Wish list for next generation Prius Plug-in

A hit on efficiency using the gas engine vs. a Prius, yes. A hit on sporty acceleration, no. Even though the battery is "empty" it can still put out a full 111 kW (150 HP) of power for acceleration during typical driving conditions together with the output from the gas engine.

The Volt actually has a bit better acceleration after the battery runs out and the gas engine starts up above 50 mph and about the same power at slower speeds.

 

remind me never to compliment the volt again.

 

Guess I missed tax credit, never thought a factory price would show up as a after tax credit when many people do not qualify For any tax credits at all. Go figure!
Good catch! On my tablet that fine print was really small never noticed!

 

Even at the MSRP and it's performance GM may have trouble keeping it on the lot. Seems like a very good deal considering it's competition. Besides, isn't everybody rich in California?


iPad ? HD

 

Rich? Yep!!!

 

Is it $5000 more for the PiP, over the Prius hatchback?
Is that before the $2500 tax break?

$2500 for a bigger battery and some new SW might make sense.
But $5000 ? ...
I don't know if a slightly bigger battery is worth that much.

What are the typical price differences between a PiP and a Volt?

 

If you are comparing Prius model II to PiP base model then yes, the initial cost is more, but the PiP base has more standard equipment roughly equivalent to the Prius model III which is $4,225 cheaper. Minus the tax credit the PiP is $1,725 more.

It's not just a bigger battery, its a different battery as well. Of course it doesn't take into account much better fuel economy that most of us PiP owners are seeing. Or the potential of adding the bigger battery.

That's like comparing the Chevy Cruze Diesel to your Volt. Is your battery worth that much more?

With comparable equipment or no?

 

between the lowered pip price, tax credits, and extra accessories, i think it's pretty much a wash in price with the lift back.

 

drash, $1725 difference is decent if a PiP suits your driving

bisco, are you saying you can get a PiP for the same as a liftback? Wouldn't everyone want the PiP instead?

 

Yes. In some places around the country the II and the base PiP are very similarly priced after all things considered. Not all places where it is sold, but some.

 

Does the II have nav and a back-up camera like the base PiP?

 

No

 

mark is correct. in some regions/states, they are the same price. believe it or not, some have chosen the lift back for the spare tyre and because they had no place to plug in and no need for an hov sticker. in other states/regions, the pip is slightly more, but with extra options, is about the same value.

 

Yea, when I bought my PiP it was only a little more than a III.

 

Have you tried the Entune Charge Management app? It shows state of charging from a cell phone app. I think more helpful than opening the door -- since you can determine status without having to return to the car.

 

Note that this is only available on the Advanced.

 

True. What's up with that?

So, I'll add to the list (I may have said this before) to add the car to the Internet of Things. Have a wifi listener, and connect to my home network (and other configured networks when detected) and make available information about the state of the car -- charge, mileage, component health (including tire pressures). I mean, yes it would be nice to have visual indicators, but it is better to have networked quantitative data available electronically.

 

It is also nice for the charging indicator LED to have more functionality for the benefit of people who are not the car owner. Especially at work places where people cooperatively plug and unplug cars to maximize charging time for all. Leafs have 3 LEDs on the dashboard. Fords have 4 LEDs in a circle around the charging port. It would actually be nice for all car makers to have something similar. But that won't happen.
A sticker inside the door should explain the LED code.

Mike

 

The "Advanced" apps use the Safety Connect cell phone that is built into the Advanced for communication ("telematics"). I guess that the designers didn't consider it useful for these telematics functions to be able to tie into a WiFi connection. If you are trying to locate your car or turn on the A/C when you are out of range of the key fob, the car is probably not near a WiFi hot spot, so I can kind of see their point.

 

Understood.

That isn't the IoT mantra. Telematics is good -- and the existing 'locate car', 'tell me about battery', 'turn on AC' (haven't tried that one yet, sounds cool, has to be plugged into the charger, right?) are only the tip of the iceberg. Using the hardwired cell for telematics is fine, but the current strategy, at least used by cell phones, is to recognize wifi networks and make use of them when available -- because it increases bandwidth, decreases latency, adds to route diversity (there are times when I *can* get a wifi signal, but no cellular signal) and is helpful.

In particular, I would really like the car to know that it is near my home WiFi network, and to upload performance data to a local server (or cloud service for those who don't want to deal with local servers and are comfortable with the privacy implication.) Ok, so you don't get the hardwired cell phone if you don't buy the Advanced -- but why not a wifi/usb host chip thrown in? They cost about a quarter now. Combine it with a simple java application to let you program your preferences on the car, and this would be a big winner.