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Prius BEV WishList

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by Tideland Prius, Jul 16, 2019.

  1. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    With the announcement of a full-scale attack on BEVs from Toyota for 2025, hopefully the Prius is one of those vehicles (although midsize sedan doesn't really inspire confidence unless Toyota really thinks the Prius is a midsize sedan).

    Here's the wish list for the next gen Prime if you wanna add to it:

    Gen 5 Prius Prime (next gen plug-in) Wish List | PriusChat

    This list is strictly for a hypothetical Prius EV.

    Electrical:
    • 40kWh for Japanese/European markets
    • Minimum 60kWh for US market
    • If solid state and not Li-Ion chemistry, then the equivalent density
    • 200 mile/320km range for European market
    • 300 mile/480km range for US market
    • CCS DCFC 100kW capable (minimum requirements). Preferably 250-300kW but I guess that would price it into luxury car territory
    • Probably against the Prius mantra but if it was RWD, that could save on packaging (less wires, less weight... but that means the car has to be a sedan and not a hatch to reduce the weight of the glass and hatch to better balance the car). But RWD will mean more space in the front for fluids and inverter.. plus a frunk and better turning radius as there's more space for the front tires to turn)
    • Alternatively, make it AWD-e
    • AC-out for camping (if it's a hatchback... if it's a sedan.. probably won't happen)
    • Solar roof option

    Exterior:
    • Full LED lights
    • Adaptive high beams
    • Maybe a stylish sedan/liftback design a la Audi A7 or Model S? I guess it needs to be a large car to be able to do that... although the current Civic sedan pulls it off but it has a traditional trunk lid
    • Maybe upsize the base wheels to 16"? I know.. more weight and more contact patch but you have a more powerful drivetrain
    • Shorter overhangs than on the Prime
    • Aerodynamic wheels that don't require a full plastic wheel cover
    • Wheel well insulation (tire noise is too prevalent)

    Interior:
    • 5 Seats (the 4 seat Prime is fine and I like the centre console box... but market determines sales and the market says 5 is necessary for some reason)
    • A really nice cloth interior. Right now, cloth is treated as some basic interior fabric option so Toyota's interior fabrics have cheapened out over the last decade or so. SofTex is fine for a "leather" replacement (especially if you have kids or messy people) and it's easy to clean but it's honestly not the "upscale" option I expect it to be. Make the upscale option a wool blend or premium cloth instead.
    • Painted interior door frames (like on the 2016-2018 Prius or 2017-2019 Primes... they cheaped out on the 2019 Prius/2020 Prime and went back to exposed door frames)
    • Sliding sun visors (who knows.. Toyota might remove it.. :rolleyes:)
    • Interior storage cubbies
    • LED interior lights
    • USB-C power outlets
    • More bio-plastic pieces (they don't seem to mention that in the Gen 4/Prime press releases but it was a big deal for the Gen 3)

    Safety:

    • Pre-Collision to include cyclist detection in the same direction of travel (I think the current 2.0 only detects if they cross perpendicular to you)
    • PCS to include animal detection
    • HUD to include PCS "Caution" indications (e.g. yellow light or box to highlight the potential of someone standing at the side of the road between cars or an animal grazing close to the road)
    • Wide View Monitor (Toyota's front-facing camera for peeking around objects such as a row of hedges or around a building in a city with a narrow sidewalk/pavement where the building in practically the corner of the intersection)
    • Adaptive headlights (swivel)
    • Adaptive high beams (US law has motioned it. It should be approved by the time this hypothetical vehicle is launched)
    • Door detection for cyclists/cars (can use RCTA/BSM radar.. so it's really just software).
     
    #1 Tideland Prius, Jul 16, 2019
    Last edited: Jul 16, 2019
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  2. KCWhitney

    KCWhitney Member

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    More comfortable seats, with finer adjustment capability
    Better sound system
    Adjustable (tilt able) 11"screen, to avoid glare
    Higher front end to avoid scraping on parking lot hurdles
     
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  3. smyles

    smyles Active Member

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    Electronic parking brake. Every time I step on the pedal of the current one, it's like a trip into medieval times.
     
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  4. drash

    drash Senior Member

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    1) Entune Remote - the only thing I really need Entune for are the remote capabilities, Climate, Charging, ECO Dashboard, etc.. Can’t believe it’s gone in the 2020 Primes.
    2) HUD to include acceration monitor like the MID and drive modes
    3) Solar to even help with climate.
    4) Sun/Moon/Panoramic roof
    5) Warning so automatic wipers won’t start if there is frost on the windows.
    6) more insulation in the wheel wells
    7) AWD-i option (maybe RWD biased)
    8) Extendable sun visors
    9) Prius V type hatch
    10) Optional Adjustable suspension
    11) CCS fast charge
    12) Drive modes buttons on the steering wheel/column
    13) Include a Power/Sport mode
    14) Improve voice recognition and speed to include full sentences about the climate control. Sometimes you just want the temp up or down a couple of degrees without the damn coaching.
    15) Ask if the user of the Nav is a passenger and let them get directions.


    iPad ? Pro
     
  5. Bob Comer

    Bob Comer Active Member

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    No way I'd ever go back to RWD on a non-performance car, talk about stone age.. But then again, we don't have the infrastructure here for me to buy a BEV, so I wouldn't buy one anyway.
     
  6. drash

    drash Senior Member

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    16) Selectable alarm sounds - When I pull my car out of my garage, my cars sound like it’s nothing but beeps. Seriously there are other sounds, including voices that can be used instead of the cacophony of beeps we now have.
    17) Drive mode to include a super ECO or ECO+ that shuts off the climate and lowers the throttle response for in city driving and be easier to glide. Sometimes gliding/coasting are much better for efficiency than aggressive regen.


    iPhone ? Pro
     
  7. Washingtonian

    Washingtonian Senior Member

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    I thought we had an electronic parking brake. I always use it when I park before I turn the engine off. I never use the step-on parking brake as I am afraid that I will forget that it is on when I am driving.
     
  8. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Toyota has called the Prius a sedan since the gen2.
    Toyota's solid state batteries are Li-ion.
    Since the charger for DC charging isn't part of the car, what will limit the charge rate on the car's end will be the battery chemistry and cooling. Getting over 50kW will require liquid cooling, and cooling can make up for a chemistry not as robust. So getting faster shouldn't add much to the cost.
    With a large, properly placed battery, the weight of the hatch isn't going to mean much to a RWD car. The Model S is something like 47%/53% in distribution, and the Prius already cuts weight there with lighter than steel options. But a moot point, Toyota's announced BEV platform is FWD.
    Does Tesla offer a moonroof option? These add weight to the car.

    Personally, I want paddle shifter control of regen amount on a plug in. Toyota already controls engine braking level through the shifters of the Camary hybrid SE.
    If you are referring to the P button, that puts the transmission into park by engaging a pawl onto a gear. It isn't a parking a brake.

    The trend is for electronic parking brakes because they save weight, and the manufacturer can set them to auto engage when the car is put into park or shut off.
     
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    150 mile range, no loss of space, liquid cooling, priced between 25-35k before tax incentives, i'm in.
     
  10. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    Me too. Not a fan of reaching down to engage "B" mode, and having various levels of decel (like a Volt, for example) would be nice. Just all on the steering wheel in the empty spaces where paddles should be.
     
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  11. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Your wish list is undershooting.

    The Ioniq Electric is 120+ miles of range with a fan for cooling, but starts at $29k before incentives. The Bolt and Model 3 may exceed your price range, but you also get over 200 miles of range with them. If Toyota can't meet, or best, them at a lower starting MSRP by 2025, I think you'll need to leave the fold.

    Just an ICE car, but I've found I'm downshifting more for deceleration and speed control on hills with the Camry SE's paddle shifters. I rank it as more important than SKS for my next car.
     
  12. a_gray_prius

    a_gray_prius Rare Non-Old-Blowhard Priuschat Member

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    At this point, I'd just be happy if they figured a better solution than the damn screen in the wiper well under the windshield. It's difficult and frustrating to clean, and gets clogged with tree crap all the time.

    Similar complaint with the black covers on the tail lights at the sides of the rear hatch.
     
  13. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    Agree with that. They do clog very quickly and are not self-cleaning. Once the debris gets there, it's there forever and gets worse over time. I clean mine with a soft toothbrush and air blast from the compressor.
     
  14. NR427

    NR427 Member

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    Sell them in the fly-over states, not just California.
     
  15. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    What would be your definition of a "fly over" state? Every state other than California? Last I checked, airplanes fly over every state (and oceans).
     
  16. a_gray_prius

    a_gray_prius Rare Non-Old-Blowhard Priuschat Member

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    I typically clean with a toothbrush and a vacuum. I don't like using a compressor since it's kind of forcing stuff through the screen, which I presume is relatively fine for a reason.
     
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  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    unfortunately, none of those meet my wish list. if toyota doesn't by the time i'm ready to trade the pip (if ever) i have no idea what i'll buy. maybe prime will at least have a full hatch by then.
    or a used model y might be interesting
     
  18. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    How much more of a hatch do you want? It goes forward 31" from the back, and is 43" inches wide.
     
  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    3" lower deck, like my pip
     
  20. noonm

    noonm Senior Member

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    Any state that doesn't touch an ocean.
     
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