Question #2: What is the oil change interval? Is it the same every 10k miles? Since the PHV will put more miles without the gas engine running, will it be extended to every 15k miles?
I think it would be possible, can't think of anything on the prototype that would have prevented it...but it seems a very rare/uncommon situation.
Not announced, but I suspect they'll leave it the same. I also suspect a lot of people will extend those intervals if using very little gas.
Same answers as Evan's... I can think of nothing on the demo unit which would have prevented someone from doing both. And nothing from Toyota on oil changes for the Plug In, but personally, if you know you ran EV for say 7000 out of 10,000 miles, what would you do? I know what I would do... ;-)
The "proper" procedure to gas up is to turn off the car first. Would filling up while charging increase the risk of a spark?
Basically, Toyota's email is whatever you want to know, ask a Prius Expert! Please any of the experts who have done it before! What I was told is you order the car on the website and pick up at the dealer, Duh... I would like to know information about the buying process. From ordering thru the website to driving away from the dealer's lot. Things like the ordering system, price, options, total price, loan application, leasing application, Dealer's role and what kind of obligation/negotiation will I still have to do with the dealer when the car reaches their lot other than paying them; destination and dealer's fee? My problem is I don't want to wait a year to find out something that: have I known that I would made a different decision.
We don't know what everyone wants to know. We will all have to wait for more details from Toyota. It's unfortunate, but that's how it is for now... I'm certain before you have to order the car the end of the year all the info will be put out, so it's just a waiting game. There could always be the possibility they are still ironing things out thus they don't want to put out info which will only have to be changed down the road creating more confusion. I would rather wait but not have a bunch of people confused and trying to correct each other...
Hey Will the PHV have any kind of sunroof as an option? Solar or non-solar...it doesn't matter which. Also will the HUD ever be an option in any US Prius? Thanks
I'm hoping this an option for a Prius Plug-In 3 or 4. And I hope it the Solar one. You would think with The most highly advanced car they would steal this ... Err borrow this idea from their Lexus side and offer it as part of package 5.
Unknown at this time, no one knows for sure... Any answer other than liking to have it would be speculation right now. Also unknown at this time. No specifics have been provided by Toyota yet.
This is speculation on my part, too, but it seems plausible that Toyota is using the recent test drive impressions as part of their decision-making process. They'd be dumb not to, and they're not dumb. When they've figured out the trim levels and options they want to offer, they'll tell us. My impression is that it's not a good idea to do both at the same time. Even if the risk is only slightly elevated, the liability issues and potential damage to Toyota's reputation would be huge. They've had a hard enough time with recalls lately - they're not going to screw this up, or even take chances. An internal lock on the gas cap, activated by the plug-in connection, would be fairly simple from an engineering point of view.
I'd think the moron factor would tell most gas station operators not to install electrical outlets with the gas pumps. Besides who'd want to wait to get gas while some idiot is taking up two pump spaces trying to charge his laptop or cell phone?
Prius v will have liquid cooled MG2. That raises the question if the PHV's MG2 will be liquid cooled as well.
I don't think they were, they had different names and the plug in demo color seemed to have a tint more purple in it. The name of the demo plug in paint was blue mica metallic and the prius v prototype color that we've been seeing is Clear Stream. http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-v...rius-v-in-staten-island-ny-2.html#post1335299
I know that these are people who express interests so far, but California is likely to snatch most of these Prius Plug-ins in part due to HOV lanes and tax credits. But the Prius Plug-in may be late in the game if it is Spring 2012. Kicking Hybrid Cars Out of the Fast Lane - WSJ.com
Found an info that Prius PHV do get better MPG after depleting the plug electricity. The first paragraph said it is attributed to better regen braking (enabled by the larger PHV pack). Second paragraph said even if you don't plug it in and do short trips on gasoline, Prius PHV will be more efficient. It is very promising. We'll have to see how it performs in the EPA test cycle. Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION GLOBAL WEBSITE
Take a Prius PHV quiz here. You will be rewarded with a video interview from the European test drivers. BTW, I got all the right answers.
Unfortunately sometimes our video editing can cut explanations a tad short. No, in our tests we did not get a 7MPG increase without plugging it in. VS a standard Prius, the plug-in showed essentially no benefit if you don't charge the battery. This is because while there is some extra regen capability the plug in is about 200lbs heavier than a regular Prius. However on lengthy steep hill descents the plug-in will take greater advantage of regenerative braking. If you have any other specific questions, check out the review on TTAC.com and post in our comments section below the review.