How can they improve the fuel economy of the next generation Pruis?

I feel Cruise Control is not part of the 'hypermiler' experience yet, it is no smarter than any other car.
I would like "decelerate" to help you do a perfect glide, no power into or out of the HV battery.
I would like "accelerate" to give you a perfect pulse, all the acceleration the ICE can give with no drain on the HV battery.

The PIP proves that more battery power will still yield better MPG even when not in EV mode, so even marginal increases can bump MPG.
There is no Prius v PIP, and that would be 'easy,' in other countries the battery is in the center console, so a HV battery in BOTH places could be a PIP.
A Prius C PIP would be harder, hiding more battery is a challenge.
Engine block heater could use the PIP connection, to reduce cold start times.

Possible Aero improvements:
shuttered grill
Rear view cameras, outside mirrors that fold in
Variable ride height

All of those should be cheaper than an aluminum frame.

 

Yep.

I too think that perhaps they'll go w/shuttered grill, direct injection, maybe even a smaller engine w/forced induction (super or turbocharging, but that seems unlikely, for Toyota), more aerodynamic improvements and further weight reduction.

 

A smart cruise control thAt would be An awesome idea.

 

There's tricks coming.
1. Move to silicon carbide FET transistors in the motor/generator inverters. They are more efficient with less losses and can run at >much< higher temperatures than normal FETs. These are in production now, but weren't five years or so ago.
2. When #1 is in place, remove or vastly reduce the cooling system for the for the inverter. With the silicon carbide FETs running at higher temperatures, a small fan blowing across a heatsink may be all that's required to keep them in their operating range. Less weight and power for cooling = higher overall efficiency.
3. The engine is a Atkinson. Yes, it's more efficient than an Otto. However, there are other engine types in development (and, for sure, Toyota won't be saying) that are potentially more efficient than the Atkinson. One of the beauties of Toyota's hybrid system is that it doesn't require that the internal combustion end of the planetary gear run at "normal" engine speeds, so a more efficient engine spinning at higher or lower than "normal" gas engine speeds is possible. If it made sense, you could put a turbine in there. Or one of those low-speed, Carnot cycle engines, if such a one could be ramped up to a decent power level.

KBeck

 

Diesel would add about 25% and that's available tech now.

Only other option is larger capacity battery with less weight.

The Diesel/EV/Hybrids are the immediate future with HydrogenFuelCell or direct burn hydrogen the final goal of a totally renewable, non-polluting transportation.

 

More battery, more ev range. probably should have the battery sized for each driver's commuting profile. a 3kwh for 10mile commuters, 10kwh for 40mile commuters, and a 25kwh for 100mile commuters.

 

Sigh... not this garbage again about hydrogen and hydrogen combustion. Better off putting the electricity directly into EVs.

We already went thru that argument at The Economist: Electric cars Difference Engine: Tailpipe truths | PriusChat. Gotta love it when even BMW killed their hydrogen combustion 7 series. Besides that vehicle's tank losing hydrogen over time and being empty in 10-12 days, to quote from patsparks at BMW Hydrogen Power | PriusChat

 

Hydrogen combustion is the best end answer for transportation. Their likely is not enough material in the world to build a battery/EV transport system.

Direct burn hydrogen works now as the BMW Hydrogen 7 demonstrated. Eliminates emissions, eliminates problem of battery build and disposal and runs on entirely sustainable fuel which can be extracted via solar hydrolysis. It translates to aviation and truck transport as well.

But to the Prius next step, only Diesel can give the Prius a 25% jump as a hybrid possibly higher capacity batteries with no weight gain but that doesn't seem available for the next Prius while clean Diesel is available.

 

I would say that gain in efficiency with diesel would be 10% in best case, of course MPG number could be higher than 20% because of higher diesel energy content. But you are forgetting that Toyota created HSD for low emissions first and consumption second. Here in Europe the word is that Toyota is abandoning their low powered D-4D diesels engines (BMW will supply their diesel engines), suggesting that they are not developing new diesel tech.

Hydrogen can be burned at higher efficiency (than fosil fuels), in fuel cell, problem is hydrogen PRODUCTION efficiency and storage.

 

I'd say the PIP is proof that there's still a lot of room for improvement.

 

...reducing vehicle weight is the only thing I can think of.
If you follow physicist Amory Lovins of Rocky Mountain Inst. he has a super car concept.
It is made of carbon fiber.
Gimme a plug-in "light" with a 3-size batt I will plug it in when I feel like it.

I love the hypermiling cruise control idea too.

 

I would like to see enchancements that bridges the gap between the current Prius and the PIP, where you have a bit more capacity before the ICE kicks in, without the hassle of plugging in, even if it's only double the 1-2 miles we can currently go in EV mode. Also, have the ability to be in EV mode automatically at every stop, and accelerate up to 20 - 30 mph before ICE kicks in is a no brainer for at least 2-3 mpg increase for city driving. Another would be to allow intermittent auto-EV mode driving while cruising at higher speeds should notch up another 1-3 mpg on highway. Other improvements such as direct injection, improved LRR tires, aero improvements, and weight reduction will aid mpg too.

 

Or increasing the typical number of occupants to achieve greater vehicle passenger miles.

 

Not being a hydrogen refining expert ... it seems like you could start with natural gas, consume some of it to produce the energy to refine hydrogen from the hydrocarbons, re-sequester the carbon as graphite (and any other nasties), and provide a carbon free transportable hydrogen supply for mobile transportation applications.

There is an increasing demand for graphite in high carbon steel and batteries. A Leaf Li-Ion battery uses 40kg of graphite according to Graphite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

To do this, Toyota would have to reprioritize their focus for the Prius, as it is designed to be the least polluting car rather than the best MPG car.

If they did that, they would eliminate the "engine run cycle" that tries to heat the catalytic converter when you start your car. That would help a number of people out with shorter trips, because the car isn't constantly burning fuel to heat up the catalytic converter.

Better OEM LRR tires for extra fuel economy (Think Michelin Energy Saver A/S instead of stock Yokohamas).

Weirder/Out there suggestions

Electronic Drivers and Passenger side mirrors. Have a camera that projects an image onto a screen inside the car that shows you your view from the "Driver's Side" and "Passenger Side" mirrors. This would eliminate the need for the exterior mirrors. I suspect that would improve aerodynamics.

 

You could also replace the front windshield with a forward facing camera and lower the top, laying the driver in a prone position. This would probably increase crash safety as well, albeit it might increase crash occurance.

 

"Better Mileage Now', Scientific American, February 2010, has a laundry list of technologies from a 2008 NHTSA evaluation. The Prius has only about half the stuff on this list. There is plenty of room for more improvement.

 

There is still room left for improvement in the ICE.

Green Car Congress: Toyota targeting thermal efficiency of more than 45% for next-generation gasoline engines for hybrids