "Dust to Dust" study
I had never heard of this marketing research. The company sounds bogus.
They refuse to reveal their methodology as being "proprietary"; nonsense!!
The Prime does offer a very good compromise for today's multi-faceted driving needs: frequent, short in-town shuttles, intermediate out of town 200-300 mile jaunts, and long over 500 mile trips. It does all those things well with superior reliability, at a very low cost. It's a winner!!


.

 

I

I was going to use a picture of my car, but I wanted something more orignal.

 

Firmware engineering

 

I was late to the Prius party so I would defer to @john1701a who documented the problem early in his copious web pages. He documented the intellectual dishonesty that soon enough would also give me a slow burn after buying my first Prius.

This "green slander" was not invented by "CNW Marketing" who tried to dress-up the lie with the illusion of a paper. Rather, this bias showed up when the first Prius arrived and hasn't yet disappeared. Even last week, I heard in a podcast an auto reviewer ask about the "greens" at the Frankfurt Autoshow and the answer from the reporter was that EVs are a reaction to "dirty (lying!) diesels."

The first time my Gen-1 Prius in 2005 scooted across the intersection ahead of the gassers, I knew the latent, instant, torque was a game changer. When 90 days after purchase I was getting 52 MPG both City and Highway and I knew it was saving fuel dollars that stayed in my wallet. Both the BMW i3-REx and Prius Prime have cut my City costs in half not counting the 'free' EV charger miles. Yet today a passenger in the BMW i3-REx expressed admiration for a blue, Chevy SS, as their aspirational car.

So during the recent "Drive EV" event, I emphasized practical and cost. I was most happy that the dealer salesmen had a chance to find out we're not the local "Green Peace" mob. We're actually frugal, practical people who know the strengths and weaknesses of our rides and 'deal with it.'

Bob Wilson

 

I am a first gen immigrant who used to be an occupational therapist in Japan decades ago. I am now a sort of social worker who self-taught VBA in Word/Exel to get the mounds of paperwork done efficiently. Nearing sixty, I am mesmerized by science and evidence based thinking process. While I am not a scientist/engineer by training, I certainty appreciate and benefit from learning from you on the PC forum. Thank you!

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

+1!!

A few weeks ago, a friend was razzing me about wasting money on a "green" car. (He drives a Chevy Envoy. ) I told him I didn't buy it for green-ness; I bought it because I'm cheap ... errrr ... frugal. And I like to buy stuff that actually works reliably.

 

Mr. Jerry,
That "friend" with Chubby Unvoy probably paid $40K or more for that unreliable land barge!! You should show him the storage capacity of your Prime with seats down. He will probably poop his pants when he sees your fuel economy, although if he's like my best friend, he won't believe it, or make some lame excuse like, "It won't tow a rhinoceros up Mt. Everest!!" or something equally ridiculous!
Make sure to take him for a ride. The conversion of average, misled, uninformed Americans to sane, efficient, reliable, and yes, Fun plug-in hybrids will take years, but it's our job to lead these folks to righteousness to help save our environment!!

.

 

37 years designing, maintaining, etc operating systems from back when 4k of memory cost an extra $500k. First car I ever worked on was 13 years older than I was. First car a PV544 Volvo, next a Alfa 1300 Giulietta spyder veloce ... prior to the Prius a Porsche and a CRV. Bought the Prius because it was different and I wanted a bit of toy with the practicality of the CRV.

 

Electrical Engineer working in Power Electronics industry. 3.5 years out of school, BSEE.
Got my 2010 Prius when my first job as a Test Engineer had me driving 60 miles each way. Not fun in a car that gets 24 mpgs! After getting the Gen3 I was paying more in tolls than gas!

Now I'm much closer to home (sometimes within EV range of the Prime) and when I saw all the discounts and rebates that came with a Prime I couldn't not get one. Sold my Gen3 to a friend that was in the same situation I was in 3.5 years ago.

I've also got a fun/weekend/track car. A 1992 Mitsibishi 3000GT. AWD, turbos, premium gas.... 16 mpgs and I can't drive it slow .

I would have gotten a Model S but it's still out of my budget range. Student loans...
Skipping the Model 3 since everyone and their grandmother will have one. I haven't seen another Prime around here!

 

BS Ed in 1981 from NCSU, BS Industrial Engineering from NCSU in 1989, MBA in Management Operations from Wake Forest University in 1991. Taught tech school, audio sales, motorcycle shop, worked in capacitor manufacturing, AMEX call center operations, class 1 cleanroom semiconductor research, database administrator.

I currently work auditing and consulting with automotive suppliers, mostly in the U.S., some international. I don't get to drive my cars very often, I usually ask for a Prius when I rent. I rent about 70 cars a year in my 100% travel job.

My first car was a third hand 1975 Datsun 280Z. Did all the maintenance myself and would continue maintenance on new cars except for the two years free maintenance on both 2017s. Currently ride a 650 Honda motorcycle and have a Toyota boat with a Lexus engine.

 

Reading this thread might be intimidating to non-technical people but I (and no doubt others) appreciate Prime owner/drivers. It doesn't matter if you paint buildings or art; raise kids or goats; or just putter around or haul hay; you are welcome and appreciated!

Per Douglas Adams: 'B' Ark

. . .
"Bodies?" said the Captain again.

Ford licked his lips. "Yes," he said, "All those dead telephone sanitizers and account executives, you know, down in the hold."

The Captain stared at him. Suddenly he threw back his head and laughed. "Oh they're not dead," he said, "Good Lord no, no they're frozen. They're going to be revived."

Ford did something he very rarely did. He blinked. Arthur seemed to come out of a trance. "You mean you've got a hold full of frozen hairdressers?" he said.

"Oh yes," said the Captain, "Millions of them. Hairdressers, tired TV producers, insurance salesmen, personnel officers, security guards, public relations executives, management consultants, you name them. We're going to colonize another planet."

Ford wobbled very slightly.

"Exciting isn't it?" said the Captain.
. . .
"Yes, so anyway," he resumed, "the idea was that into the first ship, the 'A' ship, would go all the brilliant leaders, the scientists, the great artists, you know, all the achievers; and into the third, or 'C' ship, would go all the people who did the actual work, who made things and did things, and then into the `B' ship - that's us - would go everyone else, the middlemen you see."

He smiled happily at them. "And we were sent off first," he concluded, and hummed a little bathing tune.
. . .​

He forgot to mention the B Ark included the auto magazine writers and editors.

Bob Wilson

 

Mechanical engineer here. I like hearing all sorts of opinions on this site. It does sometimes get annoying trying to discuss something technical with a person who is simultaneously ignorant and obstinate, but that occurs everywhere. Many non-engineers and other technical people on here have some great insight and I enjoy the discussions. I bought the Prius Prime for the following reasons:

• Fantastic engineering (it is evident to me as I read and use the vehicle--why it doesn't have a paddle for regen, etc)
• Great reliability (statistically compared to other brands)
• Great performance for my typical driving (mostly in-town with several long interstate trips each year)
• Great redesign of the suspension
• Awesome look

 

I apologize in advance! (I hope)