Featured SPOTTED! *UNWRAPPED* 2016 Prius spotted this morning!

If talking range you should add the 50 miles of EV to the Volt's numbers, so it is 415.

 

I disagree. On a trip (which is when you're most likely to use the gasoline engine), you aren't going to be able to recharge, just refill.

 

That's fine, Lee, if want to entrust your safety with what you feel are sufficient safeguards, but I personally wouldn't want to be anywhere near an FCV in a traffic incident. The explosive potential is there for anyone to research. Sorry if I mischaracterized your position (I had since edited the last post), but I see now that you think it's impractical for long distance traveling (round trips without superchargers seemingly being the predominant fly in the ointment). If you ignore supercapacitor and continued battery development, that might be the case (hydrogen has certainly been touted as being just around the bend for at least 50 years). You most certainly won't be able to get your desired 3-minute fill-up times at *any* hydrogen fueling station in existence today.

And concerning the H2 stations in Denver, that pales in comparison to the number of homes with garages out there, I'm quite sure.

 

is the 2016 prius going to be flex fuel? gasoline/hydrogen/electrons?

 

I had to update the chips in my Scangauge II for $25, but with the new chips it works fine on a 2012 Prius hatchback .
I have one field set for engine rpm, and glanced at it when the instantaneous mpg display was at 99 due to coasting at about 60 mph and the rpm indication was 970 rpm or so. I felt no compression braking. I suspect a high degree of EGR recycling and extremely low fuel burn, but do not have direct data as other Scanguage fields are monitoring HV battery.
Have 5 pairs of athletic shoes, all black.

 

Depends on what your priorities are. I've carried rear seat passsengers exactly once in the 18 months I've had my Volt, a 20 mile round trip on the day I picked it up. I moved my seat up and nobody complained, including me. Usually it's all the way back - I'm 6'3" and a big guy. I care about driver comfort, first and foremost, and the Volt's 2 inches extra width carries through to 2 inches more shoulder room than the Prius, it's also materially quieter, which matters a lot to me. The Volt is a very comfortable car for me. If I regularly drove around a family of four I might feel otherwise.

Again, it depends on how you use the car. I filled up my Volt on Saturday, first gas since April. I went 1115 miles on that tank (filled up at 7.6 gallons), it would have gone quite a bit further but the first 200 or so miles were gas only returning from a trip. 145 mpg. Before that trip I took in April, i had gone from a fillup in July of last year to March 31st, when I filled up preparing for that gas-only trip; that 8 month tank came in at 223 mpg. For my use of the Volt, which is primarily as an EV, the difference between 8.9 gallons and 11 or 12 gallons is meaningless.

On Wednesday I'll take the Volt for a 2000 mile road trip. I expect to get 38-40 mpg in Hold mode, like I did in April. I'd typically take my Jetta SportWagen TDI on these trips (same mileage, but diesel's much cheaper than gas right now), but the Volt is honestly more comfortable for a solo trip. I'm more than willing to trade off a few mpg for the couple of times a year I take these trips (you may get 52 mpg, Fuelly shows the Gen III at 45-46 ish) in exchange for greater driver comfort and the ability to spend most of my time as an EV.

 

Why not? Hydrogen is FAR safer in an accident than gasoline. H2 is light and so a leak disperses quickly and goes up and away from any ignition source. Gasoline sits under the car and lights everything above it on fire.


Vehicles


"U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated average of 152,300 automobile fires per year in 2006-2010. These fires caused an average of 209 civilian deaths, 764 civilian injuries, and $536 million in direct property damage."

 

I posted this several times before!
2014 Toyota Prius
Passenger Volume 94 ft3 (Hatchback)
Luggage Volume 22 ft3 (Hatchback)

2014 Audi A7 quattro
Passenger Volume 94 ft3 (Hatchback)
Luggage Volume 25 ft3 (Hatchback)

2014 Tesla Model S
Passenger Volume 94 ft3 (Hatchback)
Luggage Volume 26 ft3 (Hatchback)

 

The reason I bought my Prius was the birth of my first child. Now that I have two, I regularly drive around a family of four. In fact, one problem with the Prius is that it can't take even a single friend or family member in addition to my family. That's why I wanted the 7 seat version of the Prius V they sold in Europe. Since they never bought it to the US, I bought a 6-seat Mazda 5 instead.

A Volt would be fine for a family of two, but even if it was just me, it wouldn't be fine. The cargo area with the back seats folded down is a little small for all the model airplanes I often take out to the field to fly.

 

One burns while the other has a much greater explosive potential. Yes, if everything goes as intended, hydrogen shouldn't ignite (beyond the plume) as depressurization is engaged (I did see the controlled crash test demonstrating this, keyword being controlled). As the # of H2 vehicles on the roads increases, we'll soon be able to see how this plays out in real-world scenarios and just how foolproof it is. When something does go wrong, it has a much greater likelihood of taking out anything and everything in the nearby perimeter.

 

The 26 ft3 for the Model S doesn't include the "frunk". With the frunk (5.3 ft3) the S comes in at 31.6 ft3 (26.3 + 5.3).

 

FWIW, DOT defines the different car groups (full, medium, compact, subcompact, etc.) by interior VOLUME, not by exterior dimensions.

 

Only because it's compressed. In that way, it's like any compressed gas cylinder (nitrogen, helium, whatever) - the gas pressure can, in theory, be released quickly. Getting H2 to explode is almost impossible out of doors. It dissipates too quickly.

 

Were you looking to seat 6 rather than 5? A liftback generally sits 5 adults and the V should do it with more space to spare, I guess the C is limited to 4.

 

I was looking to seat six instead of four. The center seat in the rear of the Prius is not usable if the side seats are occupied by child safety seats. But there was a "V" (called a "Prius +" in Europe) with a third row of seats. I *think* this is it:

 

Yes sir, that is correct. Toyota wants us to get a Highlander to get third row seats.

 

Joke's on them. I was competing a 4-Runner with 3rd row against the Mazda 5, and the Mazda won.

 

But you do know that Mazda 5, just like Toyota Venza are discontinued after 2015.

 

They were both 2012s. The 4 Runner had just come off lease, and the Mazda was a dealer loaner with only 7,000 miles on it.

 

Really!?! I love the Venza. I have been curious about an all-new version. It was gonna be my 2nd choice but the Prius won out.