Interesting article on Jalopnik. Chevy Volt may be gone in 5 years due to GM offering Hybrids and electric on all their vehicles. This is a rumor but it does make sense where technology is going. Hybrid electrics will be embraced many car manufacturers. Thus where does that leave the Prius in the future?
I think the Prius would still be in the game, for the foreseeable future. And that depends on manufacturers deciding what would be their profitable revenue stream. Dxta
Prius EV. Simple. Could still go under alternate names to differentiate between demographics. Same thing for Camry EV... you get the idea, the name isn't going away in five years.
I don't see the imperative for Prius to become pure electric, I'm even hohum about plug-in: hybrid is just fine. If Toyota could just give their collective head a shake, regarding some of their recent design decisions, but I'm guessing that's not on.
Toyota seems to offer two tiers of hybrids. 1) Very capable hybrid versions of almost all its cars and SUVs. They add increased fuel mileage to sensible vehicles. 2) The Prius stresses very high MPG and cutting edge sustainability, pollution controls, and technology at the cost of some user comforts. I see no reason why increased 1) should eliminate 2) over the short term. If all aspects of hybrid technology become completely known, then the Prius would just be a brand.
No because the Prius is their platform for showcasing hybrid technology. If the Prime is a sales success (however they interpret a "success"), then the Gen 5 Prius will probably be all plug-in only, no hybrid.
1) Why would it be in Toyota's interest to make pure-EVs vs. Hybrids? Maybe once large batteries are cheaper than ICEs to build and they can get the same profit per vehicle. 2) Why would it be in my best interest to buy a pure-EV vs. a Hybrid? Maybe once charging stations are within a few miles of my route and I can fully charge in a few minutes and get several hundred miles range between charging. My real question is what cool things would Toyota be able to do if there was no ICE that they can't do with a Hybrid. Yea, they could put a spare tire where the gas tank is but we already have a thread proving only half the people care. From a users perspective, I find very little inconvenience in the Hybrid compared to the benefits but acknowledge that the gap is narrowing and eventually it is possible it will go to zero. I want to drive mostly on EV but I never want to worry about making it to my next charge and I drive lots of places where that will be a problem for the foreseeable future.
2) As a second vehicle, an EV could be a better option if your normal driving is within the EV range and the cost per mile for EV is less than a similar Hybrid or ICE model.
Yes, absolutely agree. Most times I would go outside of EV range, I would probably know and could take a non-EV-only vehicle.
And if your situation is "one vehicle", then electric-only is going to hobble you. The Status quo is good, using electric-only for corporate and infrastructure vehicle which have a set route, well within the electric limits. My take, is that maybe Toyota has lost track of their Prius "audience", is cutting corners, eroding function, substituting flash for function.
