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Toyota Prius Hybrid 2009 Researcher :D

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by sakuradxb, Dec 10, 2008.

  1. sakuradxb

    sakuradxb New Member

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    Hello everyone :D

    I'm a newbie here and i hope i will be welcomed to join you guys

    I don't have Toyota Prius as yet but after doing the research, i think I have to get one once it's available.

    In fact, I'm a student conducting a research about hybrid cars and I choose Toyota Prius as my model ^^

    so can you help me to clarify some issues about this car.. and its benefits please ~ <(_ _)>

    I read many times, that the speed of prius reaches 60 .. how to indentify that "60". If i compare it to fuel cars, is it the same speed? or it has different measurement. A Japanese friend said it can reach 100 .. in the official website it says "110 hp (82 kW)" is that the speed? i really can't understand that electronic measurement

    oh by the way, do you think only "tree huggers" will be interested in buying this car? I mean since it's eco friendly car, not everyone will be interested?

    Many people argued that hybrid cars are slow compared to other cars "using fuel". is that true?
    how long the battery can last? and how do you re-charge the battery?

    also, which part of the country you would think people will buy the prius? In the cities or the countryside?
    I usually think it would be the city to reduce air pollution..etc, don't you think so? and plus, in the city there will be less highways so you don't need to have a car that goes fast.. (i'm assuming that the Prius isn't very fast like other fuel cars).

    I asked my brother about cars.. he said young men usually like fast cars, and don't really care about the environment (that's in my country). so he said, the faster, the better~ so is that mean this car can be only for:
    1) tree huggers
    2) probably family with kids

    ummm, I wonder if you can help me answer these questions (made up by me through doing my research)..

    oh. by the way~ one last question.. how did you know about Toyota Prius,, i mean is it through word of mouth .. or through ads.. did you watch TV ads.. or newspapers/magazine ads?

    Sorry i ask a lot of questions.. but i'm really curious to know more about your opinion !! :D
     
    #1 sakuradxb, Dec 10, 2008
  2. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Let's see what we can do...the language barrier may make it a little difficult.
    The Prius can achieve approximately 105-107mph (miles per hour), or about 170km/h.

    hp= horse power is the amount of power produced by the combination of the gas engine (ICE) and the electric drive motor (MG2) to the wheels. There is not a direct relationship b/w HP and speed, though generally cars with a higher HP can go faster than an equivalent sized vehicle with lower HP.


    Not everyone is interested in SUVs, or sports cars. But, in general, the Prius attracts people who are willing to pay a little extra to reduce the use of middle eastern oil, reduce emissions, and support advance technology that work toward achieving those goals. Some people buy to save money (those who drive a lot), some buy to gain access to HOV lanes (high occupancy vehicle lanes).

    They're slower than some, faster than others, but can be built to achive many purposes.
    Recently a hybrid vehicle won a 24 hour race in Japan against conventional gas vehicles. My Highlander Hybrid SUV can go from 0-60mph in 7 seconds...nearly the same as the Porsche Cayenne SUV. The Prius is built to save gas and reduce emissions, to achieve that some power/speed is sacrificed. The 2010 Prius will get better gas mileage than the current generation will, but will have a larger, more powerful ICE and may have a turbo charger and be able to compete with any conventional gas vehicle for acceleration and speed.

    They seem to sell particularly well in large cities, but I live in the country and own one and see many Prii every day.

    There are young men on this forum that made the more mature and responsible decision to get a Prius.


    Originally through a magazine article about hybrids, but hybrids are ubiquitous in the US now and people learn about them from a multitude of sources.
     
    #2 efusco, Dec 10, 2008
  3. sakuradxb

    sakuradxb New Member

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    thank you for your reply. I really got to know more about the Prius.

    hehe~ and sorry for my poor English~ i tried to read about the Prius from the official website.. but they use many measurements, specialized features that i don't really understand, maybe because i'm new into this Hybrid world.. now, i really like the idea of Hybrid :D


    oh.. that's not really slow.. it's just fine !


    oh.. so hp is horse power.. the higher the better~



    oh.. that's true.. pay little more but save more money (using less fuel). it makes more sense now that people generally can buy the Prius for different reasons and not only to save the environment.



    hybrid vehicle won against conventional gas vehicles... this is really amazing~ it shows how great hybrid can be .. i'm getting more and more interested now :D

    0-60mph in 7 seconds~ wow~ that's really great... it's not really as slow as i thought...
    I found this info after goggling around:
    (Highlander Hybrid SUV) Net Power: 270 hp (201 KW)and comparing this number with the Prius, 110 hp.. does it mean your Highlander Hybrid SUV use more fuel.. i guess so because your car has 6 Cylinders, while the Prius has 4 Cylinders.

    my problem is that we don't have the Prius in my country yet, so making a research about something that doesn't exist in my country isn't easy.. that's why my questions are really funny and can be as stupid.. but thank you :D

    Through reading some posts around this forum, i noticed that hybrid cars use "fuel" general gas.. and i thought it's electric batteries .. so which one is been used in Prius ?
    i found the answer.. it's Gasoline Engine (written in the official page)..

    so is that mean gasoline reduces air pollution? i guess all they could do is to improve fuel efficiency.. but isn't it a question still if Prius Hybrid can really help in reducing air pollution and global warming ?!
     
    #3 sakuradxb, Dec 10, 2008
  4. CharlesJ

    CharlesJ Member

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    Now I see where you got that KW from. Yes, horsepower can be converted to an equivalent electrical power in watts or kilowatts, in this case:)
    Speed is all relative. What matters to you? Fast acceleration, or being more efficient with finite resources:) Both cars will accelerate to highway speed and maintain the speed limit just fine:) People pass me in the city all the time but they are still at a traffic light when I get there too:D And, that speed is costing them in fuel, break wear, possible speeding ticket, etc.:D

    That 170 kph was the top speed, by the way.
     
    #4 CharlesJ, Dec 14, 2008
  5. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    I first learned about the Prius in February 2001 when a cube-neighbor bought one. Looked a lot different in the engine compartment. We piled 5 adults into the car. I still remember waiting to climb an overpass (a small hill), she hit the gas and I thought we took off pretty well for such a small car.

    I'm not a tree-hugger and I bought one. Some of the common complaints I hear from co-workers not considering a Prius are -
    * The hybrid battery will be very expensive to replace
    * the car looks a little funny, like a 'cheese wedge', etc...

    But, there are thousands of Prius in the San Francisco Bay Area. I think a lot of families with young children prefer a larger car, minivan or SUV for protection in an accident.

    I don't find the Prius slow on a highway, but, the current Prius could use more power for high power demand situations like sudden acceleration onto a highway and steep hill climbing.

    The gasoline engine recharges the battery automatically. In California, the hybrid battery warranty is 10 yrs/150k miles. Toyota quoted over $2,500 USD part cost for a replacement. I hope the price falls a lot in 10 years.

    I think the highest speed limit in the US is 70 MPH and the Prius can easily handle that speed.

    I'm pretty sure Prius is much more common in cities than in rural or countryside areas that my have rough terrain. The car only has about 7 inches ground clearance, so it needs flat, not rocky terrain.

    I think most buy a Prius is for its incredible fuel economy, low maintenance, and reasonable price and ownership costs. Many companies have purchased large fleets of Prius. AAA, an insurance company has hundreds of Prius for its business. Many taxicab comapanies are using Prius. Fuel prices go up and demand for the Prius goes up too.
     
    #5 cycledrum, Dec 14, 2008
  6. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    The current Prius built from 2004 to 2009 accelerates 0 - 60 mph a little over 10 seconds (might be 10.4), which is not very good, but adequate.

    There is an all new Prius, the 2010 model to be sold starting Springtime of 2009 (April, May?). Maybe the 0 - 60 mph will be in the 9 sec range with that car. 8 would be nice.
     
    #6 cycledrum, Dec 14, 2008
  7. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    Do a yahoo or google search for 'Prius wikipedia' for lots of info.

    Prius has an emissions 'Smog Index' in California, (maybe the whole US or world?) of 0.09 whereas the average of new cars is 0.37, less than 1/4
     
    #7 cycledrum, Dec 14, 2008
  8. eel

    eel New Member

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    It can go fast. But what about MPG? I got my 2009 Prius a week ago and have average of 31.2 MPG. Toyota advertise 45/48 mpg; I reserched it too and never saw that kind of low mpg in hybrids. Regular gas car Toyota Yaris 2008 can do better, it averages 35 mpg (my second car). Very frustrating! The idea of hybrids is to save gas. So far my Prius uses more than gas car.
     
    #8 eel, Dec 19, 2008
  9. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    If that number is accurate, there is definitely something wrong with your car.

    I don't know if it is possible to drive a properly set up Prius and get only 31 MPG.

    Ask a bunch of questions to sort it out.

    If I was getting only 31 MPG consistently, I would be fighting tooth and nail for a full dealer buy back. Not saying you should do that, but these cars really do get 46++ MPG.
     
    #9 cycledrum, Dec 20, 2008
  10. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    Many new owners attempt to drive in what they think is an efficient manner, like accelerating really slooow. But in reality, that's exactly what you shouldn't do. Just drive it.

    At -4°F going only 25 MPH on the icy highway, my Prius was getting about 36 MPG. It doesn't get a whole lot worse than that unless you come to a complete stop with the engine still running.

    By the time warm weather returns and break-in is complete, you'll see that MPG climbed up quite a bit. Just a week of ownership isn't much to go one yet.
    .
     
    #10 john1701a, Dec 20, 2008
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