Greetings members! Just got my new 2012 clearwater blue base PIP and am generally quite happy with it so far. Like many of you I agonized somewhat about whether to get a regular Prius or a PIP but decided to take the plunge to enjoy the experience (and the ride (noise)!). While I am still learning a lot about this car (many thanks to all PriusChat contributors!)... I decided to do a comparison of what kind of measurable benefits in terms of lowering my transportation carbon footprint and (hopefully) costs. I live in Northern Virginia and have a 14 mile r/t commute (just shy of the EV range unfortunately) and typically drive my 2003 Honda Accord. While this comparison is calibrated to my situation, i am interested to know how this compares to other forum members. You can view the spreadsheet output for assumptions etc. or request the spreadsheet via email if interested. My conclusions are: A Regular Prius is about 60% more cost effective and 60% lower in GHG emissions than my 2003 Honda Accord My PIP is only 2-4% better than the regular Prius Hybrid in terms of emissions but 6-12% more cost effective under average city driving My PIP is about 66 - 72% more cost effective than my Accord and with around 62 - 64% lower carbon footprint Looking forward to your feedback/comments. Cheers!
Let's use the official EPA figures. PiP emission (tailpipe and upstream) for a North Virgina zip code is 210 g/mi. 2003 Accord is rated (tailpipe and upstream) 443 g/mi. PiP estimates are based on 29% EV. Your EV ratio should be much higher due to your 14 miles commute -- hence lower carbon footprint.
