Range Neurosis

i was wondering, but then recalled trunk liner for pip and liftback are slightly different?

 

About the only difference I know of is that the PIP one has"Prius Plug-in" on it.

 

you're probably right. i just thought i read early on that someone bought the weathertech or husky liner for the liftback and the fit wasn't exact.

 

That may be because they're aftermarket. The guy I spoke to at Toyota in Torrance said that the PIP won't get a bigger battery anytime in the near future is because they don't want to lose any interior space, so it's going to stay the same size.

 

i'm sorry to hear that. but i hope he means until gen IV, when things can be rearranged better! now let's see: gen II; 2004,5,6,7,8,9. gen III; 2010,11,12,13,14,15. gen IV; fall of 2015! 2 years! where do i put in my reservation???

 

It would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath. Look at the size and weight penalties of the batteries in other plug-ins. Heck, remember the batteries in the pre-production PIPs? I think that unless more battery improvements come around, Toyota's going to stick with what they have. That's pretty much what he said to me.

 

Yep! I'm on the list right behind you!

 

The Weathertech *floor liners* are slightly different, in that they have a cutout for the liftback hatch/fuel door releases that leaves an open space in the PHEV. We filled the gap with pieces I cut out of their universal fit mats for my Leaf.

 

I'm with El Dobro, I don't believe they will increase the battery size; and I think that' s the right decision. Look at all the pressure they have come under for sacrificing the spare tyre; imagine how much worse it would be if they had sacrificed genuine load space.

I'm sure they will be relying on changes in battery technology to improve EV range, and perhaps charging technology, like induction charging, which could offer more opportunities for picking up small regular amounts of charge while driving - how realistic would an induction lane on an urban motorway be, for example?

 

One of our better sources on PC here says that there is a big improvement in the next PiP. I think we will see a range increase of 30-50%.

 

If we split the difference and assume a 40% range increase next gen- you're still only talking 4.5 additional miles- so now it has a 15 mile range. That's still a kind of no-mans-land for EV use.
I think most want to see the range increased to 20-30 usable/real miles per charge.
If Toyota could give us a PIP (at the current price point) with 30 usable EV miles- it would be a game changer!

IMO- they also need to address the cold weather issues.
In the warm months I leave the driveway with 11.3 mi EV range, during the winter I roll out of the driveway with 8 miles EV range. That's a huge, almost 30% drop off, and if I'm unlucky enough to have the ICE fire up- the usable EV range plummets to the 7.xx mile range which is almost a 40% drop just because it's cold outside.
My daily commute is 28 miles each way- in the warm months EV covers 41% of my trip, in the winter EV only covers 25% of the same commute!

 

i agree, but that kind of technology may be a ways off and still fairly expensive. no one is doing it yet. incremental changes are more likely. and if toyota doesn't roll out to 50 states, you have to wonder thier commitment to the tech.

 

My question is why do I get a .9 mile drop in EV estimate ,the second on turn on the fan, and no drop when I use anything else electric.

 

It's a known software issue, too bad T hasn't addressed it.
I've actually tried to prevent the ICE from starting by turning on the fan to instantly lover the EV range, but it doesn't work- the ECU knows the true battery SOC and still starts the ICE when I reach a pre-determined speed. That proves that the "fan lowered" EV range is an indication error caused by bad software coding.

 

Huh? Don't really get what you are saying there.

 

turning on the fan drops the ev range estimate to alert you that electric use is going to lower you range to some degree. i think this has been clarified through much discussion in the past. it is not a software issue, it is intentional programming and does not effect the actual battery state of charge.

 

Why doesn't the estimate go down when turning on heated heats or window defrosters. And the ICE goes on when I get to the 0 mile mark unless I turn off the fan just before 0 then it will stay off for the extra .9 miles?

 

What? I don't understand this statement. Please explain.

 

that's a question for toyota, but i suspect it's anticipating a/c which may be the biggest power hog. to me, put it on the a/c button, but i'm not asked for opinions. my range reduction isn't fixed at .9 miles. it seems to be more of a % of total. if i start around 16 (in summer) it drops to around 14 when i turn the fan on. as i drive, and click the fan off/on, i see that differential close. when i get down to 1 or 2 miles left, the reduction is down to only .1 -.4 or so. it's recalculating based on how much energy is left in the battery. when i get to zero and the ice comes on, and i shut the fan off, my range meter does not go up.

 

Read the thread, the fan seems to reduce the estimated EV the most compared to the other electric options like heated seat, which don't reduce a EV estimated at all.