I keep seeing all those high mpg figures for the PIP. We have 71,000 miles on our Prius which my wife drives 90% of the time and she has a round trip for work about 30 miles with no charging options at work. So the PIP with all tax incentives is about 30,000 or so if there was say another 5,000 more int tax incentives like the chev volt I would probably make a trade. Its just that extra 5,000 dollars that holds me back. Has anyone out there traded their older Prius for a new one and how is it working out....
I'm extremely happy I traded my 2010 Prius for the plug in. The Overall MPGe has been amazing for me - 127 at the moment. I've driven 550 miles and it only she's on the fuel gauge I used 4 gallons. But I must include that I try to plug in whenever I can. So during the work week I drive short trips and long ones on the weekend. My 2010 was great averaging 47/48 mpg. But the Plug in is fabulous with 127 MPGe
If there is no charging option at work, then there is virtually no point in the PiP. Even if there was, it is somewhat an exercise in frustration, because the gas engine would always come on within 2-3 miles of reaching work or home, and in its warmup cycle, fuel efficiency is not optimal. Go with the Volt instead. Let's run the numbers. Annual work days per year: 240 Annual work commute miles: 7200 Commute EV miles: Volt: 7200. PiP: 3000 Gen III: 0 Commute Gas miles: Volt 0. PiP 4200. Gen III 7200. Commute Gas gallons: Volt 0. PiP 84. Gen III 144 The Volt is not a good option if e.g. you take long trips on a regular basis. However, if you do Seaside to Portland on a regular basis, then you'd have no trouble finding a place to charge in Portland, and the Volt would do slightly better than the PiP on the round trip in terms of gas consumption: 90 gas miles at 37 mpg vs. 135 gas miles at 50 mpg, for a 160 mile round trip. As janie's post shows, you have to work pretty hard to get 100+ mpg. Whereas on voltstats.net, the median user reports 175 mpg.
I am not sold on the VOLT, the Prius has a proven track record and I believe it is easier to do self maintaince such as oil changes, filter changes etc. I also like the hatchback of the Prius and the Prius can hold 5 people and the Volt I believe only 4 passengers.
I think you have just made a convincing argument to keep the car that you already have. The marginal benefit of a new PiP is very, very low for your situation.
You can't cost-justify trading a two year-old vehicle for a new one, unless maybe it were a 17 MPG truck. But trading in America's highest mileage vehicle doesn't leave much room for fuel cost-saving. My reason for trading in my 2010 was to get the commuter lane access, which is important for family reasons.
That's probably the best reason for an existing Prius owner to trade in for a PiP. I would suggest that alfon look at the Leaf as well, but it won't quite make it to Portland.
The Leaf is not even an option, were a good 80 miles from Portland. If there was an electric car that had a 500 mile range and could be charged in 5 minutes or so that would work. Infact, if such a car was available the oil industry would not be too happy.
Mine was actually a 3 year old 2010 Prius purchased in 2009. I averaged 52 MPG on the 2010 and with the PIP historically I am at 80 MPG with approx 2,300 miles. My ratio is 70% HV and 30% EV I drive only .05 mile to my office so there's really no commute but I accumulate all the other miles running errands, seeing clients and have to access the freeways and of course the carpool lane.
I'm obviously not saying you shouldn't get a Plug-in. I love mine! I recommend it. My only point is that, no, you won't save money by trading in your two year-old Prius for a Plug-in. But you should do it anyway.
Right now, state of the art is 300 mile range (Tesla Model S) -or- 10 minute charge (Leaf + CHAdeMO). Give it 2-3 more years and you'll be closer to your wish. But seriously, since the Volt is a very close match to having an all-electric daily driver for your wife, it at least deserves a test drive. It is one of the most unfairly maligned cars on the road right now.
The unfortunate reality of having allowed the hype to get out of hand is showing its ugly face now. Just imagine how different things could have been if expectations were better managed prior to rollout. To make matters worse, those who warned about that all along are now belittled for even just suggesting that such a thing ever happened. It makes constructive discussion difficult, for Volt anyway. Choices like upgrading from a regular Prius to a plug-in are still a challenge though. I like to point out that the kWh of electricity are used regardless of speed or distance. Your travel will improve from the plug. How much varies quite a bit depending upon circumstance. But there is a still less gas being consumed. As time goes on, the choice will become easier... especially once the tax-credits expire. Reports of real-world MPG help a lot too. For now though, good luck with the decision.
I think you are a bit out of touch if you think the early marketing estimates, or as you call it, hype, has anything to do with the wide-spread malignant of the Volt. It became a political punching bag for reasons that had nothing do do with he actual car or its performance. For many it became a symbol of obama's administration (though it was started/designed before him) and for others it was the Bailout and the tax-credits (which again were really bus). There was political angles as well as various conservatives groups that hate GM all bashing GM with the Volt as the easy target. They may have used some of the differences from early statements o final product,or of the potential risk of a fire weeks after a crash, but that was not the reason, that was just the attack vector. Only recently has the political bashing started to subside, largely, I think, because its a great car and because it became clear the attacks were not going to stop it. That, plus a few republicans that really get the importance of the car, have started to stem the tide of negative media. :focus: But for the OP, buying a PiP would not make much financial sense. But a car purchase rarely is. You should dirve a PiP and a volt and see what you like.
Avoiding the recent political rhetoric by focusing on business & consumer need is out touch? I call that staying focused.
Alfon- We can give you our personal opinions but the decision is ultimately up to you. If you feel led to, make a List of what's important to you. That was what ultimately helped me to make my decision. I traded my 2010 in and got much less than I should have gotten (probably should have sold it myself). But for me there is just something about seeing the great gas mileage on the plug in Prius that makes my heart sing. So even though it may have not been the wisest economical choice, I sure am happy with my decision to trade in the 2010 I had for the new plug in Prius Btw I am a bit fanatical about trying to get excellent MPGe, so much so that on my long journey of 50 miles to get home tonight, I stopped off at a free charging station along the journey, and I will get home very late tonight because of this stop.
I just like the idea of an electric powered car. Lets face it you can make your own electricity from solar, wind, etc. I would imagine if you are building a new home in the proper location for perhaps $20,000 or so you can have enough electricity, with solar and/or wind, that you could use it and still sell the surplus electricity to the power company. So instead of getting a bill you get a check from the power company. Just think part of that electricity could power your car...
If you want an electric car, you should definately test drive a BEV (leaf) and an EREV (Volt) as well as the PiP. in a BEV or EREV you can use only or mostly electricity. Pips can use some, but are still majority gas. You can read more at mynissianleaf.com and gm-volt.com An in oregon you can probably just choose to by hydro/wind/solar no matter where you live.
