If toyota makes one, would you get a pluging prius?

daytime running lights, blinkers on side mirrors, and the swich to use only electric or gas available in the US and I would buy it. not sure if I would do a plug-in only option

 

Yup. I'm in.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(YodaddyAlex @ Jan 7 2007, 07:45 PM) [snapback]372317[/snapback]</div>

Seriously? Blinkers on the mirrors is a make-or-break feature for you? Yikes.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Jan 8 2007, 02:27 AM) [snapback]372354[/snapback]</div>

All too true, so it seems, in America today.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Jan 8 2007, 12:27 AM) [snapback]372354[/snapback]</div>

Does that include the Silver Skates?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Jan 7 2007, 09:27 PM) [snapback]372354[/snapback]</div>

That would be bah-rin-ka on mi-ra, as pronounced in Japan.

For those unfamiliar with Japanese, the reason for the "L vs R" pronounciation thing is that Japanese has no letter "L." That's why they pronounce "L" as a rolled "R." (e.g. your computer has a "pah-rin-ta")

Hiragana, the Japanese alphabet, has vowel sounds are "ah, eh, ee, oh, oo" as in, say, French. But each vowel is generally paired with one or more consonants, unlike English. (e.g. "ah, kah, sah, tah, nah, hah, mah, yah, rah, wah.") (There are a couple of other alphabetic sounds too.)

Then there's the Katakana version of the above, which is only used to write non-Japanese words. Same pronounciations, but different letter shapes, so one can tell whether we're reading a Japanese word or not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiragana

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katakana

I knew everyone wanted a lesson in basic Japanese this morning.

 

I'm keeping my '04 till a plug in prius comes available, then a switch. If they were cheap enough I'd buy two (seriously).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Jan 7 2007, 05:56 PM) [snapback]372210[/snapback]</div>

Sorry if this is a little OT, but an interesting question just came to mind with regards to the "reverse hybrid" functionality GM describes under the hood in the earlier quoted article...

Since a short distrance driver could theoretically achieve "infinite" MPG by never needing the ICE, how would the ICE maintenance schedule work?

Changing oil based on predetermined mileage intervals such as with current ICE/hybrid vehicles would be a waste since it would rarely run for most of that time (assuming the mileage is hit before the time); would there be an "hours of operation" indicator for the ICE? Likewise for the gas in the tank - it is my understanding that unleaded gas has a limited shelf life and can become "stale" and produce less energy when burned (please correct me if I'm wrong). How would this be handled?

Just some food for thought...

BTW, with regards to the OP's question, that's a no brainer at that price. B)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rick Auricchio @ Jan 8 2007, 12:09 PM) [snapback]372499[/snapback]</div>

There are some data that indicate they do not hear the letter "L" either. They say it the way they hear it.

There are some other studies looking into what we hear is what we see. They did some experimentation with B, V, P and a few other letters listening to a syllable begining with them and then watching a video tape of someone saying them. But in the video the person could say Bah and the audio would say Pah and they'd still hear it as Bah, Interesting stuff.

 

I really hope they do this, I don't see why not for the next prius, they already have this on the 2005 prius in Japan

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(burritos @ Jan 7 2007, 01:20 PM) [snapback]372155[/snapback]</div>

I paid $23,000 for my 2004 Prius. Today's equivelent Prius costs $25,000. Add on $2,000 for plug-in (I think it will cost more than that) and that brings us to $27,000. Add dealer markup of $3,000 and we're already up to $30,000.

You can buy a lot of car for $30,000. That few hundred dollars/year savings in gas just might not be enough justification to take the Prius over, for instance, a $30,000 Audi A4 Quattro (more luxurious ride, much more fun to drive).

Please don't read this as a slam on the Prius (I love my Prius), it's just that when you get into that price range the difference between the Prius and other equivelently priced cars becomes more pronounced (for instance, the Lexus starts at ~$30,250).

 

I look forward to the entire Toyota line going PHEV. As discussed above, the ICE oil change interval needs to be tied to an hour meter, not distance driven. We need to agressively move forward away from just ICE (that idle and emit exhaust gases no matter what) to PHEVs that allow use of renewal (hydro, solar, wind) energy sources.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ken Cooper @ Jan 8 2007, 02:04 PM) [snapback]372572[/snapback]</div>

I'm not sure I agree; while reports indicate that the net worth of Prius owners is all over the place, it's also becoming apparent that a significant portion of us are more well off than our choice of car would indicate.

Currently the Prius is the only well established hybrid nameplat for sale in the USA that's designed from the ground up as a hybrid. That's a pretty unique attribute. One which is completely independent of the "luxury/performance" cues that cars like the Audi (and others of this ilk) offer up by the dozen.

I don't think your price-point argument is well founded, and certainly not the primary reason why a plug in hybrid might or might not be brought to market.

Actually, I think it won't happen because car makers don't trust us to remember to unplug the car before we leave in the morning!
[laughing]

 

<_< A qualified YES

Deciding factors: Range in EV mode, Cost.

As for GM's "plug in" - Wasn't that an EV as contrasted to a Hybrid?

 

Wish I could get one now. 'Course I'd have to sell one of my two Prii first. I'm just hoping that the newer/better ones don't kill the resale value of the older ones too much. How do these things do on the used market anyway?

 

Blinkers, dang it. BLINKERS!

If you hadn't noticed already, I sometimes have difficulty typing my way out of a paper bag. Neat to have it quoted several times so there's no hope of going back to fixt it!

 

I would expect toyota to provide free installation ( or atleast below 500-1000$) for a plugin for prius 2004 or later, mine is 2007.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Jan 9 2007, 08:18 PM) [snapback]373349[/snapback]</div>

Yup. Fixt.

 

Put me on a waiting list for this great sounding car! I'll stick with my '04 till the plug in option is available. I can't wait!

-Peter B

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(burritos @ Jan 7 2007, 03:20 PM) [snapback]372155[/snapback]</div>

Actually, Toyota is aiming for 37 miles (60km) range, 25% CO2 and about 33% running cost reduction in US.

Link to Toyota Research and Development for Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles. See bottom of the page.


Assuming the life of the car is 150k miles, and current Prius gets 50 mpg, and the gas price is conservative $2.5... Life time cost of fuel is $7,500. If the plugin Prius were to save 1/3 of it, that's $2,500. Therefore an extra $2,500 for the plugin feature would make sense. If the gas price goes up, it will make more sense.

Dennis