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How the PHV Prius Drives

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by usbseawolf2000, Feb 12, 2011.

  1. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    With interest on the rise for the PHV Prius, I am posting the video I took about 4 months ago when I got a ride in Paradox's PHV Prius. He had it only for a few days back in Oct 2010.

    The videos is unedited, just broken into 10 mins pieces to get around YouTube's limit. These videos will come as close as you can get to a test drive. It shows you how much it can stay in the EV mode. It also shows how much acceleration the MG2 can unleash using the PHV lithium-ion battery pack. You will also get a feel of how it performs in both city and highway traffic with other cars.

    You'll also find out the extra modes it possesses. The most interesting one I found was the transition mode between the PHV and the HV. That transition mode can take advantage of the more powerful lithium-ion PHV pack for the regen and it also seem to shut down the gas engine more often. It appears to be a super HV mode.

    It is not easy to get out of this super HV mode. You'll have to purposely try to use the PHV battery without gas engine kicking in, to finally get it into pure HV mode. The PHV battery pack was actually gaining range whereas my 2006 Prius would lose the battery bars in that type of stop and go traffic. Check out the videos.





     
    #1 usbseawolf2000, Feb 12, 2011
    7 people like this.
  2. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    So many things to say about this PHV Prius. It seems like just about the perfect car - almost 35 minutes of driving and the EV pack finally gave up. 3.x hrs charging on 120V and you can get that, wow. Gone is the bad FE when making a trip to the grocery store, a short trip.

    But, questions remain .. how much will this thing cost? Regular Prius battery can be kinda pricey if it goes at 101k miles. How much would this Li-Ion pack cost to replace? Will it degrade much after 8 years?

    So many questions. It seems like a great car though.

    I think GM better get on the Volt II, quickly.
     
    #2 cycledrum, Feb 13, 2011
  3. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    Plug-in Base
    Yea, 13 miles on paper doesn't seem much. Until you watch the long video, you'll get the feel of the number of short trips the PHV Prius can cover, especially if you live in the city.

    I am sure Toyota is going to price is reasonably. It should qualify for $2,917 tax credit too. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait longer to find out.

    Regarding the warranty and the life of the PHV pack, it is already certified by CARB as eAT-PZEV. Therefore, the coverage is 10 years / 150k miles warranty. The cost to replace it in 2022 (out of warranty) should be a lot less than it costs now.

    PHV Prius may be the only plugin that would make the most sense for me. It's stingy usage of electricity with 50 MPG gas mileage is very appealing.

    I can see it equipped with Entune system and PHV specific applications. Keep dreaming on...
     
    #3 usbseawolf2000, Feb 14, 2011
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