Featured Toyota vs. Electric Cars: Smart Strategy or Innovator's Dilemma?

this is the oft-repeated / histrionic / misunderstood dynamic repeated by those that don't understand the nature of amorphic transportation modes. Do pickup trucks need to completely replace four-door cars? Do 4-wheel quads need to completely replace the horse? Of course not .... any more than bicycles needing to completely replace walking. There is no perfect, when it comes to transportation, because there will always be numerous & varying transportation needs & wants. But now that manufacturing can build cheaper, & longer range, & more powerful EV's - the BMW - Lexus - MB type markets are already taking a huge hit. It didn't take completely overtaking refueling advantages or other advantages either. It doesn't have to be perfect. As Bob often says, perfect is the enemy of good enough.
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As a former Prius Prime owner, I agree but since I traded mine in for a Std. Rng. Plus Model 3, here are a few details:

• 3-stop Prius vs all day Model 3 - frequency of EV recharging
• 50 F limits - below this temperature several things can trigger engine operation versus staying in EV
• 121 vs 185 HP - reaching the speed limit first at a light, merging in tight traffic
• ~6.4 km/kWh - but I live in Dixie

Bob Wilson

 

but there's currently a serious price to be paid for those benefits

 

In my case, a 16k mi (25 km) Prime with another year of warranty, the trade-in price $18.3 k was too good to pass up.

I want to leave a positive impression about the Prius family. If I were to grade the recent cars we've owned:

• ~50% - 2001 Echo, ~40 MPG
• ~75% - 2003 Prius, 52 MPG @65 mph
• ~85% - 2010 Prius, 56 MPG @70 mph
• ~92% - 2017 Prius Prime, 25 mi EV, 60 MPG @70 mph
• ~95% - 2014 BMW I3-REx, 72 mi EV, + 39-40 MPG @70 mph
• ~100% - 2019 Std. Rng. Plus Model 3, 240 mi EV, +80-90 MPGe @75 mph

Every Prius out performed any non-Prius and the Prius improved over time. Adding EV range shifts performance up proportional to the range. Just the Model 3 with the Supercharger network is a game changer.

Bob Wilson

 

you could get a prime here for 20k at one time, maybe a tesla for 30k?