Prius Plug-in and Volt Pros and Cons

Yes and yes.
It was more than OK. It was fun!

 

Thank you so much for that! I was a bit concerned about our upcoming trip, but now I feel much better.
Did you use Mountain Mode or just Normal mode in the mountains?

One thing I hated about the PIP on those tight winding single lane mountain roads was the PIP's poor halogen lights, I have HID's on the Volt and I'm interested in seeing how much better they perform.

 

I used Hold mode to keep 12 or so miles in reserve for the inevitable short hops, dinner runs, etc. that I knew would be needed at our destination.
Hold also let me switch to Normal mode when driving thru small towns then switch back to CS mode on the highway again without the ICE being expected to make up for the energy just used.

 

Makes sense, thanks again!

 

I think it was your explanation of how to do this that let me ignore him too, thank you. The thread is far more civilised (if occasionally incomprehensible) without him. I'm impressed that the software even removes his quotes from other people's posts, the only time I have seen what you were replying to was when I quoted you in this reply!

 

Ahem, advice for a regular Prius or PiP has turned into Volt thread.

 

... sorry I contributed to that

 

You just noticed?

 

It's been awkwardly obvious for nigh on 20 pages of this thread. Funny that the same thing hasn't occurred with Leaf owners chiming in. Many of us have been silently waiting for more PiP-relevant discussion. Don't get me wrong, the Volt info is certainly interesting. The line gets crossed for a lot of us, I think, when Volt proselytizing becomes so constant. It really seems more appropriate for a Volt forum.

 

Ahh, you "newbs" don't know how history.

For years, every volt thread in the volt or hybrid news sub-forums here on PC was turned into a pissing match by a select few. It got so bad after the Volt's release that I created the Volt Haters Society (VHS). Select members of VHS frequent other sites (including volt specific) doing the same thing. FWIW

Sure it can get tiring but it takes two to have a discussion (or argument).

 

Go over to the Volt Forums, mention the Prius then stand back.

 

The so-called "hate" for Volt came about in large part due to misdirection. If you stated anything about the need for diversification or cost-reduction or not meeting their own sales goals, it was interpreted as an endorsement for Prius.

Look up the old threads on forums & blogs other than here. The ones devoted to GM products were overwhelmingly anti-Prius. A thread would get created and discussion about Volt would ensue. When civil and constructive, very little interest stirred. Someone would inevitably interject some comment about Prius to ignite it. That increased posts dramatically. Hosts thrived on that kind of attention. It was unfortunate. I'd watch it happen time and time again, staying silent until the fire built up to an intolerable level. Then when I finally chimed it, I'd get blamed as a Prius owner for starting the mess, though it was easy to confirm I hadn't. And even when I didn't actually say anything about Prius, they would imply that's what I meant.

Watching the denial was remarkable. Volt was suffering as a result of competition from within, yet enthusiasts would direct focus on Prius instead. They didn't care that GM's own production was squeezing the life out of Volt. The care was on bragging rights... which is why attempting to have a constructive discussion comparing the regular Prius to the plug-in model is so inviting to Volt enthusiasts.

Fortunately, we have recently seen some Volt supporters turn on the enthusiasts. They see the business need is not being fulfilled by engineering praise. They want the next generation to actually be competitive. Are they also included in the hate? I've tried to point out the difference and the change with mixed reception. Change is difficult. This thread clearly shows it.

 

PiP is a more efficient electric car than the Leaf for the speed and power designed to operate at. It is possible only because gas engine is there to cover other conditions.

Even when the gas engine is used, it is more efficient than a regular Prius, from my experience and EPA highway figure.

I used to say PiP has the best of both EV and HV worlds. I was wrong. PiP brings synergy between both EV and HV to achieve more than what each could have done alone/separately.

The engineering is amazing. It is sad to see, some will simply see it as Toyota's attempt at plugin conversion.

 

This was my question. If you never plug it in will I get higher MPG than my present two Gen 3 Prius's

 

Many Gen 3 non-PiP drivers here who now have the PiP report a small but real gain in mpg even if not plugged in.

This may not be an issue in Florida, but in California regeneration additionally helps a lot driving the coastal and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges.

 

Maybe only 2-3mpg boost over the GenIII, unless you have a Prius with the 17" tires in which case the PIP without a charge should beat it by up to 5mpg at highway speeds.

 

The big difference, as I understand it, is the PiP is using lithium batteries while the Prius is using nickel.
This should give an edge to the lithium battery car, especially where regen is used a lot.
Some report a big gain, some little.

 

This is HV only, no EV used. I could've taken shots of even higher highway mileage, but the camera battery in my trusty Nikon D1 went belly up.

 

Exactly. At least 5mpg better than the '11 with 17" wheels.