Getting excited about next Gen. Prius Plug-in

[DaveinOlyWA]

Originally Posted by freddievee

ps: I got the latest "consumer reports" today and i read the very interesting article about their conversion of a standard prius to plug-in.

details!!!

[PeakOilGarage]

Originally Posted by jyl

Also, the slidepack shows the results of a survey that Toyota did. 22% of users expected EV range of 10 km, 30% said 20 km, 20% said 40 km. So even a 20 km EV range would satisfy barely over 50% of users' expectations.

This makes me hopeful that the factory plug-in Prius will have EV range greater than 20 km (12.5 miles), since otherwise the car would fail to meet the expectations of nearly 1/2 the potential owners. Hopefully that is how Toyota will look at it, anyway.

I can tell you from 3 months of experience that 5 kwh (Hymotion) is barely tolerable. I get about 25-40 miles (depending on city/highway) or 40-65 kilometers. That is gone in no time at all on a typical day.

Having the ability to recharge at work or while shopping could greatly increase daily range. It just depends on how easily available an electric outlet is.

If Toyota is only aiming for 20 km (12.5 miles) that is barely worth the trouble. That is likely only 2.5 kwh or so.

The federal incentives start at 4 kwh. That would get a $2,500 federal tax credit for the buyer. So I beleive Toyota and all EVs or PHEVs will aim for that minimum amount of energy capacity in the battery.

4 kwh would likely get a range of 15 to 30 miles, depending on the type of driving (city/highway).

[DaveinOlyWA]

what i want and what i will settle for are two completely different things and that difference is greatly magnified by price.

my MINIMUM request is the 20 k... i have a 7½ mile commute, i can plug in at work, so it will do. but that is not what i want, but give me that with a slight increase in price, and i will probably do it simply because the Pri has worked out so well for me even without any real EV range.

now, what i prefer is to only use gas in extreme cases, iow, for extended car trips. so my dream (obviously when dreaming there is no fantasy-based upper boundary) situation is an EV range of 150 miles.

i have only exceeded that 4 times in the past 14 months. so 4 times i would need gas...

but then again, price becomes a factor and i think those survey results are based on price. what we need is a survey voting on real products. iow, give me a price point and range options to select. i bet the results would be much different

[misslexi]

Originally Posted by PeakOilGarage

I can tell you from 3 months of experience that 5 kwh (Hymotion) is barely tolerable. I get about 25-40 miles (depending on city/highway) or 40-65 kilometers. That is gone in no time at all on a typical day.

PeakOil I was wondering what makes your Hymotion barely tolerable? Are you getting less EV mileage than expected? Trouble with the system? Just curious since that system is not cheap.

[DaveinOlyWA]

Originally Posted by misslexi

PeakOil I was wondering what makes your Hymotion barely tolerable? Are you getting less EV mileage than expected? Trouble with the system? Just curious since that system is not cheap.

probably not... its all about NO OIL AT ALL. until then, we have not arrived. using less oil is nice, but...

[PeakOilGarage]

Originally Posted by PeakOilGarage
I can tell you from 3 months of experience that 5 kwh (Hymotion) is barely tolerable. I get about 25-40 miles (depending on city/highway) or 40-65 kilometers. That is gone in no time at all on a typical day.

Originally Posted by misslexi

PeakOil I was wondering what makes your Hymotion barely tolerable? Are you getting less EV mileage than expected? Trouble with the system? Just curious since that system is not cheap.

It is "barely tolerable" because I am often at the limit of my battery range each day. If I had less than my current 5 kwh battery, with the 25-40 miles of range, I would be driving a regular Prius for half of each day.

So when Toyota is rumored to be developing a Plug-In Prius that only chieves 12 miles (20 km) of EV range, my experience is that it would be a waste of time.

I think most people would be surprised just how quickly that goes.

Of course, I am sure that companies like Hymotion will just take whatever Toyota produces, then offer an aftermarket battery that extends the range. For example, the Toyota Plug-In might offer 12 miles of EV range, then Hymotion offers an aftermarket kit with an extra 50 miles.

Having Toyota design a Prius to be a plug-in from the beginning would be a big step forward. The current generation Prius (2004-2009) is an accidental plug-in.

[FreddieVee]

Originally Posted by FreddieVee

PS: I got the latest "Consumer Reports" today and I read the very interesting article about their conversion of a standard Prius to Plug-In.

Originally Posted by DaveinOlyWA

details!!!

The Consumer Reports Conversion was done with a Hymotion L5 Conversion kit. There are quite a few threads about that system on this forum.

[DaveinOlyWA]

oic.... thought it was a Toyota conversion

[ibcs]

I agree with PeakOil. I get 26 miles out of my Hymotion pack. I have done the FSM 52 MPH hack which has turned the Prius into a true EV vehicle. The hack requires the car to be restarted to be able to run on the engine again. I live in town and can run kids to and from school without the engine ever starting. This has provided new plus for the Hymotion. Before I was feathering the gas to stay under 32 MPH to avoid the engine start. Now, I press the gas without worry. I have found running pure EV my range is between 15-20 miles at best. I'm assuming closer to 15 miles, but my trip was over before the charge was completely exhausted. A smaller battery than the Hymotion to me would be a waste of time. I'd love to have 10 KW, but that would not be affordable at this time. My only other wish would to be able to recharge faster. Some days, I have a lot of little errands and the battery does not have time to recharge enough between trips.

Those are my thoughts on the Hymotion conversion.

---Kent

[Liberanos]

Don't get too excited!! Mr. Katsuaki Watanabe says the lithium ion plug in fleet will NOT be available to the "Joe lunch box" comsumer any time soon.
He would know I think.


I'd love to have one too. But I'm not holding my breath.
Paul