Great news today - 2012 Toyota Prius PHV to get selectable EV mode, full battery regeneration

EV regen is very interesting and make the Prius PHV much more appealing to me. However I wonder if experienced Prius drivers think that it maybe possible in some situations to recharge the EV battery somewhere around 50%.

 

they must keep the price the same as it is now or it will never become a main stream car , it must be for everyone on not just the rich

 

Toyota just released the Plus Performance option for about $3,500 to attract more buyers.

If that's an indication, the plugin option can cost about the same.

 

but they can go up $7,500. because of the tax credit?

 

If the plug-in option is $3,500, that would put the Prius Two at $27,020 before tax credits. I think it would then make more sense to buy the plug-in instead of the cordless since the cordless does no longer have tax incentives.

 

$3,500 option divided by $3.5 gallon of regular = 1,000 gals x 50mpg = 50,000 miles. does it really make more sense?

 

If you are only thinking about dollars and cents, then we can subtract the tax credit of the PHV which may come close to the plug-in option amount, therefore the final price will be closer to the MSRP of the cordless Prius since the current car does not have tax incentives.

I do understand the difference can buy a lot of gas. I can buy a Honda Fit and buy a lot of gas with the difference. And the exact point is to use less gasoline from now on since the US has less than 3% of world's oil reserves.

I know a practical person will calculate how many gallons the difference can buy. but we know oil and all its adverse effects(ie..Gulf Explosion) has a cost higher than $3.50/gallon. I would rather use some energy locally-produced in the form of electricity and use as little gasoline as possible.

YouTube - ‪The Price of Gas‬‏

 

I guess you have to make a lot more than my household does (we're retired) for tax credits to make any real difference. That's not really much of an incentive for us.

 

you only have to make 30-40 grand to owe the feds $7500.

 

The PHV will not qualify for the full $7500, its based on battery size. I believe the PHV will get about $2900.

 

i am thinking they might price it 5k extra and then you get almost 3k back which makes it 2k extra... which certainly is not a lot of extra money for what it is.

 

so you can get $3-4,000. more and it should be pretty popular.

 

I think you are right about this. After the tax credit, if it is around $2,000 dollars, it's a no-brainer and I think the plug-in then would be very difficult to get because of demand.

The other issue is whether Toyota dealers, especially those who are not in launch states will behave like Chevy dealers, ordering plug-ins for the tax credit, then add "Add-ons" and all kinds of nonsense accessories to jack up the price, and sell them with low mileage as used cars.

Otherwise, Toyota will get very good press later this year with the introduction of
Prius v, new Camry, Camry hybrid, Scion IQ and new Yaris. Next year is also going to be big with RAV4 EV, Scion IQ EV, Prius c and Prius Plug-in. And the Prius v plug-In should be available the following year. And then, the Lexus line!

Does anybody know whether the new Camry will be available in AWD?

Toyota Details Its June Sales Progress with a Conference Call - CleanMPG Forums

 

Any idea of the EV costs? Would the RAV4 EV not be eligible for the $7,500 tax credit because of 2nd generation and the Scion EV eligible?

 

Some in the media have speculated $48,000 before tax credit, and since it will have more than 16 kwh of battery, it will be eligible for the $7,500 tax credit.

I don't know the size of the battery on the Scion IQ EV, tax credit is $2,500 for the first 4kwh, then $417 for each additional Kwh.

This was last updated in March 2010!
State & Federal Incentives | Plug In America

 

It is clear from above posts that the braking regen will replenish EV miles/range but what about ICE charging? For example, I drive 10 or so EV miles to get to the interstate then drive 50 miles on the interstate state at 65+ mph. Will engine charging at interstate speeds replenish EV miles for my in town leg of the commute after the interstate driving?

 

You probably would not want that as any power taken to charge batteries costs you fuel mileage while running the ICE. Also remember that the engine power to battery power conversion is not 100% efficient.
Now, if the battery were to get charged excessively by regen, such as a long downhill, it would likely not be an inefficent use of the excess charge to store it for ev use, rather that cutting out the regen as happens currently.