long time lurker, first time poster. I'm looking at buying a Prius for my commuter and I have noticed that PIP is only about 1K more and gets better mileage plus has the ability to obviously plugin. I feel that I will easily recoup the additional cost with the mileage and free electric miles. However I'm concerned with the life span of the Li-ion battery life compared to Ni-Cd. The car will be used for a 100 mile a day commute in south Texas. The car will see temperatures of high 90s and occasional 100's. The environment is also very humid and the air does contain salt. I will also be driving about 18K a year. I know the Ni-Cd is more robust and can be reconditioned, the Li-ion cannot and will cost substantial more to fix or replace. What risk level do I face by going with the PIP in these conditions? Thanks,
I live in Atlanta and put 40k on my pip last year with no issues. Been the most reliable car I've ever owned...so I bought a second one one has 100k the other 50k both 2012s advance models. I believe the lithium battery will last much longer (which is saying something) no one knows for sure yet but I haven't seen anything to say otherwise. Buy the one you like better and you won't regret it Galaxy s7 Edge ?
Hello neighbor. LiOn is still an unknown quantity but the original chemistry in the hybrid, which BTW is NiMH not NiCad, also doesn't like heat. I've seen no reports of premature wear or failures on the PIP reported here. The battery will cost more mainly because it is much larger. OTOH, if the warranty is out and you're a DIY sort, the NiMH chemistry is repairable for cheap and/or a new replacement battery from Toyota is currently around $2200 plus installation and you'll be good for another 8 yrs or kazillion miles.
welcome! i think the highest mileage reported here is only in the low 100,000's, so that's all we have to work with. no battery issues that i've heard of, typical toyota over engineering. i think you'd be fine with the pip, but if you're the nervous type, lift back might suit you better. all the best!
