Most Obscure Prime Facts (Way Out There)

Just coming from the Prime rear window thread. My friend has a non-hybrid RX of about the same age with those rain sensing wipers. The windshield got cracked soon after they got it.

Over $1100 to replace it, because of the wiper sensors and antenna.

The law is because people will speed along in a down pour heavy enough to block out the sun, and still not put on their headlights. I think most cops would overlook the headlights not being on in a sun shower.

For most auto headlights, rain heavy enough for headlights to be on for safety also lowers ambient light enough for them to trigger.

 

Ditto for California. And they specifically say that the daylight running lights are not sufficient, since they want the tail lights to also be on, which they aren't with the DRL.

 

i just think national laws are better. why put the burden on us forgetful seniors?

 

Looks like it didn't make it into the vehicle code.

ORS 811.526 - Safety campaign for use of headlights - 2013 Oregon Revised Statutes

I don't run headlights unless it will provide significant improvement in seeing my vehicle. Keeping them off might save 5% in fuel economy and reduce wear. Usually I'll just run the LED DRL during the day if there is reduced visibility. The PiP has manual control of the lights, which is just the way I like it. In fact, the car is near enough to perfect to me with its manually (quick) adjusting seats.

I'd rather have an attractive female voice ask if I would like my lights on, ultimately leaving the decision to me.

 

Hmm just like the solar roof. Might cause more talk than actual usage.

But that being said the ICE on the Prius Prime will be much more efficient than the Volt or BMW i3 REX. Depends on how fast the force charge is and how much of a hit on MPG this may have. I can see a long trip with a long not too steep downgrade where if you are going to run the ICE anyways then why not. Or if you need extra heat and a charge.



Unsupervised!

 

On a long steep downgrade, the battery can already be charged by varying the amount of regenerative braking. If the grade isn't steep enough, and the engine must run to maintain speed, then it isn't working very hard.

It turns out that it's more efficient to generate electricity when the engine is working near full load than when it's hardly working at all. In other words, it would be better to recharge when going up hill rather than down.

I can't see a scenario where force charging would be beneficial, because the Prius already maintains a certain minimum charge for when the car needs very little power, such as creeping along in stop and go traffic or other low speed driving.

All that force charging would do is allow the driver to make inefficient use of EV, such as accelerating or going up hill. It would be better for the Prius to decide between EV and hybrid mode based on power requirements.

Still, it's neat that the feature is even offered. I'd be curious if there is ever an efficient time to make use of it.

 

For my needs I'd be hard pressed to find a use for it. I'm pretty good at stacking EV in the PiP so I'd have to instrument the Prime to even figure out what it would buy me. Maybe at the end of a working day and being cold soaked at -10 or so all day, I have to use the ICE I might try it if I'm going somewhere. But hey at least Toyota didn't take it away from the US market like all the other features.


Unsupervised!

 

imo, it seems the worst takeaway is the CHADdeMO port - not just because it's usable for picking up an extra dozen ev miles or so in as little as 12 minutes - but with such an anemic/under maintained grid - the backfeeding feature of CHAdeMO home to grid (h2g) can quickly become a life saver. Folks with medical equipment, or medicines that need refrigerating, or security systems/lighting, or food spoilage, etc. Bam - you're back up & running with an efficient combo generator/battery backup. Seems like Japan learned that lesson the hard way, through the Fukushima disaster. But here in the US? Not so much. Heck, I'd take that feature any day, over the missung 5th seat.

here's my Magic 8-Ball forecast. Just like the Gen 2 Prius folk who added the EV button, I'll bet some bright Engineering types find a way to get that feature to us anyway.
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My typical grocery store visit is 20 to 25 minutes. That delivers 5 to 6 miles.

The new system will be faster, a jump from 2.2 to 3.3 kWh rate.

I don't see CHAdeMO as much of a takeaway.

 

Well, there are already folks who own the PIP that have cobbled together systems to pull power for emergencies. How much greater would that be for those who are not equipped to become a DIY'er. Like I said, it's not just about CHAdeMO quickly adding extra EV range. Clearly Toyota finds merit with the system in Japan - because they offer the v2g features there. Could it be possible that adding the CHAdeMO port in the US would send a mixed message? After all - if you had quick charge capability, that would contradict the advertised message how plugins are only for "people who have 4 hours to waste".
Nah - that's crazy talk

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The reason for the force charge isn't for efficiency, which it will likely worsen, but to shift emission release away from congested residential areas. It is to have EV miles when you arrive to a ZEV emission area, like some European city sections, after a long trip.

Toyota took it away for the North American market for the same reason they took away the solar panel; it would cost more than what the vast majority would be willing to spend on it. The EVSE required to power the home is going to run around $10k. People with Mirais might be willing to swing that, but most people willing to spend that much on emergency home power will invest in a hard wired generator. Then the car doesn't need to be home to provide power for the other occupants.

 

Doesn't pretty much everything contradict itself after a generation or two?

In fact, isn't that the very purpose of the generation, upgrading to better?

 

Yesterday I took a survey from insideevs, and some of the questions pertained to my interest in using the vehicle battery as an emergency home power source, and what I'd be willing to spend to facilitate backup home power. I answered that I am very interested, and would be willing to spend up to $1000 for the necessary equipment to enable that feature.

Electricity in my area is pretty reliable, and when it does cut out, it's usually in a winter storm. In that case, the only thing I risk is loosing is the food in the fridge. I could just wheel the fridge outside and likely save it. Even if I lost all food, it would probably be less than $200.

For that reason, my interest in using the vehicle as a backup power system is high, but the price I'd be willing to pay for the feature is relatively low.

There was also a question about my interest in letting the utility determine when it wants to charge my vehicle, assuming I'm still guaranteed to have a full charge by a time I specify. I answered that I would want to participate, and the utility would not have to provide much incentive.

 

For me it would be an attractive possibility if I can charge the car on the day using my solar panels and can use this charge during those hours that the solar panels do not produce enough for the house. Like a home battery as Tesla's. But that would be a system for regular use, not just a backup for emergencies and would require maximal power levels, for example, of at least 3600 W and preferably more.

 

what did they put under the drivers seat?

 

For the absent spare tire?

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