I drove a Volt today.

Why would I want to use gasoline when I can go practically 100% EV? The only situation when "Hold" mode seems useful would be when you know in advance you are going to exceed the EV range, a common situation in a PiP but not as common in a Volt.

"Electric when you want it, Gas when you need it".
I don't need gas very often, mainly because I have 40+ miles of EV range. If I had a PiP I would need gas on just about every trip

 

Hey John, This is a article that compares the Volt to the PIP. Looks like they are leaning toward the PIP.

2012 Chevrolet Volt vs. 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in - Comparison - Motor Trend

 

If it is best to use the two fuels in synergy, then why does the Prius PHV even have an EV mode? Plug in conversions for the Prius don't get an EV mode, and yet they still see an improvement in fuel economy. Blending from the start. So EV only would seem to be unneeded if pure efficiency is the goal.

Why have a high max EV speed? The ICE kicks in sooner in Europe and Asia. Doesn't the higher EV speed for NA mean it is using the electricity less efficiently than the over seas models? Or are they being less efficient with petrol? If making best use of two fuels is the car's goals, why did Toyota release cars with those differences?

 

If by leaning towards you mean got second place, then yeah.

To sum up the article; the Prius PHV is the more practical one in terms of cost and usefulness. While the the Volt is the more fantasizing one with its ride and pure EV experience.

 

The article gives the PiP a nod if you can charge it between every 11 miles. I ride my bicycle further than that.

The author says you can charge the PiP faster than the Volt but the PiP charges a maximum of 8 miles per hour of charging (L2) while the Volt charges at 10 miles per hour of charging (L2) so I'm not sure about their math. They both charge at the same speed on L1 charging.

 

To address inefficient frequent short trips with gas. That raises gas mileage and keeps electricity consumption and the recharge time low. It is synergy because both fuels are used when they are most suitable.

Here is my guess because I am not that guy from Toyota that decided.

I think the regional differences are due to the differences in government policies. In Europe, there is an incentive for a vehicle that can drive in EV in the city. PiP there has EV City button that uses the battery more aggressively. As a result, the speed was lowered to maintain the same battery life.

In the US, we have more highways and the speed limits are higher. Minor differences don't really matter. The general idea is to use EV in the city and HV on the highway.

 

I was hoping to get John to read it. The article had good things to say about both. Yes the Volt got #1 based on the average driving distance of 39 miles per day. However the PIP can charge faster and if you charge in the middle of your commute perhaps at work or the mall on the weekend you can get just as good MPG as the Volt. If you drive plenty of miles say 100 miles a day the PIP gets better MPG because in ga smode the Volt is 37 MPG and the PIP is 48 MPG. The PIP has a roomier back seat, the Volt more power and quieter. Both are great cars. If the rebate goes away the PIP will be less expensive. Competition improves the end product for consumers. Toyota is looking at different battery technology and wireless charging as well. The next 3 years should be very interesting.

 

Depends on where you live John. We have a gal on the board who is driving a PIP and lives on the West Side of Los Angeles. She says there are an abundance of City, State, and retail sites that offer Free Charge and she plugs it in the 120v outlet. She claims she can drive in EV mode every day. Now Grant it the ICE kicks in to heat the cat Converter but she claims a full tank lasts multiple months.

 

MT pointed out some of the interesting things that most people don't know about...for the reasons why PiP was designed the way it was. Some even claimed the 11 EV miles was picked to game the EPA test and that PiP is a scam. LOL

I do give GM the credit for the highly successful EREV marketing to promote the uniqueness of the Volt. Logically and in practicality, Volt does not make as much sense as PiP, despite the 3x the government incentive amount.

 

With 38+ miles of EV the Volt can take care of many more of those every day with one overnight off-peak charge.

 

My Round trip commute is 36 Miles, and add another 5 miles in the evening to go out about my little town. On weekends I rarely drive beyond 20 miles a day. For me changing from a Prius Gen 3 to a PIP or Volt is not much of a savings. My monthly gasoline outlay is about $80. To drop it to $50 is not a tremendous savings. When I sold my BMW and went to a Prius I saved about $220 a month in gasoline. That was worth it. However driving a PIP or Violt or Prius brings the reward of knowing you are driving a "Cleaner" car than many people. I personaly think that based on that alone the EV or Hybrid is the future, and it is beyond me how VW is promoting Diesel Engine cars. They are looking to the past and talking about the future. Odd to me. Son in my Book The VOLT and the PIP are winners.

 

Your talking about PriusKitty I think, with a 2.5 mile commute to work and about 40 miles a week.

My current tank will last from this past August until January, and I drive about 400 miles a week.

 

Off peak is good. Solar on the Roof is free driving for the typical Volt owner and free electric for teh hom ein sunny climates like Southern California. But that may cost the price of a car.

 

How about dropping your monthly gas outlay to $5?

 

JMD, yeah not a big savings when coming from a hybrid like I did but the driving experience pays off every time I get in it.

 

It really depends on one's commute. PiP can cover majority of my trips (not miles) in EV but not yours.

The further your commute, the higher your electricity consumption there will be. The reason is that, you'll be driving on the highway instead of in the city. City driving consumes less electricity because you won't be spending more than half of the energy pushing through air on the highway. Regen brakes are recapture energy. Losing energy through thin air can't be recovered.

Another interesting thing is the amount of miles covered with EV miles. Per EPA, PiP can cover 29% of the miles. C-Max Energi can cover additional 19% more than PiP. Volt can cover additional 18% more than C-Max Energi.

A full charge for PiP takes about 3.1 kWh, C-Max Energi takes about 6.2 kWh and Volt takes about 12.5 kWh. So you are doubling the electricity and charging time to cover about 18 to 19% more miles. Clearly, the first 11 miles is the low hanging fruit.

 

The question is we all know that Toyota has a long track record on Reliability and they prop it up with the best Warranty in the market (On Hybrid Prius 150,000 Miles or 10 years on the Battery for California- I think but don't quote me the PIP is the same). Chevrolet cannot hold a candle up to Toyota in reliability. The Prius has been around for over 12 years and many Gen 1 people are driving over 300,000 miles. many priuses have routine maintenance the fiorst 100,000 miles and original brakes. The Volt is new, unproven, created from a company that has risen from the ashes of Bankrupcy and Tax Payer Bail Outs. The article never mentioned RELIABILITY and in fact when buyers list the pro's and Cons of both cars I can say that Reliability is at the top of the list. Don't try and say at lease end I ahnd the keys over and it is niot my problem because all roads lead to Quality. So with this I give the advantage to Toyota.

 

I know, amazing what a difference.

 

Apparently, there is a price to pay for having an oversize battery. That comes in term of interior space, weight, cost, charging time, lower efficiency (both fuels) and higher emission (tailpipe and beyond).

Opportunity charges whenever you shut off the car can negate that with smaller battery without other compromises listed above.

 

Since you have a longer commute, why don't you take an air plane?

The right tool for the job. PiP is better than NEV with the best in class HEV, both in one car.