2009 / 2010 PRIUS RUMOR -or- TRUTH ??

[skruse]

I'm looking forward to the PHEV Toyota Prius. Plug-in to by-pass gas stations on the local level. Earn part of the charge via photovoltaic panels - further reducing my carbon footprint. Toyota bring PHEV on and teach the world!

Science News has a report this week than ethanol is equivalent to oil regarding emissions. Ethanol is a short-term gap solution. PV & PHEV are a better short-term solution. PV, PHEV and light rail are better long-term solutions.

[ozyran]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ May 15 2007, 01:47 PM) [snapback]442549[/snapback]</div>

It's like saying, HDTV is a dumb idea, why don't I keep my regular LCD TV. Well, you can still buy a new LCD HDTV and enjoy the size and quality of it or you can utilise it to its fullest with an HDTV cable/sat box and HDMI/DVI.
[/b]

I've got to agree with that statement. Besides, what if - a few months after you buy your PHEV Prius - something comes up and you wound up moving into a house anyways? What if you had a PHEV then? Then, when you had moved to a house, you'd be able to utilize it.

[slair]

I was under the impression that you HAD to plug in a PHEV in order for it to work correctly like a hybrid. If you didnt plug it in, it was a normal ICE car. I liked the prius because it charged the battery off wheel movement and the ICE, so you didnt ever have to plug it in.

I was under the impression that you HAD to plug in a PHEV in order for it to work correctly like a hybrid. If you didnt plug it in, it was a normal ICE car. I liked the prius because it charged the battery off wheel movement and the ICE, so you didnt ever have to plug it in.

Sorry, I'm all new to this hybrid/PHEV stuff so bear with my noobness.

[Tideland Prius]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Slair @ May 15 2007, 11:37 AM) [snapback]442598[/snapback]</div>

I was under the impression that you HAD to plug in a PHEV in order for it to work correctly like a hybrid. If you didnt plug it in, it was a normal ICE car. I liked the prius because it charged the battery off wheel movement and the ICE, so you didnt ever have to plug it in.

Sorry, I'm all new to this hybrid/PHEV stuff so bear with my noobness.
[/b]

Oh... nono.. yeah it'll function like a normal hybrid. Of course, unless GM messes things up and confuse people with the VOLT and its series hybrid setup. (i.e. EV for the first x miles then gas comes on to charge the battery to power the car).

[larkinmj]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Slair @ May 15 2007, 02:37 PM) [snapback]442598[/snapback]</div>

I was under the impression that you HAD to plug in a PHEV in order for it to work correctly like a hybrid. If you didnt plug it in, it was a normal ICE car. I liked the prius because it charged the battery off wheel movement and the ICE, so you didnt ever have to plug it in.

Sorry, I'm all new to this hybrid/PHEV stuff so bear with my noobness.
[/b]

That's OK- a lot of people have that misconception. Just like many people out there still think that you have to plug in a Prius, when of course you can't. We just need to make sure that we can inform everyone that's here, because obviously the people on PriusChat are more intelligent and more tech-savvy than the average person. SO before we can hope to educate the general public, we have to make sure that everyone on PC gets the scoop.

So repeat after me, You don't HAVE to plug in a PHEV- only if you WANT to!

[slair]

so what are the benefits of plugging it in or not. If you dont HAVE to, then why do?

[larkinmj]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Slair @ May 15 2007, 08:38 PM) [snapback]442877[/snapback]</div>

so what are the benefits of plugging it in or not. If you dont HAVE to, then why do?
[/b]

Why? Because, if you drive a PHEV and plug it in at night, and you have a 7.5 commute like I do, you can drive to work entirely using the electric motor- essentially, you have an EV. It takes less energy (and costs less than the gasoline to drive the equivalent distance) to charge the batteries using an outlet. If you get your electricity by solar panels, that's even better. It's not really an option for my house, but I pay to get my electricity from renewable sources (or, more precisely, to produce the equivalent amount of electricity from renewable sources), so in essence I'd have a non-polluting car, at least fro commuting. For longer distances, it functions just like a conventional hybrid (i.e. the current Prius).
Now, if you don't want to plug it in, you don't need to. But then, you would be using the ICE during that 7.5 commute and hence gas.

[priusFTW]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ May 15 2007, 01:00 PM) [snapback]442499[/snapback]</div>

It's dumb b/c you live in an apartment? Nobody's making you trade in your Prius and you could still use a PHEV and never plug it in and still get great gas mileage. I'm not sure what makes you feel this is 'dumb'....



Reducing fossil fuel use doesn't seem dumb. Even if cost is higher than for gas (which is extremely unlikely) I'd still take a PHEV just to reduce gas use...the same reason I paid the so-called "hybrid premium" to get a Prius.
[/b]

Here here! I'm with you on that one Evan!

[Tideland Prius]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Slair @ May 15 2007, 05:38 PM) [snapback]442877[/snapback]</div>

so what are the benefits of plugging it in or not. If you dont HAVE to, then why do?
[/b]

Yeah, pretty much what Larkin said. If you do short trips, you won't hurt your mileage cause you can EV it from your house to the destination and back. After you get home, you can plug it in to charge. If I do that with my Prius right now, the battery will be drained when I get home but because I can't plug it in, the engine will have to do the recharging the next time I start up.

[IsrAmeriPrius]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusFTW @ May 15 2007, 06:26 PM) [snapback]442911[/snapback]</div>

Here here! I'm with you on that one Evan! [/b]

Shouldn't it be "Hear, hear"?