Question-2025 Prius in EV Mode: Reply quickly!

You want the plug-in hybrid version of the Gen 5 Prius, not the hybrid version. They are two completely different cars. Make sure you are looking at the correct manual.

 

Prius PHEV (used to be 'Prime') is what you'll be shopping for if you want to drive around in EV - up to 84mph.

 

it will be better than your 2012 in every respect except size. you are misinterpreting the manual.
it won't spin the engine at 55mph like your 2012, and you will be able to accelerate faster on ev only than your 2012, and you even get a heat pump, so you don't have to freeze without the engine running.
all the best!

 

Don't know where your getting your information from; but it's way off!! Even my gen4 can get up to 80+mph without spinning the ICE. The gen5 is suppose to get 40 miles in EV alone. You'll find it accelerates a lot faster than your 2012; but it's a larger and heavier car. You won't get 40 miles in EV if your speeding down the expressway - but you will if you drive normally.
IMHO, If you can live without the advanced tech features, save some money and don't get them. They tend to be buggy at best, more junk that breaks down and requires repairs.

Good Luck and find better more accurate sources of information....

 

The solar roof is a waste of money in my opinion. It's much too small to be much good.

 

They've been heat pumps since the gen4s; but that isn't going to cut it in Minnesota. If you don't mind freezing and hoping your seat heater can melt through your winter jacket. I believe the ICE will stay off until it get down below 20F, but your going to burn a good chunk of your EV battery and won't make it to the 40 mile marker doing that.

 

Wouldn't it be cheaper to bolt bull horns to the hood?

 

I was concerned about the heat pump as well, but I made it through the winter here with temperatures as low as -25C and no problems at all.

 

For excitement.

 

I don't know if this is relevant, but I put a sheet of cardboard between the outer grill and ahead of the upright support ahead of the radiator, leaving about a 3" gap. I left it in all through last summer, and never had a cooling problem. The engine coolant temp never goes above 90C.

 

I have a solar-roof gen 3, where the roof didn't do anything but run the cabin blower to keep the cabin from being an oven in hot weather. Kind of gimmicky (tho' I admit I've gotten spoiled by coming back to a ventilated cabin).

But five years ago I modified it to also keep the 12-volt battery charged, and I've been very happy with that. Five years without worrying about leaving the car for too long, or having any kind of starting issue (except that one time I left the dome light on for the length of a conference). If I'm camping I can leave the car with the fridge in it and the solar watthours mostly cover it.

The gen 3 panel puts out 60 watts max. What's the rating of the gen 5?

 

I have admit, the solar roof was a canny decision by Toyota. It may be a ridiculous contraption from an engineering standpoint, but it plays on the heartstrings of those seeking to assuage their guilt about carbon fuels vs. solar power.