Prius Prime engine running in EV mode?

If you are talking about the PiP, Toyota limited it to the CARB states.
If a Prime, it's possible your dealer simply didn't want to sell it.

 

Ahh, ok... yes, it was the PIP, but then the other day I was looking at the toyota.com and clicked on the link to "build one" and when it asked me for my zip code it said sorry, there are none in your area. Kind of odd.

 

The distributers in the South are independent of Toyota, and they aren't keen on selling Primes. People have ordered them through a dealer down there though. Many also came north to buy with the better incentives.

 

Yeah, you should be able to order one. I've talked to several people here who got theirs that way. Most had to wait several months and pay through the nose, but they got them. I'd get a one-way ticket to someplace in the northeast and drive back if I was getting a new one. The cost savings will pay for the travel several times over.

 

But when you buy a car out of state, you have to make sure that your state's registration and sales tax rules are complied with. The dealer in the other state has to style the sales documents, collect sales tax, etc, like your state wants it to, or else you will be in all sorts of grief when you attempt to register the car in your state.

 

It’s a wonder an enterprising NE dealer hasn’t offered one way tickets to pick up a PP to drive home. What are one way tickets nowadays, like $89 to $140? Seems cheap compared to the $1,000s they offer in dealer discounts.


iPad ? Pro

 

Many out of state dealers are willing to do this.

 

Do you end up having to pay sales tax in two states? I've never been able to find a definitive answer on that (and I think it depends somewhat on the states).

 

Depends on the state. Usually, you pay the state you live in.

 

I bought my 2017 PP right off the lot at a dealer here in Connecticut in 2017. My 'Net searches showed that pretty much every dealer in this area had a couple on the lot, so I just picked one that had the color and trim package I wanted.

At the time, Toyota was offering a $2500 incentive for the PP here. That, combined with the tax credit, made it a no-brainer to get the PP instead of a hybrid Prius to replace my 2010 Prius. When I asked the salesman why Toyota was incentivizing the PP, he said they wanted to increase PP sales to get their CAFE rating up since the bulk of their business was in non-hybrid RAV-4 models. Don't know if that's true, but that's what he said. Hard to imagine there were enough PP sales to make much difference.

 

Plug ins get a modifier for CAFE that counts each one as more than one car. I don't know the formula, but it considers whether the car is a PHEV or BEV, and its EV range. The Prime is likely near the low end of 1.2. I don't recall what the high end is, but it is less than 2.

 

In far Northern Wisconsin I ordered a Prime Advanced in early 2017. They were not in Toyota showrooms anywhere near here, none expected before very late 2017. (Even now in 2020 I can count on one hand the number of times I have seen another Prime in this area. Rare enough that I have had many parking lot conversations with folks curious about the car.) Lead time was around four months back then (showed up early May of 17) and yup, paid through the nose. On the other hand after three years with this car it still brings a smile every time I drive it. Dare I say its fun? Sure, the newer models have some improvements like the more convenient location of the seat heater switches although frankly I don't have a problem with their location on my 17. Yes, there is occasional glare on the touch screen but then there is occasional glare on touch screens of other vehicles I have driven, thinking Sequoia and Highlander. If you have flat glass there will be some glare. Bigger glass more glare. And for some folks I am sure the ability to seat three in the back is important. I am biased but of all the cars I have owned in my 50+ driving years this one is still at the top of my list. And bonus, leveraging EV and HV modes returns incredible gas mileage.

And getting back to where this thread sort of started. The ICE in my Prime occasionally comes on at times that are unexpected as well as during those conditions noted earlier. On the flip side I have had the ICE shut down unexpectedly under the following conditions. Started out on a cold day, temperature around 17 deg F. Was quite cold night before, well below zero. As expected car started in EV mode - ICE off but toward the edge of town with increase speeds (40 mph) the ICE started and continued to run throughout the next 30 miles of highway (65 mph) driving. Then the ICE shut down and the car ran on battery until it was depleted at which point the ICE kicked in again and finished the trip in what was essentially HV mode. I think what happened is that as the trip progressed the temperature of the battery pack got high enough that it could provide the necessary power for pure EV driving at highway speed thereby giving a huge boost to mileage for the trip. Pretty cool.

 

Yes, it depends on the states involved. And California seems to be one that plays very unfriendly to out-of-state buyers, essentially requiring the car to be trucked across the state line in order to avoid paying into CA's treasury. So unwary out-of-state buyers can get hit with double taxation if they drive their new car off the CA seller lot under its own power. While some states may give credit for sale tax paid elsewhere, others don't.

BTW, when one buys a new car out of state and brings it home to register, the home state doesn't charge "sales tax", it instead charges "use tax". It is only by some very strange coincidence that in many states, these tax rates are identical.

 

From the original post:
"I might try to see what happens if I drive with a full charge on a cold day, with the climate control turned off."
This works for me to keep the ICE off during my commute. I'm also preconditioning to 70F prior to departure, with net-metered solar this comes with no cost.

I am confused about the electric heat - is there none if the heat pump is below it's min temperature?

 

Below 14F, the gas engine will turn on to provide heat, just like any regular gasser car. This does not work for pre-conditioning, so if the ambient temp is below 14F, the per-conditioning has no effect in warming up the cabin temperature.