WANTED: Newest technology for future Prii

That doesn't work very well with high EGR flow, port injection keeps intake valves clean.

 

it already has.

 

1. Which ever battery works best which includes price, safety, longevity, and an assist to push the average mpg to 55 mpg. I don't care which battery Toyota selects. Li-ion batteries have issues too so if Toyota sticks with the current technology and still gets 55 mpg I'm good with that.

>2. I believe Toyota must balance technology, selling price, and mpg. There is always something better but the cost might prohibit using that technology.

>3. I have no issue with the driving characteristics of our Gen II. I don't understand why someone would buy a Prius, with the main characteristic being high mileage, then drive it like a sports car. If you want a sports car go buy one.

>4.I'll let Toyota decide if direct injection makes sens or not. There are many factors involved.

>5. See #3

"I'll pay another $3,000. for all the above technology. Just think, economy, power and great handling. A car like that will really sell." The purchase price of a Prius is critical to me, and I believe it is one of the main reasons the Prius has been so successful. Taking a car that sells for $25K and pushing it up into the $28K range, to add those things you want, would likely result in lower volume sales. I think Toyota has the right formula.

"If this seems like too much for a grocery-getter than put it in a FRS/BRZ sports car at minimum. I'll buy one." The current Prius makes a great grocery-getter. I'm much more interested in making sure the car has a spare tire and they design out the flying buttress console than the changes you suggest.

When another manufacturer comes out with a higher mileage car, in the same price range as a Prius, I'll take a look. So far that hasn't happened. I believe hybrid sales are off because the price of a gallon of gas has dropped, and because Toyota delayed the introduction of the Gen IV. I'll bet they will sell quite well and Toyota will remain at the front of the pack.

 

well we're not gonna have to wait too long to find out if Toyota implemented and of those ideas. I hope we get a nifty Gen4 vs. Gen3 detailed breakdown comparison presentation from Toyota USA like we did when Gen3 came out

 

I find it surprising that better MPG is missing from your list. Some people might buy it for that reason.

With the exception of #2 & #4, you are describing a Tesla. Then again, with a Tesla, #2 and #4 reduce its performance.

 

#5 - good suspension adds quite a bit to the cost. The prius is a cheap economy car with an expensive drive-train. It has the absolute cheapest type of suspension available (torsion beam).

A multi-link suspension would add too much to the cost. Toyota knows exactly who its market is and what they are willing to pay. Adding fancy driving dynamics to a beige transportation pod makes no sense.

In fact, Toyota tried to make a "nice" version of the prius - the ct200h. Sales of that car are abysmal.

 

The Prius, the Leaf and the Volt all use radial flux motors with "powerful rare earth magnets" (Neodymium Iron Boron, likely with additives like Dysprosium for better performance at high temperatures). Axial flux machines have some inherent disadvantages compared to radial flux machines, including less efficiency at turning current into torque and difficult mechanical design. They have some advantages too, most of which are not applicable to ordinary hybrids like the Prius.

Only the Tesla uses "copper windings" on the rotor (all of them use copper windings on the stator), because Tesla uses a squirrel cage induction machine. Such a machine has some inherent advantages over PM machines, and some disadvantages too. Tesla has a pretty good video on why they made this choice, and their reasoning was entirely rational and all the trade-offs they talked about in that video were accurately described.