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I got my Prius Plus, now what?!

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by Luconi, Jun 3, 2019.

  1. Luconi

    Luconi Junior Member

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    2018 Prius Prime
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    Prime Premium
    Well I'm in the club. I took home my Magnetic Gray Prime Plus last week and been really loving it. I've charged it a few times so far and have been averaging 85mpg so far - so Sweet! My last car was getting 25mpg and it only took 91 octane gas.

    Besides enjoying the savings from fuel economy and mooching off of free Charing stations, are there any accessories that are must haves for this car?

    Some thing that I am looking into...

    -wiring up an outdoor 240v plug so I can charge on Level 2.

    -Probably going to get a set of winter snow tires.

    Anything else I need to look into?
     
    #1 Luconi, Jun 3, 2019
    bisco and Montgomery like this.
  2. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    You might want an aftermarket device or two, to let you change some of the factory settings and to monitor some of the performance parameters.

    Carista is a popular choice for setting various vehicle options that can't be done on the dash display (the most popular change is eliminating the constant beeping when in reverse). The device is an OBDII plug-in, and you download an app. It's $40 for a year, but when you buy it you get a free 30 day trial so you can change everything you want. Attached are some screen shots of the settings from my device (pardon the duplicates, these were screen snaps off the phone).

    Hybrid Assistant is an OBD product that gives you a very nice graphical display of additional parameters - engine RPM/temp, other temperatures, electrical current flow, braking efficiency. The app is free (shareware?) and it needs a specific OBD device that is less than $40. A very nice feature of this is that the software will record data and then print you out a very nice report with graphs and other data, so you can see how the car was performing during the whole run.
     

    Attached Files:

    #2 jb in NE, Jun 3, 2019
    Arctic_White likes this.
  3. Montgomery

    Montgomery Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Luconi!! Welcome!
    There is a whole section here in Priuschat for the Prime drivers. In there, you will find all the latest with what they have done! Drive and enjoy. Hybrids in my opinion are fun!
     
    #3 Montgomery, Jun 3, 2019
  4. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    Do you need a free standing outlet or can you wire on the inside to an exterior wall and make the outlet outside? The weatherproofing will be quite different.

    Assuming you want a 20 Amp 240 Volt weatherproof outlet on an exterior wall, here is an example part list:

    www.amazon.com/Sealproof-Weatherproof-Lockable-Compliant-Configurations/dp/B07MHFZHDT
    www.amazon.com/Hubbell-Bell-PSB37550GY-Weatherproof-2-Inch-Outlets/dp/B0044FQX0I/
    www.amazon.com/Sigma-Electric-ProConnex-18051-Connector/dp/B00267NSU4
    www.amazon.com/Leviton-5461-R-Industrial-Receptacle-Grounding/dp/B003AU6WTU
    www.amazon.com/Leviton-84004-40-1-406-Inch-Receptacle-Wallplate/dp/B000FKDMDM
    www.amazon.com/Southwire-28829022-SIMpull-residential-electrical/dp/B000BQS5TG (direct burial would be about $10 more)

    You want a 240 Volt double Pole 20 Amp breaker, but that has to match your service panel, so I can't guess which one.

    If you want a larger Amperage outlet, you need a double gang box, cover, and wallplate, and lower gauge, higher Amperage cable.
     
    #4 JimboPalmer, Jun 3, 2019
    Last edited: Jun 3, 2019
  5. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    Three
    #5 JimboPalmer, Jun 3, 2019
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    congrats!

    please add your dealer and cost to the pricing thread.

    all the best!(y)
     
    #6 bisco, Jun 3, 2019
  7. Luconi

    Luconi Junior Member

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    Very cool. Thanks for the heads up on that. I have a OBDII scanner but I will check out Carista. Can it do everything that a real Toyota Scanner can do? Can it also do ABS diagnostic operations? (like cycling the ABS solenoid?)

    Admittedly the more i drive the prime the more im pleased with it. I dont think i'm looking back.

    So I'm actually thinking about trying to kill two birds with one stone. I'd like to first get a interlock for my main panel and run a dual pole plug to my driveway so i can get 240v for level 2 charging (probably get a 30A plug), then if i ever need to use a generator, i could flip the interlock to shut off the main breaker and backfeed from the same plug. Still need to do some due diligence on this.

    Awesome

    I actually already did. I got the car for $25,100 out the door. I'm right outside of Boston.
     
    #7 Luconi, Jun 3, 2019
    bisco likes this.
  8. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    Carista does not do that, but there are other software packages out there that may be able to do that. Techstream, perhaps.
     
    #8 jb in NE, Jun 3, 2019
  9. Luconi

    Luconi Junior Member

    Joined:
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    What do you guys run for motor oil and filter? Thinking about going with Mobil 1 extended performance.

    I plan on milking the free Toyota care services for the first 25k but will do my own service after that.
     
    #9 Luconi, Jun 3, 2019
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i use regular mobil one and toyota filter every spring
     
    #10 bisco, Jun 3, 2019
  11. noonm

    noonm Senior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    NJ
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    I can tell you what I've bought for my Prime Plus so far:

    Cup and Door Pocket Liners:

    Magnetic Air Vent Phone Mount (my phone has a magnetic case):

    Cable Clips (to organize my charging cables to the dashboard):

    OBDII Scanner (I use this with Hybrid Assistant to track real-time info while driving):

    Backseat Trunk Organizer (because with truck space at a premium, I need to be organized!):
     
    #11 noonm, Jun 3, 2019
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