The misunderstandings are still around

I put my new gen III cab onto the road yesterday for the first time, and was amazed at the general lack of understanding of what the Prius can and cannot do.

For some reason, Prius taxis are very rare here in Sydney. My cab is the first for my radio network, and I am aware of only 3 other Prius taxis in Sydney (there are 2 others that are used as standby cabs - used when a normal taxi is in the workshop for a number of days but they are not on the road every day). There are no hybrid Camry taxis in Sydney, despite Toyota building hybrid Camrys in Australia. Every other city and major town in Australia has Prius taxis all over the place. I am hoping to convince operators here in Sydney that they are a viable alternative to the more common Ford, especially when the most common Ford model (the Falcon wagon) has now been dropped from production.

The first passengers that I had actually knew of the Prius and understood the hybrid concepts, but they were the only ones all day. Most passengers just climbed into the cab and commented on the newness of the car, but a number asked what type of car it was. When told that it was a Toyota Prius, the most common reaction was - "Oh, it runs on electricity. How often do you need to plug it in?"

I suppose that I could be happy that they actually knew that the Prius is different from other cars, but I am still trying to work out a patter that explains the hybrid concept in half a dozen sentences .

I am going to try and take note of the more unusual views on the car over the next few weeks, and add them to this thread as they occur. The one positive is that I get to discuss something other than the weather and how bad business is at present.

 

Already had that - when I mentioned reduced petrol costs - my reply - "Sorry, the fares are set by the government, and I am not allowed to discount"

Do have the Energy monitor displayed, but the display in the gen III is not as easy to see as the one on the gen II, and I had one passenger complain it was too complex to follow. Does not help that the meter partially blocks the view for the passengers in the rear seats.

 

After a week of running, I thought that I would get a few more people who really do not understand the hybrid concepts, but, surprisingly, that has not been the case. Still get the comment "Oh this is the electric car", but I have now got a patter together that generally quickly demonstrates the different components on the Energy Monitor. Generally, accelerating away from lights, comment that the petrol engine is now working with the electric to power the car, then, on getting to the speed limit, take my foot of the acelerator and show the petrol engine cutting out, and then braking for the next set of lights, and showing the power being put back into the battery.

Most passengers who are interested then talk about fuel costs. I can tell them that I am paying approx $7.50 per 100 km, and compare it to the Ford Falcon wagon (the mainstay of the Sydney taxi fleet) running on LPG and averaging $15.00 per 100km. These are based on my driving of the Ford over the last 4 months, so the comparison is fair as it is my driving style in both vehicles.

I have now had two passengers who have stated that they will definitely consider a Prius for their next car, and one of those is currently driving an Audi, and hating the maintenance costs, let alone the fuel costs.

The only complaint that I have had was one passenger who felt that it was a bit cramped in the back - but after he got out, I realised that the previous passenger had sat in the front seat and pushed it back, so naturally there was less room in the back. Australian men most commonly get in the front passenger seat in cabs in Australia, while most women get into the back, so often the position of the front passenger seat does not bother most passengers, but it is something that I will need to be aware of.

Most other taxi drivers are very interested in the fuel costs, and I have not had one that has rubbished the car. The biggest concern is the amount of luggage you can get into the car. Most feel that you can only get a couple of large suitcases in the back, which is why most want to run wagons - then they can get a family of 4, together with their luggage into one car. I had one case when I was driving the Ford where I was just able to get all the luggage into the car for 4 people, so it does count for the wagons. I feel that the Prius v might be the answer, but there is no word yet as to when this version will appear on the Australian market.

 

Update - after two weeks on the road, still get the occassional "do you have to plug it in?" question, but most passengers who want to talk about the car are interested enough to take note of what I say about it, and I have not had one passenger rubbish the car. In fact, as it has been party time around Sydney, I have had a number of people who normally commute, but taking the taxi because they were planning on having a few drinks. Nearly every one of these have been very interested in the performance and impressed on the fuel costs.

A couple of passengers have asked why there are not more Prius cabs, given the low fuel costs. I can only reply that I cannot understand the reason, and probably will not have an answer for another year, when I should be able to compare maintenance costs with the Fords. Prius taxis are common in every other city and major town in Australia, but not Sydney. I was given one insight by another owner - he needs to replace his car next year (we can only run a car for a maximum of 6 years as a taxi). He is planning to buy a second hand Ford - he can get a 2 year old Ford for approximately half the new price. He can only run it for 4 years, but it does mean that he saves a small amount versus a new car, so I now need to get the maintenance costs brought into the equation to show that total cost for the Prius is actually lower. Once I can do that, I think that I will find a few more converts.

However, yesterday, my day was made when the father of a young family that I was taking to one of the viewing sites for the New Year fireworks said "Hey, kids, this is one of those cars of the future".

 

Here in Sydney, the fuel savings are not generally considered. This is because the driver is responsible for the fuel, not the owner of the vehicle (unless, like me, you are both the owner and the driver). So the owners are only concerned with the cost of the car and the maintenance costs, while the driver is very interested in saving on the fuel costs.

As I put it to one owner, if you drive five shifts yourself, you save $100 per week, or $5,000 per year, when compared to a LPG Ford. So over a 6 year period, the net cost of the Prius is just $10,000. If you have drivers run the car for the other shifts, you could charge them an extra $10 per shift - they will still make an extra $10 per shift, which means that, over the same 6 year period, you will make an additional $15,000, at least. And if you had drivers for all shifts, you could easily get the $30,000 back, so the net cost of the Prius is still $10,000.

The amount that you can charge a driver for a shift is actually restricted by government regulation, but most owners charge less that the full amount, so the chance of charging extra is generally available. Suggesting to the owners that they can get more for the car seems to get their interest. But they are still worried about the maintenance costs when compared to the Fords, and only time will tell for that part of the equation.

By the way, dumb cabbies are not restricted to the UK. We have a good number of them here in Sydney as well.

 

An update.

Finally had an unusual comment on the Prius this week. The passenger stated that he had driven a Prius a lot, and was surprised that I do not use the ‘B’ when driving. His statement was “using the ‘B’ means that you get more charge on the battery”. He refused to believe my comment that it may actually reduce the regenerative power as you are using the ICE to perform more of the braking. He then followed up with a comment that I will notice that the battery will not fully charge as time goes by. Maybe because he is using ICE braking rather than regenerative braking.

So the misunderstanding are not just with the un-initiated.

After 2.5 months on the road, the major comment is still – “Oh, this is an electric car. I now state that it is a hybrid – basically an electric car with a petrol assist. This generally sets the ground rules and helps them understand what the Energy Monitor is showing. I still get is "how far can you go on the battery?". This is followed by "do you have to plug it in overnight?".

One surprising comment, mainly from women, but I have had a couple of male passengers make the same comment - "it is so quiet !!". All have commented that it makes the trip much nicer. I have also recently been getting some complaints - "I didn't hear you pull up" – as I roll up to their house.

A lot of people have been impressed with the amount of room in the car. And, of course, a lot are asking why there are not more Prius cabs on the road. As I explained in an earlier post, saving on fuel costs is not the concern for the operators – maintenance costs are the key item, and I tell my passengers the same thing. However, the situation may soon change.

Our fuel prices here in Sydney are going up, and a number of passengers are now grilling me on the performance. A number of other taxi drivers are also grilling me - partially because the price of LPG has just jumped nearly 30% - went from 59 cents a litre to 75 - 79 cents a litre. One driver was complaining that it cost him $50 for a shift, and then asked me how much I was paying. For me, I complain if I have to pay more than $20 for a shift.

I am already getting a couple of drivers asking if I am looking for drivers to do shifts I that I do not want to do.

 

Another update.

Still have not had one person bad-mouth the Prius. Still get, on average, one "how do you charge the battery?" question each day, but many more comments on how quiet the car is, and interest in the fuel savings - the price of petrol is going up here in Sydney, so saving money at the pump is again becoming a topic in conversations. A lot of people ask how I like the car, to which I, of course, reply "love it".

I had one passenger yesterday, who, on climbing into the car commented "ah, a Prius. I also have a Prius. Aren't they a great car?". In our conversation, I asked her what she would do when she needed to replace the car. The answer was "Definitely buy another Prius".