It's been three weeks since.........

As I understand it, so many pluses, so few minuses? Enjoy your deal on wheels.

 

The 2014 Prius plugin has auto headlights.
see link below:
http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/om/OM47856U/pdf/sec_02-03.pdf

OOps, this may be just on the advance. please ignore if this is not your light stalk

 

If they're complaining that the range is too short for their tastes, that means they want to be in EV mode more, which means they probably enjoy it more in EV mode, just like you?

 

Gotta be careful what you wish for.

More EV range means less interior space, lower gas MPG and more expensive plugin.

Although technology and cost are coming down, I think Toyota did a great job with a very balanced PiP. The choice was to increase efficiency and lower the emission (well-to-wheel) or exploit the plugin tax credit (per kWh). Toyota chose to do the right thing by keeping PiP "Prius", which #1 priority was to reduce emission.

 

my engine is as smooth as silk. perhaps you should have it checked out. most of the time, i don't even realize when i run out of ev and the ice comes on.

 

As a current PIP owner, wanting more than the current eleven mile EPA estimated EV range, isn't asking for too much. Anything less than thirty mile EV range for the next generations PIP will be a disappointment for me.

 

I would be disappointed if Toyota added more EV miles and the efficiency of both electricity and gasoline suffers because of that. I am sure they'll be able to find a space to put it since it'll be a dedicated plugin hybrid model.

I doubt Toyota would add more EV miles for the sake of more EV miles.

 

Can't envision a new generation PIP without some (double?) increase in EV miles.

 

I think the range will depend on the cost (surely have dropped), grid-mix emission level vs. gasoline emission.

The issue was, the 50 MPG engine is too clean for grid electricity to compete. Toyota balanced it out. I am sure they'll do another balancing exercise with Gen2 PiP.

If I recall looking at eGRID 2012 data, the emission level dropped 10% from eGRID 2010. That means 25% drop in 5 years? The increased efficiency of the next gas engine (55 MPG?) is expected to be only 10%.

Surely, the balance would tilt in the favor of the electricity. Which means we'll get to use more EV miles without increasing emission.

 

since we've converted this into the next gen pip thread, do we even know if there is going to be a next gen pip?

 

I think you're in the minority with this opinion. If Toyota can't figure out a way to increase EV miles, I doubt they will even make a next gen PiP.


iPhone ?

 

I think you are giving Toyota too much credit for doing the gas-electric balance. I think it is pretty obvious that they took the Gen III Prius and put in as big a Li-ion battery as they could in the space they had, without impacting the above floor trunk space. The spare tire and the lower trunk space went away completely except for the small slot they left.

Any numbers about gas-electric balancing is just marketing calculations made up after the fact to explain why it is a good choice, IMO.

Some have said things like the car chooses the best fuel for the situation, etc. This is bogus. The algorithm the car uses is quite simple, it always picks electric, if you have it. Generally, it only deviates from this if you ask for more power (quick acceleration or high speed) or heat, period. When the ICE comes on before the battery is drained it will use gas+electric for high demand or electric only (just like a regular Prius). There are exceptions, such as the 124 mile fuel system running, battery full on downhill, etc.

Mike

 

who's that in your avatar? great looking canine!

 

I agree with this when it transitions at low RPM - Toyota has done an admirable job of making the switch between EV and ICE almost imperceptible. At higher RPM however, the engine makes a racket. It's all the worse because it's in direct contrast to how quiet the car is in EV mode.

 

Mike, PiP started in 2008 with three NiMh packs. Then it went to Lithium in 2010 preproduction model (floor not flat). 2012 production model has a flat cargo floor.

I think I have seen/read their goal of 20km (12 miles) EV range way back from 2009.

PiP does not choose which fuel but the design was setup to use either or both depending certain threshold based on the WTW efficiency/emission data they had.

 

i'm never in high rpm...