Plug-in Prius Display info.

Very cool info! So Toyota is thinking a 14 mileish EV range when it does come out with Li-On. Not bad, but do wonder the mileage after the EV mode is out.

 

Boy, what I wouldn't give to get my hands on a copy of that software flash

Rob

 

Will you be able to plug into the old electrical plugs that were made in for the EVs?

 

I just pray that current Prii will be compatible if the owner is willing to hack into it. Toyota: please make the current MFD and Car computer compatible with the new system!

 

Which "old electrical plugs"? Like ones for a dryer or oven
outlet? Presumably any sort of adapter could be built.
.
_H*

 

Nice article, BUT: according to the guidelines for posting news in this forum, you include some quotes from the article, but for copyright reasons, you do not post the entire article. Also, and this is perhaps even more important, you include a link and name the source, or did you actually take the test drive and write this report yourself??

 

VERY cool, except they will have to do better than the huge "open to the weather" plug.

I'm pretty sure I don't want to have that socket open to the rain, sleet, ice and snow while it charges.

I've seen a video and the charging system is basically no different in size than the 'brick' used to charge a laptop with equal sized wiring until you get to the plug that goes in the car and it is HUGE! No reason they shouldn't have a regular sized plug that slips up inside a waterproof cover.

 

I think he means the publicly accessible charging stations that were built 10 or so years back. There is one in Burlington at City Market and I know there are/were places in CA that had free parking and charging areas. I don't know what voltage they carried but they have/had special plugs, not the standard wall outlet plug shown in the Plug-in Prius video.

 

Yup. There's a handful at our local costco, home depot, target, and kaiser hospital parking lots. They're premium spots. Next to the handicapped spots(though I'd park at the far end of the lot to get free juice). They're also always empty.

 

Here's a link to the original article since the original post neglected to attribute the article and instead infringe on Copyright law:

Kicking Tires: First Drive: Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid

 

A bit of a guess but that looks like a 3 phase plug which is sealed during use and has a cover over it when not in use. I'm also guessing they used that plug to ensure a light weight "inside use only" cord isn't substituted for a weather proof cable tough enough to be driven over and out in the weather.

 

Toyota's answer regarding mpg is good; "You might want a mileage figure for this car, but Toyota correctly points out that there's no reliable way to judge it yet". It always bugs me when I see plug-ins that say "I get 100mpg". That claim is a bunch of BS without qualifying the statement with an asterisk.

Note:* I get 100 miles per gallon of gas, but I supplement my fuel with electricity from my home. Thus I get 100 miles per gallon of gas plus some electricity.

I pay up to 23.5 cents a Kw here in the SF Bay area. How many dollars per mile will it cost me to run on electricity?

 

Well, that depends. Is the goal to make a more efficient vehicle, or use less gas? I agree the former would be preferable, but most emphasis currently is on the later.

As an interesting data point, you can find the 2000 RAV4 EV on fueleconomy.gov and compare it to the 2007 Prius:

--------------Prius---RAV4EV
Equiv MPG-----46-----104
Fuel $/yr-----$999----$391
Petoleum/yr---7.4-----0.4 barrels
CO2 tons/year-4.0----4.2

This matches most of what I have seen. EVs are cheaper to operate, and cleaner than most cars even under coal. For an additional ~10-20% fuel cost (putting it at 50% of the cost of the prius) The RAV4 EV would be virtually CO2 free, by purchasing renewable energy. You would expect the PHEV Prius in EV mode to be at least as efficient as the RAV4, probably better.

If your energy costs are really 2.5X the national average, its not going to be as big an advantage cost wise. I believe they are estimating based on an average energy cost of $0.08 per kWh, and gas at $3.07. There is another argument that most EVs will be charged at night when energy costs are much lower, often in the $0.02 to $0.04 per kWh range. This would cut the annual fuel cost to ~$98 to $195.

This article claims the PHEV prius will have an MPGe of 113mpg running in EV mode, although I'm not sure where that data is from.
Plug-in Prius - X Prize Cars

Rob

 

I am fairly certain the answer to this is no. Which is not to say that someone couldn't build a converter. From everything I have heard discussed the intention is you charge up in your garage overnight on a standard plug, and then get really good mileage for the first x miles of the day.

In my opinion one of the fatal flaws of the first EV "boom" was the obsession with trying to increase daily range by building a massive recharging infrastructure. In my mind the natural beauty of EVs is that unlike H2, you don't need to build up infrastructure. It already exists. If you stick to standard plugs and standard voltage and circuit currents, you can charge up your car anywhere. It just takes 8 hrs. instead of 4. For most people's daily routines, research shows this would have been fine.

Fortunately the PHEV displaces the perceived need to charge up everywhere you go. When you run out of battery, you just switch over to gas. Ideally it would be great to be able to top up while you are out, but not critical. I like the idea someone mentioned about northern cities, where every parking meter has a standard outlet for people to plug in block heaters. If this already works there, why not do it everywhere!

Rob

 

Everything's fine, except you have the petroleum/yr in barrels reversed between the Prius and RAV4EV. Also note that they're using the 2008 EPA fuel economy numbers even for the 2004 Prius.
Here's the link: RAV4 vs. Prius

 

In the PG&E electric KWh usage, it could cost up to 37 cents/KWh if you get to the fifth tier rates. So I really hate the cost usage reports with EV and electrical appliances since it does not reflect the real cost. I have heard of people with $500-$800/month in PG&E bills... most for electricity (not gas) usage.

See this pdf for more info... http://www.gosolarnow.com/pdf files/costperkWh E1 2006.pdf

Electricity is not cheap here in this part of CA. Darrell could do it because he was willing to dish out big bucks up front for solar panels.

I am a concervative user, and I still in the 3rd tier at $0.22/KWh.

 

As far as the goal that I look for, it is lowest cost per mile. I am willing to pay a bit more to reduce emissions, but I don't feel that there is a significant reduction in emissions with an all electric car vs the Prius.

Since I am a cheapskate, and I live in an area with extremely high electricity rates, I see no benefit to electric, or plug-in.

As far as getting cheap electricity at night, one would have to install a special electric meter in order to get that lower rate.

Thanks for posting the electric rates for PG&E. I don't know anyone that stays within that "baseline" tier. I am always in Tier 3 or 4.