Hmm please help me with the Math?

The base PiP model is a blend of the Prius II & III. You do get a $2500 federal tax credit for the car, and that credit is not subject to AMT limitations, so you get the full credit no matter what (or so I am told). In California, we also get a $1500 rebate from the state, which brings the total savings to $4000, which reduces the effective cost of the car to $28,000, which is only about $2500 to $4000 more than an equivalently equipped regular Prius II or III model. For me, that premium was worth paying since it was time to pass on the 2005 Gen II I had to my son, I liked the newer technology that was available in the PiP, and the PiP would allow me back in the carpool lane. I've gone from getting between 42 & 45 MPG to now getting between 57 and 63 MPG. I have a 92 mile r/t commute, so the HOV lane access and the increased MPG has definitely been worth it.

You need to examine what sort of daily driving you do & what sort of opportunities you have to charge during the day to see if it is worth it for you. Since you have a car for long-distance drives (TCH or the '05 Prius), it might actually make more sense to get a Volt or Leaf for the around the town stuff. If your wife drives less than 75 miles per day for her job, a Leaf would be perfect. If she drives less than 35 miles per day, a Volt might make more sense.

I can only guess at why Toyota only offered a 13 to 16 mile range, but I'm willing to bet it was partially based on the battery technology available at the time (think energy density, battery pack size, and lifespan) and not wanting to radically change the car's appearance, passenger & cargo room that the current Gen III has.

 

If I'm driving around town, I generally charge once each night, and that will take me 14-15+ miles. That one charge is usually enough, but sometimes I will top off the battery during the day if I'm going out again. Add in freeway driving, and my overall average for the first three tanks is about 74 mpg combined(calculated). The computer is telling me that I am driving about 27% EV, 73% HV. If your wife can charge at her office in between trips, she might be able to do more EV driving.

 

Cost was the primary priority. (Being affordable has always been a very big deal.) Taking the appearance and passenger & cargo room into consideration, they set a goal of 20 km (12.4 miles).

That worked out extremely well.

 

No, the Plug-in has the same trim features as the Prius 3, plus seat heaters, remote AC, and much better alloy wheels. I think they have the exact same audio/multimedia Entune system.

So a Prius 3 = $25,565, then add the value of the seat heaters, alloys and remote AC, plus the $2,500 tax credit, to compare to the Plug-in's $32,000 price.

 

sounds like you drive too much and too far to make the pip worthwhile. for instance, my commute is 14.8 miles. charge before i leave and only use gas once a week for a 60-80 mile trip.

 

Having just come back from LV, I can tell you my economy was 53 mpg at 70 mph and then a more conservative test of 58 - 61 mpg at 60 mph, all freeway, except around Kramer Junction. The Prius shines at EV mode, that 10 to 12 mile charge can turn into 25 miles with conservative driving and rare favorable terrain. The main point being, do you have time to keep charging?

 

I don't see why the length of you daily commute matters when it comes to estimating if the plug-in is worth while. What's more important is how many times you charge.

Obviously if you drive about 13 miles or less per day (or per charge) then you will spend a much greater percent of your time in EV mode, and have great MPG. And if you drive 75 miles per day you will get much lower percent of your time in EV mode and get a much lower MPG.

But in both cases the number of gallons of gas saved is going to be the same. The value you get from the PIP will be directly related to how often you charge it. You save about 0.25 gallons of gas each time you charge no matter how far you drive (assume you drive at last 13 miles).

I see many comments suggesting that the PIP is great for people with short commutes and less worth wile for people with long commute or lots of long trips. But both types of people save the same 0.25 gallons per day (or 0.5 gallons per day if they charge twice a day).

 

bisco is the ideal PiP owner. The farther that you diverge from that driving pattern, the more favorable the situation becomes for a Volt, or just a plain old hybrid. Prius C is the best bang for the buck in a new hybrid, while the V is perhaps a better choice from the standpoint of a Realtor ferrying clients -- and having a rolling billboard. There must have been something you didn't like about the 2010, so I don't recommend a III. The PiP is a poor choice, as is a Volt, for a 30,000 mile/year car that gets charged only once/day.

 

Well 30,000 miles/year that gets charged only once the Volt may not be "too" bad. I'll do this in EPA numbers, presuming the gas is mostly highway trips as the Op says he does lots of them.

Regular Prius at 50mpg is 30000/50 or 600 gallons.
Say 350 days using the whole (single charge) for 35 miles is 12250 miles leaving 17750 which at 40MPG (i.e. highway weighting) is 443 gallons of gas or more than 25% reduction . At 37MPG (mixed highway/city) the volt would use 479.
Same 350 days using 11miles of PiP charge is 3850 miles leaving 26150 which at 50mpg is 523 gallons.


So it depends on how much one wants to save gas. The gas saving will not likely pay for a new car, given they have a very usable 2012 Prius. But if they want a new car and want to save gas, there is a rough cut at more math.


To the OP: If you want meaningful help with the math you'll need to provide a bit more detail.

What is the breakdown of trips. Miles per day vs long trips?
Does she do trips that return to the office and could she charge there?
If so how long a trip between charges?

Do you have 1 or 2 cars in the family. If 2, sounds like keeping a prius and going with either a Leaf or Volt might make more sense. The Volt is a great car (some numbers below) but your wife's restate gig may benefit from the 5th seat (then she can drive a family of 4 around, if that happens often), but the limits of the leaf could be harsh if she has days of 80+ miles. The Flexibility of the Volt could help if she has unplanned longer runs, and if you can keep an old prius for the long road trips that is even better.

 

250 is a better number for work related driving days. Non-working days (weekend) the driving pattern is very different and may involve greater use of their super-cushy TCH anyway.

Under that assumption, and to be fairer to the PiP, a 12.5 mile range:

non-PHV: 600 gallons (maybe 650 gallons for a V)
PiP: 537.5 gallons
Volt: 574 gallons

I like the Volt, but it is not always the best choice. It works best for up to 45 miles/day on a single charge, or 90 miles/day on two charges -- and driving 35 miles on the second charge. Maybe that's the simplest answer to the original poster's math question. With regard to two charges, that assumes that the car can be parked long enough at a place to charge, which might be a challenge for a busy Realtor.

 

Real-World demands create a wide variety of driving.

People have places to go after work and on evenings throughout the week.

Proving there is a pattern would be quite a challenge, especially if you have children.

 

Liquid Fuel for a Prius costs about 7.5 cents a mile
Electric miles cost about 3.5 cents a mile (assuming 12 cents a kwh)

So an electric mile saves 4 cents
If a PiP is charged every day, 365/year, then the savings is
13*365*.04 = $190 a year.

Charge twice a day ? Double the savings!
Use the car 5 days out of 7 ? Multiply 190 * 5/7

OP: How many cars do you keep at one time ? If you are going to dump a car early and replace it with the PiP, then that hit alone makes this entire question moot.

 

I happily sit corrected.

 

My 350 days estimate, was not just work days.. it was for whatever they do and since it was just 1 plug in it does not really matter if it was work or play. If they do 33K miles a year, they probably drive a good bit on almost every day.

If you want to inflate the PiP by 13% to 12.5, then you should also increase the volt to 40miles (which is below my own overage so I agree its reasonable), but need to keep it appels to appels.

I agree the Volt is not always the best choice, Just want to keep the math on a level playing ground. I've sold some friends on a Prius C as it was a better choice for the.. (they did not pull the trigger yet have not asked why). But without more details from the OP, its all just SWAG.