What happens to our Prii when the plug-ins come out?

It will be many years before a plugin is offered for sale which has a range worth talking about. There is a battery break-thru required, no matter what the PR boys imply...

If you want to worry about something real, worry about the 2009 Prius and the improved mileage and horsepower it will have. That will be something that will be more likely to tarish the image of the present Prius and it won't be something you can retrofit.

 

Depends on the gas prices and also in California- the new ones will not be able to go single person in the car- pool lane (which makes ones with a car pool sticker on very valuable- $1500 to 4000 over regular value)..

The one they will be road testing later this fall only goes 8 miles on electric....expect a few years before they reach production of any with a longer time on electric...

 

They'll turn into pumpkins.

No, seriously, their resale value should hold up fine for some time. For years to come there will still be tens of millions of old brokendownsh!t technology conventional cars on the road, and millions of drivers looking to replace them with good used cars, namely ours.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(richard schumacher @ Aug 3 2007, 12:21 PM) [snapback]489970[/snapback]</div>

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Your right they will hold their value, I traded in my 04 they gave me 14 or 15k for it. It had 72k miles on it and put it right out on the lot, 2 dys later it was sold for 19k....

 

Well, by that point my '04 should have about 175-200k miles, so I'll just trade it in...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bendial @ Aug 2 2007, 11:45 AM) [snapback]489289[/snapback]</div>

No way a solid toyota getting better MPG than any other similar car is going to "drop like mad". The resale value will be 99.9% dependent on gas prices. The other 0.1% is a combination of everything else. When gas prices go back to $1.50 a gallon, then Prius value will......probably be slightly reduced. (Now think of the other extreme.)

 

The Prius is a good car in and of itself, good mileage or not. It will always do better than a used fully loaded corolla in resale, and not much worse than used Camry's, even if gas was free. Camry's and Corollas do quite well with resale, so the Prius will be no different. But with high gas prices (over 6$), the Prius will most likely sell higher than Camry's on the used car lot. Even with plug-ins there will be a big part of the consumer market who will have no reason for a plug-in, such as us that live in the city without personal garages with outlets, or us who know that most of our power comes from coal power plants which provide more dirty air and less efficiency per Watt of energy produced than a straight up hybrid.

 

We dance in the streets because we'll be able to buy a OEM PHEV! Not everybody wants to plug in, not everybody wants to buy a brand new car. Plenty of people will be quite happy to buy our well-cared-for Prius.

 

There will always be more demand than supply for used Prii.

Even if a plug-in comes out, there will be those that won't trust the "new" technology but will look for a tried and true gen II Prius.

And when an EV Prius comes out, there are those that won't trust the "new" technology ad will look for a tried and true plug-in Prius.

Used Prius will hold their value. No, you won't be able to get what you paid for it. But you'll get a lot more than an equivalent conventional car.

My dilemma is whether to trade in my 2005 for a new, improved 2009 or wait until after my HOV stickers expire in 2011. If I wait long enough I might be able to buy a plug-in Prius. (In dark blue I hope. With side signal mirrors.)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fan-atic @ Aug 2 2007, 10:20 AM) [snapback]489311[/snapback]</div>

This just isn't true. No battery break-thru required. I drove my RAV EV on All-Electric mode (it's only mode) over 50 miles today, sometimes at speeds over 75 MPH. The technology is 15 years old, my 2002 (five year old car) is basically identical to the 1997 model RAV4 EV built 10 years ago.

The PR BS that something "might be viable soon" is BS in that it already was 15 years ago, and still is today.

And... cue Darell.

Nate

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(naterprius @ Aug 3 2007, 11:47 PM) [snapback]490389[/snapback]</div>

And NASA powers it's satellites from solar power so I guess we homeowners should all get off the grid by doing the same...

Toyota didn't drop the RAV EV due to lack of demand, they dropped it because the demand wasn't there from the traditional car buyer. Traditional buyers don't want a 1000 pound, $26000 battery in their trunk.

Those of us in Engineering and Marketing know that price is ALWAYS part of the equation. EVs today require a breakthrough in battery technology.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(naterprius @ 2007 Aug 3 09:47 PM) [snapback]490389[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fan-atic @ 2007 Aug 4 09:08 AM) [snapback]490526[/snapback]</div>

Where the change needs to happen is in our minds. Factoring in purchase price, maintenance, infrastructure, and environmental damage, electric vehicles are by far the cheapest and most efficient way to get around. Other than walking and cycling, of course.

 

Plug-ins = electricity

We still need to work on better sources of electricity besides coal. for those that understand that, the plug in has less cache in the end. My plans are to retro with solar, that seems responsible.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MJGreen @ Aug 4 2007, 12:31 PM) [snapback]490556[/snapback]</div>

The right tool for the right job.

I own a PHEV and I recharge using wind energy. I meet people all the time that ask me about the big "100+ MPG" on the sides of my car. I tell them the truth. It only gets 100+ mpg for the first 20 to 30 miles every day. It is hard for some to understand that at first but usually by the end of the conversation they understand. Most Americans drive 30 miles or less a day.

If you drove that amount or less then a PHEV is right for you. If you drive more then that, then a Hybrid is right for you. If you have to shuttle lumber around all day, well then a Truck is right for you.

You don't have to worry about the resale value of your hybrid. They are great cars for the job they do...get you from point A to point B for as little emissions as possible. Of course saving hundreds of dollars at the pump each month is really cool too.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(MJGreen @ Aug 4 2007, 12:31 PM) [snapback]490556[/snapback]</div>

California doesn't get a lot of it's power from coal. If they can do something about the current laws regarding de-regulation we can have even MORE solar. Right now we don't have nearly enough. We should be right up there with Germany regarding solar. We should be a world leader in solar power. (And recycling.)

California will be the market for the plug-ins and then the EVs. Hopefully in conjunction with solar. They'll work together. We haven't gotten over the "hump" yet. But I'm getting solar installed on Monday. And now I'm thinking I might see if I can get an on-demand water heater installed also if it's not too much. No sense waiting for the water heater to go and not having the money to put in the system I want.

The incentives for solar need to be better and more helpful to the middle and lower incomes. They need to find a way around the up-front costs. People with solar will be more inclined to get a plug-in and eventually an EV. And more people will be inclined to get solar if the power companies would buy the excess. The excess is produced during peak hours. That's when they need it. Currently there is NO incentive to produce beyond your personal needs. Why should I put 10 extra panels on my roof at my own expense so SDG&E can have it for free? My roof has the space. But I'm only putting up exactly what I need because they won't pay for the extra electricity I produce and I won't get any rebates or credits for putting up an array that's larger than I need. Which is another problem. Subsidize people for the biggest system they can handle and pay them for the excess power they produce. That's why Germany is a leader in solar. We get a lot more sun than Germany.

 

That is great Godiva. Look into a solar water heater. They are worth more then the PV in the amount of energy they save. Then just get an on demand that you only turn on as a back up.

I wish I could go solar, but my POA won't let me.

What happens to our Prii when the plug-ins come out?
The reall question is... What happens to our Wee Pri's when we convert our Prius' to plug-ins?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Cheap! @ Aug 4 2007, 01:06 PM) [snapback]490567[/snapback]</div>

I've looked into solar water but think I will go with the on demand solo. I have a natural gas water heater and I'll save by not having it on all of the time. We all know natural gas will go up also. Everything I have is gas except the refrigerator. I have a vintage gas stove, gas water heater and gas dryer, plus a gas furnace under the house. I don't do laundry that often so the water heater is a big waste; keeping that water hot all of the time whether I'm using it or not.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Cheap! @ Aug 4 2007, 01:06 PM) [snapback]490567[/snapback]</div>

I've looked into solar water but think I will go with the on demand solo. I have a natural gas water heater and I'll save by not having it on all of the time. We all know the price of natural gas is going up as natural gas peaks just like oil. Everything I have is gas except the refrigerator. I have a vintage gas stove, gas water heater and gas dryer, plus a gas furnace under the house. I don't do laundry that often so the water heater is a big waste; keeping that water hot all of the time whether I'm using it or not. I probably won't replace the stove or furnace. I can always get an electric dryer and put some more panels on the roof. Likewise if I get an EV, I can always put more panels on the roof.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fan-atic @ Aug 4 2007, 12:08 PM) [snapback]490526[/snapback]</div>

I'm one of those in Engineering and Marketing. Both Toyota and Telsa motors are selling EVERYTHING they build in hybrid and electric vehicles....with today's batteries. GM and Nissan claimed that Hybrids would fail for the same reason......traditional buyers were not interested. Now Nissan has to use Toyota parts for their hybrid. What is needed for an EV to be successful is an EV that can be bought at all, not new battery technology.