Prius Plug-in vs Chevy-Volt thoughts

Don't be silly! Show me some place where you can always drive downhill and never have to drive back up. If all your driving were downhill you wouldn't need an engine at all.

 

You really need to be careful you keep making incorrect sweeping statements. You can have a downhill route overall and still need an engine. If the slope is minor enough friction will prevent you from rolling. And if there are up and downs it is quite conceivable you could not carry enough momentum. The route discussed here was asymmetrical with regard to charging which can make the downhill important in terms of allowing extra distance.

 

'Up' would imply you are going uphill, not down, would it not?

 

The route can be downhill by thousands of feet from start to end and still have up hills and curves that prevent the speed needed to coast the whole way.

 

One can easily have a situation where the "downhill" is extending EV range and the uphill is mostly gas, hence it extends EV range. I know as that is were I live. It means my gas milage is not as good but by EV range can be better than average. Would not help a BEV, but for a PHEV it can extend EV range.


On most days my gain and loss cancel each other out (though I do tend to drive highway and faster on the way down, and slower sideroads on the way home, part of that is 1-way street issues as well as traffic timing).

 

I think the point was, this is just playing semantic games. Giving the same amount of charging, regen will use the same or more gasoline in the case of a phev. Now a car that brakes without regen will use even more gas.

Otherwise we are just giving ev range an easier test. You will get more range down hill than up Do we give the ecu a program to maximize ev rainge and only run ev when its say bellow 200wh/mile, how about 150wh/mile.

At most being equal On my legs, hilly courses take more energy. On my bicycle they take around the same as I spin up hill, and recover on the downs. If I was racing, hills take much more, I have to waste energy braking down hill Come to think of it, I would love regen on my tri-bike - but its against the rules. Luckily regen is not against the phev rules.

 

No problem, the OP about extended range was asking about a Plug in Prius so the ECU maximizing EV range using ony on easy tasks is exactly what they expect.

 

Hello everyone

My name is Alan , I have been a member of this forum since 2004
I have owned a 2004 Prius and a 2007 prius, loved both of them.
I decided I wanted a new car last month and looked a the Chevy volt and the new Prius
After deriving the Volt and the new Prius, I decided to purchase a Volt.
I am very impressed with the quality of the Volt , the looks , the Ride, the POWER ,after
800 miles , I have not used ANY gas yet.
If you drive this car like a prius you can get as much a 50 miles on a charge
and with the 240 charger , it will charge up in 4 hrs.
Don’t get me wrong I really loved my Prius(s) (i)
But they do not compare to the Volt
So if youe are ready for a new car, before you make a desicion, Drive both

 

I drove a Volt and a Leaf. I liked the Leaf better. Of course, I like my Roadster even more. What I dislike about the Volt is probably the thing that you like about it: It has a gas engine. But if you never use gas in the Volt, a Leaf would have saved you a lot of money on the purchase and a lot of maintenance cost.

Enjoy your new car.

 

That's also the reply I always have ready when people say "Bought a Volt instead of a Prius and have yet to use any gas"... then why not buy an EV?

 

Says the man who needs two vehicles to satisfy all his driving needs.

 

Europe may be different but range anxiety is very real in many parts of the USA. Add in the range reduction for winter heat needs and long recharge times and it just won't work for many folks.

I hope you have the same question ready for PIP owners too.

 

They did by an EV.. an EREV. They have the ICE just in case they need it. Useful for long trips and unplanned emergencies. Just because they have not taken any yet does not mean that in the years of ownership they might not.

And of course they might just like the looks better for the price. Teslas look very nice. Leaf's are unique and can be someone one likes or not.

 

I agree, drive both before you make the decision. Did you drive the new Prius or the PHV model? This thread is about thoughts on Prius PHV vs. Volt.

Which trim of Volt did you get? On the standard feature list, the base Volt is pretty much stripped down but the base Prius PHV has many features. I am sure you considered the differences.

If you go by just the driving experience, the Volt wins. If you consider the extra standard features and the midsize interior of Prius PHV, I think it'll come down to your commute. BTW, how is your commute like?

Since you owned your 2004 Prius for 8 years, you know how the ownership experience is like. Keep us in the loop with your ownership experience with the Volt.

 

Last year I traded in my 2004 Prius for a 2012 Volt and I am very happy. My Prius was great but the Volt takes it to another level where I can be truly gas free most of the time. I had considered the PiPs but the specs just wouldn't work for me. I have a 50 mile highway round trip commute. With the Volt I charge at home and then get a 8 amp charge at work to give me enough to get home again without gas.

My current lifetime MPG on it is almost 200 MPG. I can go for weeks sometimes without using any gas but the gas is there when I need the range.

Also compared with the PiP (from what I am told, I haven't driven one) the electric mode is very sluggish and tops out at 60 MPH and probably isn't good for hiway use without the ICE kicking on. The Volt on the other hand is VERY fast in sport mode and is full electric to over 80 MPH.

All in all the Volt has been flawless in 6 months with excellent performance and a lot of new features that I really love like the Onstar app that lets me control some functions remotely and get information from it.

It all depends on what your normal use is but for me the Volt has been a good choice.

 

You are not gas free other times. Therefore, you are not truly gas free. It is great that you are enjoying the electric miles.

How many kWh have you used to saved how many gallons?

 

One comment. The Volt will stay full electric well over 80. It stays that way up to top speed, assuming there's enough charge in the battery. IIRC top speed is 104mph.

-Jeff

 

Yup, it'll drain the battery VERY fast as well.

 

Middle-Market is clearly not who this generation of Volt was designed for. Over and over again, we hear reports where purchase priorities don't match those who would otherwise buy a Corolla/Cruze or Camry/Malibu.

 

Driving 100 mph+ in the PiP will drain your gas tank VERY fast as well. What's your point?