Celebrating 1 year with my Prius - '14 Plug-In

Well, it has been just a few days over 1 year since I purchased my '14 Plug in Prius. I was pretty nervous selling my SUV ('03 Chevy Trailblazer with 242k miles) and getting in to a Prius, but I had read about the technology, got interested, and it just made sense with my commute and kid's activities to obtain a hybrid. I purchased a used 2014 Plug-In - Base Model - with just under 19k miles.

I saw the Plug-In, and despite many of my trips being outside of electric range, thought that it was a great concept, a way to save some wear on an ICE, and that I would have at least a few trips each week where the engine would not need to start, and therefore, would avoid a cold start and warm up cycle.

Overall, I am very happy with my decision.

The big positive is the energy savings - I put 24,656 miles on the car this year. 6,199 EV (25.1%) and 18,435 HV (74.9%) - Total Electric cost was $216.81, and total gasoline cost was $823.24, for a total energy cost of $1,040.05. My battery typically takes 1.25Kwh from the wall to produce 1Kwh on the In-car (ie, trip) meter - I do factor this in to the electric cost. My electric rate went up this year from $0.135 to $0.158 per Kwh. This puts my electric/gas break even point at about $2.40per gallon or so (Tampa, FL prices are currently at $2.25/gallon), but I will still use electric over gas whenever possible, as it has a lower overall carbon footprint, and saves the wear on my ICE. Overall HV fuel economy was 58.76mpg, which I am very happy with.

Compared to my Chevy Trailblazer, those same 24,656 miles would have cost $3,522.28 - The PIP saved me $2,482.23 in energy this year. I had no payment on the Trailblazer, but I do on the PIP - The Pmt is $313/mo, but when offset by the energy savings, I am only paying about $107.00/month for the security of driving a car with 45k miles versus one with 240k + miles. Overall, a smart decision IMO. Myself and many others worry about the long term reliability of the traction battery, however, this is a very big "maybe" compared to the near certainty of big repairs to a GM vehicle approaching 250k miles.

I am very happy with car itself. It is comfortable to drive, has all the options I need, and enough space for 98% of my needs.

The only negatives are the lack of a spare tire, and to be honest, I could use a bit more power on the open highway (Most of my trips are on rush hour clogged highways, however.)

I keep close track of all my stats on the car, and I am looking forward to watching how they evolve over the years.



I also really appreciate this community and all of the insight to the car that you all offer.

Happy Thanksgiving to all out there.

 

That's awesome. I would love to get to 40% EV The Duke energy rate hike is a real bummer, though. We're looking to move during the next year, and I might look in to a solar system at the new place for just that reason.

 

Yeah. Might not make sense for you. I am over the 1000Kwh most months, and that is where the big rate increase was. I read about folks with a solar system making a 125/month payment to the solar financing Co, and having enough power generated to cancel out their $200.00 plus electric bill for most of the year. But, just like all technology, those solar systems come with a lot of questions about longevity down the road.

I hope you're having a Happy Thanksgiving.