Despite Caveats, Prius Plug-in Hybrid Could Be Surprise Hit

On an equally exhasperating note ~ I checked into the local Leaf dealership while the hybrid SUV was being aligned, just a couple hours ago. Man. I have never seen such a bunch of uninformed sales people ... a complete disconnect between marketing and the show-room. Last visit they said the public could place a deposit on "APRIL 15". Instead, the general sales manager (as he's thumbing through a stack of papers ... mumbling, "hmmm I know I saw something about this" ) tells me, "um, I think they're not going to take deposits for another week now". In any event, it's a safe bet ... do NOT look for you dealer to have any more enthusiasm about which EVER EV/PHEV gets to the show room first.

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Salesmen will be geared to commissions this pay period, not customer expectation.
Toyota salesmen won't become converts to PHVs until they can sell you one. Then suddenly they will know why 13 miles is an ideal range, just like that. Expecting otherwise is doomed to disappointment.

 

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lol. When I did my first test drive, the salesman didn't even know what the ev button did let alone tell me why it didn't work at 15mph.

 

I wonder if there will be retrofit kits for 2010/2011 Priu, as it sounds possible, given that it is a software change, battery pack change (and addition), and beefing up the rear suspension. If Toyota doesn't offer it, you can be sure their will be 3rd partys who will.

 

Does anyone have any idea what price-range the PHEV prius will be? I'm going to buy a plug-in of some kind in 2012. but last I heard the price of the PHEV prius was over $50,000. I hope that is not true because it would never be able to compete at that price range. I'd probably pay upwards of $30,000 for one, otherwise I'd still have to go with the Volt or Leaf.

 

What does LEAPFROG mean?

For most simply hyping new technology, it just means bragging rights.

Actually making a difference requires high-volume sales.
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Honda Insight V1, first hybrid in North America. One of the first hybrids whose sales ended in North America. Followed by the Honda Insight V2, the 'Prius Killer.'

Bob Wilson

 

From what I understand, the OEM PHV from Toyota is targetted to be around $35,000 I think. I suppose that's still subject to change though since it's 2 years out. Alternatively one could purchase a PHEV conversion system for an existing Gen2 model vehicle within your target budget. The advantage there would be that the technology is already available and in circulation.

Toyota has said that they will not be offering "upgrades" to existing 2010 models because the changes are relatively extensive.

Andrew

 

Nickel Metal Hydrides and Lithium Ion batteries charge wildly differently. a 'good' retrofit would have to replace the entire Inverter/charging system. "Bad' plug in kits exist today.

Nickel-metal hydride battery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lithium-ion battery - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

and, there will be 3rd party conversion kits for the 2010/2011 Prius, and some of them may even be "good" kits (not the "Engineer" kit), that do modify the charging system, ECU's, etc. it is all possible, and more likely to happen as the lithium battery prices start to come down with large scale manufacturing. Many of the kits try not to modify the car's basic systems, without doing that, you can't do the conversion properly.. as the 2010/2011 warrantys start to expire, the third pary converters will step in, the same as they have for the Gen II models from 2003 to 2009

 

This is the absolute truth.

There is no interest whatsoever in advanced concepts and future vehicles simply because nothing ( no $$ ) can be made from them. It's also the right way to do business. I know. I was the only person at all interested in know about and selling the Prius from 2000 to 2005...then after that everyone wanted to know about it.

There are two other drawbacks you'll find IMO...

1. If the profit margin is relatively small such as in a Prius II or III then there won't be any more interest in a Prius II or Prius PHV as there would be in a Corolla. In the case of Nissan in a Leaf or an Altima. To the sales force they're all the same one just takes more knowledge and more effort to sell.
2. New technology scares almost everybody including managers and sales people. They're subject to the same fears and doubts as the rest of the population.

 

Bob,

FYI, these folks say otherwise:

"History of hybrid cars in America goes back to the beginning of the
automotive revolution, to such car manufacturers as Owen, Woods
Motor Vehicle Company, and GM.

"The first evolution in American hybrid cars started after Ferdinand
Porsche introduced the world's first hybrid car, the Lohner-Porsche
petrol-electric "Mixte", also known as Mixtewagen.

"Soon after, in November 23 of 1905, American engineer H. Piper filed
for a patent on a hybrid vehicle design.

"Similarly to Porsche's design, Piper's plans used an electric motor
combined with a gasoline engine.

"From the introduction of the first hybrid car in 1902 to 1920,
thousands of hybrid cars were made.

"For example, in the early 1900s, General Electric built a hybrid with a
four-cylinder gasoline engine.

"Another American company, Woods Motor Vehicle Company, was
famous for developing the 1917 Woods Dual Power, which was a
parallel hybrid with a four-cylinder gasoline engine."


"You can see the Woods hybrid car on display at the Petersen
Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.

"Another U.S. firm, the Walker Vehicle Company, built gasoline-
electric trucks, from around 1918 onwards.

"However, the early hybrid technology couldn't compete with more
powerful gasoline engines, or the efficient manufacturing lines of Ford,
which enabled gasoline using cars' prices to come down."

 

I'm sure people will buy the PHEV, but a retrofit is likely to cost more than the fuel you save. I have my doubts that the PHEV will be cost-effective for the consumer, compared to an ordinary Prius.

 

Saved from long ago. Zoom in to read - From February ~ Boy's Life Magazine, 1969 ... FOURTY YEARS ago, GM's hybrid offering:



Always a bride's maid - never a bride. That's a lot of years to NOT deliver a small efficient hybrid.



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Hey, you are releasing the Volt's secret schematics, no fair! (it is cool that they are going to use a Chevelle body)

 

i'll bet those engineers didn't last long at GM.

 

Cool history. GM was always at the lead in this technology, and always decided in the past to kill it.

I didn't know that they originally thought of using a sterling engine.