large commute

Kind of depends on your expectations. What do your weekends look like? If you have lots of short trips < 3-4 miles, you might come out ahead. Here's why. If you are able to use your PHEV in a 'normal' manner during the week, you'll do better than 50mpg using both gas and battery. On the weekends, if you are managing your trips carefully, you might avoid using ICE altogether.

Whenever you can avoid short ICE trips, you'll increase your gas MPG quite a bit because you can avoid the ICE warm-up penalty on mileage.

I have an '09, so there's a technology bump as well as the electricity bang. I think you'd maybe only get an electricity bang out of the upgrade.

To make room for the PHEV, we sold a very nice, but energy eating Toyota, and by keeping the 09 Prius in service, we'll use half the gas just on that part of the deal.

 

I've had my PIP for about a month. I drive about 90 miles a day. In my 06 I would get ~47 mpg. I'm now getting ~65 in my PIP for the same route. My last tank I averaged 69 mpg, so running around home bumped up the average a bit.

 

Dude,
where have you been.. long time no chat.

Seems like the PIP really wouldn't help your situation out much due to the long commute. I would keep your 10.

 

Keep the 2010 and wait. That's my plan with my 2012, waiting three years for the plug in's to get a solid 100 miles on electric, more charging stations etc. In your case, a solid 150 miles if you can't plug in at work though getting half your commute with electric would probably work out OK.

Hopefully that $249M government is putting into A123 battery will pay off.

 

Start pushing at your work now for a way to charge. All you need are 110V outlets and reserved parking places. You may not be the only one at the office that is contemplating a plug-in as well. The cost of the electricity itself is in the noise for most businesses, and installing charge points would be a progressive "green" practice, certainly most businesses would at least entertain the idea.

 

Coming from a 2005 w/161K miles on it was definitely worth it for me. I have a 92 mile r/t commute. I've gone from a tank average of 42-46 MPG to 56-57 MPG. I'm able to charge at work as well as at home.