PRIUS C vs PRIUS PHV - Batteries, can anyone explain ??

PiP is 4.4kWh of capacity.

Ah rating is "how many hours can it sustain a current of 1A at its voltage" or "current-hours" for short.

Power (Watts) = Voltage x Current
Capacity (Watt-hours) = Power x "hours it can sustain the power"
= (Voltage x Current) x hours
= Voltage x "Current-hours"

For the c, capacity =144V x 6.5Ah = 936Wh = 0.936kWh

 

bigger battery with less SOC usage?... and an electrical system that helps the smaller engine more equals less usable battery power? with the current prius you can drain it down.. maybe they changed that so it clips out of EV mode before making the car too much of a turtle?...

think gen1 prius and turtle icons.. it used a similar size engine...

 

You're forgetting that both must still have capacity afterward to operate as a hybrid.

For C, it basically just has a buffer for hybrid operation, with a tiny amount extra to spare. PHV has much, much more extra available.
.

 

Sure, lets first look at usable SOC, which is different in lithium versus nimh. After acounting for this

phv usable soc 2.6kwh
c usable soc 0.4kwh

But we want to have some power after ev mode for acceleration lets say

0.15 kwh, and the prius c isn't likely to be at the top of its state of charge.

so
c really has a potential for 0.25kwh for ev, but it must be fully charged for this, since this is not likely the case it is only about 0.5 miles

 

On the gen II and gen III prius, the battery SOC is managed between 40%-80% giving 0.4x the kwh. I assume it will be the same with the prius c, but toyota's engineers may change it a little bit.

On the prius phv its an educated guess based on the demo units and some information from the production units. I don't have a firm number right now, but someone else may. Lithium chemistries have a broader SOC that can be used and still provide long battery life.

 

Non-PHV cars should NOT use EV mode. The only two reasons to use EV mode: to burn off surface charge from a near fully charged battery at the end of a drive (the last 1/16 of a mile to your driveway), or to avoid turning on the engine for a very short trip. Otherwise, it is the same as recharging your car with a portable gas generator.

 

I think 2.6kWh is a good guess since it takes 3kWh (from the wall) to charge it. If the charging loss is 10%, 2.7kWh would probably be more accurate.

 

The EV miles on Prius c and PHV are not equivalent as the max allowed is 25 vs 62 mph. Slower speed would require less energy per mile.

What are you trying to find out?

 

It depends greatly on conditions, most importantly, the battery state of charge when you start out, and the speed of travel. It is fruitless to compare the C to the PHV, however, as they are like apples and oranges in many ways.

But I'll say it again, you should NOT plan on using EV mode extensively in a C. It will lead to lower fuel economy. The battery is there primarily to capture braking energy, and give it back for acceleration. In fact, the C is optimized for this in particular, having a smaller (lighter) pack. Secondarily, it starts the Atkinson cycle gas engine, because a conventional 12V starter can't turn it fast enough, and it provides a way to have all the features of a mechanical CVT for optimum power delivery. Any non-fleeting use of EV mode means that the gas engine will have to recharge the battery, which is not efficient. If you want to have true EV mode, buy the PHV.

 

The Prius c should still be better than the Gen 2 in the cold because it's a lighter car.

Since car is garaged you can use an engine block heater very effectively to pre-warm the engine.

You'll also want grille blocking, but for grille blocking on the new car you'll want to wait until the fiddleheads have found the inverter coolant codes and worked out a safe blocking strategy.

Financially speaking you'd have been better off keeping your old car. (Excluding price fluctuations you're better off keeping an old car unless it's horribly inefficient).

Anyway, financially speaking you'll be way better off buying a c.

 

Prius c has exhaust heat recovery system like Gen III. However, Prius PHV has faster warm up.

I think PHV is better for you but more expensive. Would Leaf work better for you?

 

Zenn!!!

 

Everything is going to have poor fuel economy under those conditions. A block heater, grill block, and maybe even a warm air intake is about all you can do to improve it for any car. All the current models of the Prius do warm up faster than your old 2006, but will still be at their worst under those conditions.

Depending on how cold it gets and whether you can tough it out without heat or just the seat heaters, a Prius PHV may not be substantially better than the c or regular Prius. At least not enough to cover the price difference, since it will turn on the ICE for heat. If the temperature drops far enough, even a Volt will fire up the ICE. It can use a level 2 charger to precondition the cabin. As of right now, the Prius PHV doesn't preheat.

What about a BEV like the Leaf or iMiEV? Your commute is short enough that range reduction from cold and heat use won't be an issue. A low speed (25 to 35mph max) neighborhood EV might even work. I'm not familiar with the brands available, but some on the board are.

The NEV has greater limits than a BEV, but they are cheaper to buy and insure. If you still need something larger and/or with more range, getting a used car, or even a truck/SUV when their prices drop with rising fuel costs, can work out to burning less gas overall compared to the c. Keeping the old Prius would have been ideal, but no use crying over spilt milk.