Gen III (2010+) Prius Owner Videos

Here's one last video with the 2010 Prius:


Prius - Along The River

I wanted to capture one last video with the 2010 Prius, before getting my PHV (2012 plug-in Prius), which will be arriving at the dealer very soon. Freshly fallen snow makes for great scenery, though the resulting road spray is a bit of a pain when filming. To my surprise, the sun came out while I was setting up the equipment. It was a beautiful day and great timing. The drive itself was nice too.

That route is my commute to work, along the river. It's scenic and avoids the 70 MPH highway, only a half-mile longer and sometimes faster due to there being less traffic. The slower speed means I could drive the entire distance without needing the gas engine, if the battery-pack capacity was just a little bit bigger.

Including data from the aftermarket gauge was important. I did the same drive 1.5 years ago back when I had an early model PHV. Halfway through, I abandoned that effort. Having traveled that far seeing the RPM as zero the entire time made it quite uneventful. But now the production PHV, having this available as a basis of comparison will make doing the same again very exciting.

61.4 MPG after driving 17.1 miles is certainly nothing to complain about. That was a routine sight for me during the summer. This was winter though, only 36°F outside. But the engine was already partially warmed up (as you can see by the coolant temperature displayed), which doesn't take anywhere near as long as it does for me to complete the camera setup. Anywho, the resulting MPG from the PHV will be considerably higher. I can't wait to capture & share that video!
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While waiting for delivery of my PHV, this opportunity presented itself


To The Mall

It was a gray & gloomy day. But with the fresh snowfall, it meant an opportunity to capture more video with the 2010 Prius prior to taking delivery of my 2012 Prius PHV. So, that's exactly what I did. It was my first time filming in the other direction. Rather than work or play, this was a drive to the mall.

There's lots of places to shop area there, so it served as a great example of something a person will typically do. In fact, watch carefully for a silver Civic. You first see it as I approach the mall. Then I run into it again later, as I head home taking the more scenic back way. He obviously drove around one side as I did the other.

That portion on the way home afterward goes around a large local lake, where I have brought my kayaks a number of times... carried on top of the Prius, of course. It's a pleasant drive, one which the 2010 does almost entirely using electricity. The PHV will do even better. Watch the RPM value in the video. Zero will be displayed on a number of stretches throughout the drive. It's a great example of how efficient Prius already is driving in the suburbs. The end result after the 10.5 miles was a 51.3 MPG average. That's quite good, especially considering the 32°F temperature.
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Spring arrived but my PHV hasn't yet, so the end of this beautiful day was another opportunity to capture moments with the 2010:


To The Mall 2

The much warmer temperature made it feel like the first day of spring. The snow was melting, the clouds had rolled away, and the sun was about to set. So, I setup the filming equipment. Despite the 2010 Prius having sat out in the driveway for a few hours, that cold engine warmed up in only about 90 seconds. No wonder I hadn't considered coolant temperature that big of a deal prior to winter setting in.

Anywho, this particular drive serves as a great example of the variety encountered while driving through the suburbs. My timing was perfect too, rush hour at 5:30 PM. So, I had more traffic & stops to deal with. Driving to the that mall area is a usual thing for me to do. The drive afterward is the back way home, a common route for me to take when having driven further south for other shopping and from visits to my mom. I bike through that area a lot too.

Watch the numbers on gauge. It's always pleasing to see such great efficiency like that. The engine shuts off frequently while you drive along those suburb roads. With a 2012 Prius PHV on the way, I'm especially excited to film that same route. 56.3 MPG from the 2010 will pale in comparison to what that plug-in model will deliver.
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My PHV will be delivered in about an hour. That means this is the final video with the 2010.


To The Mall 3

It was a challenging final capture with the 2010 Prius. The scenery camera kept failing. Turns out, it was an automatic overheat protection feature that kept shutting the camera off halfway through the drive. But since it was such a fantasic day out, the first true Spring weather we've had here, that was no big deal. The 64°F felt wonderful. Once I finally figured out the problem, a few minutes with the case off in front of a fan and cool battery did the trick. Too bad it doesn't have active cooling like the PHV does.

Anywho, that meant the drive was quite representative of a normal Sunday. You get home from something, then immediately head back out for something else. In this case, it was a drive to the mall then a pleasant back route home. The 10.4 miles displayed resulted in an average of 60.5 MPG. The Prius really thrives on drives through the suburbs like that.

Watch the indicator bars on the Eco-Meter and the instant MPG. There's a lot more at play while you drive than most people realize. Prius automatically seeks out efficiency opportunities. The readouts allow you to do the same. I just drive it, but still find it fascinating to watch the system operate.
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I hit the post button, then 2 seconds there was a knock on my door.

The PHV arrived. It's now sitting in my driveway ready to play.

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

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Here's the new thread I created for the PHV model...

http://priuschat.com/forums/toyota-prius-plug-in/105347-phv-prius-owner-videos.html

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