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Considered a PIP but went with a 2012 Prius 4... questions for the future

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by OceanEyes, Oct 21, 2012.

  1. OceanEyes

    OceanEyes Active Member

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    The PIP sounded interesting but modifying my house (rental property) and the lack of public recharge areas especially if I decided to do a roadtrip, had me go to the 2012 Prius 4 (which I love).

    PiP owners - what do you do to recharge? I told the salesman my next Prius might go this route but I needed a "conventional" hybrid right now.

    Would love to hear PiP owners thoughts...
     
  2. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Why would you need to modify your house? You can charge at 120 volts.

    What's the problem w/public recharge areas? You don't need to charge when going on a roadtrip.

    That said, Tony Williams drove his Leaf (which has much longer range at an EPA rated 73 miles) from Baja California, Mexico to British Columbia, Canada (My Nissan Leaf Forum • View topic - Mexico to Canada via Electric Highway June 12-20, 2012), which was ~1600 miles. He did take advantage of CHAdeMO DC quick chargers in WA and OR. The PiP has no CHAdeMO port.
     
  3. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    It goes to show you that there is a lot of misinformation on the PiP and electric vehicles in general. My home was built in 1969 and it has confirmed bad electrical wiring in the kitchen. I plug in my PiP in the garage to a standard outlet just fine. So far, no broken fuses even with the clothes washer going at the same time. I get full charges in about 3 hours. No need to modify anything when charge time is that short. Work ignored my request to plug in at work but I still make the 107 mile roundtrip commute just fine. (All current electric cars would come up short for my commute save for 6 figure Teslas)

    I'm surprised the salesman didn't tell you the PiP is a "conventional" hybrid. It is a "conventional" hybrid plus it can run on electric only. For my example, I get up to 92 mpg on my commute to work with part of the way in electric mode. On the return trip, I get 50 mpg in "conventional" hybrid mode.
     
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  4. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    ^^^
    Hmm, maybe this is why Toyota is (resorting to?) putting on big incentives on the PiP.
     
  5. OceanEyes

    OceanEyes Active Member

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    Guess so - the brochure I was handed to put the charge system in my rental property was intimidating - especially without my electrician son living in Colorado to guide me through it... I saved the brochure so will pick his brain the next time I see him.

    Haven't seen any recharge areas anywhere around my area... hence my apprehension. The salesman was more interested in pushing me into a Prius v and he started opening doors to show me but I took five steps back and said, "Nope, don't like it, have no interest in seeing the interior." I knew what I wanted and got it. :) Perhaps when it comes time for the next Prius I will review the PiP again... JMHO...
     
  6. rockerdan

    rockerdan PiP Rocks!

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    a base PIP is cheaper then a FOUR after all these incentives. Odd decision you made IMO

    Dan
     
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  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i plug into 120v in my garage. all the best with your new pri, enjoy it and don't look back, the next gen will be even better!
     
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  8. sfv41901

    sfv41901 Masta S

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    Very odd u went with a Prius 4 over the PIP
     
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  9. OceanEyes

    OceanEyes Active Member

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    Maybe the salesman did not do a good job marketing it - but do love my 4... there is always next time and I will be following the threads to see what I missed out on...
     
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  10. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    There are a lot of features in the Four that don't come in the Basic PiP.
     
  11. bilofsky

    bilofsky Privolting Member

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    I don't think I've ever seen MPG under the low 50's for any trip with my PiP, even when the EV charge was depleted. Maybe once when I went a mile down the hill and back up on zero charge.

    You might make a different choice based on price and features, but as far as the drivetrain goes, a PiP is just a Prius plus. No minuses. (Let's not quibble about spare tires.)
     
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    the other advantage of the pip is that it's working with lithium instead of nickle.
     
  13. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    Nickel and Lithium aren't problems, but both battery types often use other toxic metals, such as cadmium, manganese, and cobalt.
     
  14. jaymac

    jaymac membore

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    Me too.... I tried 3 times to register with my local dealership for a PIP when the online signup was announced. I was ignored and when I contacted the web sales manager personally he was completely clueless / uninterested in taking a pre-order. I took this as a sign : this was not meant to be at this time. A couple of months later I had a very satisfactory experience purchasing our " three " from a dealer in the next town. I also follow this thread to see what I " missed " and to plan ahead for our next vehicle purchase at some point in the future. Meanwhile, I am extremely satisfied with the Prius we have. No regrets so far !
     
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  15. drysider

    drysider Active Member

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    I went through the same process. I do not live in a state with tax rebates, so the $2500 from the Feds still left a bit to pay. In addition, the basic PiP did not have the accessories I wanted. I really like my Four after having put 80K miles on a 2008 Gen II.
     
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  16. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    You're not missing out on anything. You made the right choice. I thought your salesman was odd at first. But if you can't charge at home, work, or public charging stations, then there really is no reason to pay more for a PiP. You'd be paying extra for a larger battery that will never be used. If I can't plug in, I'd much rather have a Prius four over a Base PiP which is equipped like a Prius three.
     
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  17. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Well, he can charge at home. He mentioned rental house. 3 hours at 120 volts isn't bad.

    I plan to lease a Leaf and stick w/120 volt charging (which takes WAY longer from empty).

    I can't speak to CT, but I'd imagine there are some CA folks who bought a PiP only for our CA HOV stickers. I recall reading about someone here or on MNL who knew of a neighbor w/a Volt that's NEVER been charged. :rolleyes:
     
  18. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    To plug in at home, all you need is an oridinary household outlet.

    I certainly hope people don't get the impression more is required.
     
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  19. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    It sure seems like the OP got the wrong idea from the salesman. But then again, salesmen who have wrong info or lack of info about the Prius is nothing new... :rolleyes:

    Hopefully folks at Toyota are aware of salesmen like these giving the wrong idea.
     
  20. Zythryn

    Zythryn Senior Member

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    As others have stated you can charge at basically any standard outlet. As for public charging those are becoming more and more common but probably not worth it with such a good gas efficiency from a fiscal perspective.
    Congratulations on your Prius 4, I hope you get as much enjoyment out of it as we did our past Prii.

    Next time you talk to any car salesman, verify the information you get. Some are very good, some are very bad.