What Prius Prime needs.

Thanks, I thought it was under the floor, but I remember now.
Could Toyota do that? Would they?

 

I’m guessing Toyota isn’t in a hurry to make pure-BEVs at least for the US market, regardless of where they put the battery.

I personally wouldn’t likely buy a PH/EV with as much intrusion into the cabin as the Volt’s battery had, but maybe that’s just me...

 

Really? I posted earlier that the Volt's starting MSRP was at under $34k. About a $7000 difference from the Prius Prime. For the price of a hypothetical 50 mile Prime to increase by twice that, Toyota would have to let the unpaid interns design it, or make a cash grab. The actual cost increase should be less as the price of batteries has still been dropping since the gen2 Volt came out.

Chevy's low price on batteries for the Bolt was because they agreed to use LG Chem for the drive system too. The cost would likely be higher, but still near the current Prime's after incentives.

GM did with the Volt, and the Prius is a midsize.

The current Prime's layout is horrible because Toyota rushed it, and they needed to put space aside for the solar system. Once they decided to ditch the middle rear seat, they should have used a T-shaped pack like the Volt. It would have taken up less space, and placed the weight in a spot for better driving dynamics than up over the rear axle.

That is the rumor as that is where the battery is going to be in the Rav4 Prime. A SUV can stuff more there than a low car, but one good thing about the PP's current battery is that Toyota can add more battery(remember the lost 4 inches under the pack) while still restoring some cargo space.

The Volt was based on the Cruze platform. The T battery is used to make use of an ICE platform's 'transmission' tunnel. Unless you go true series hybrid, a PHEV design is hard to balance the conflicting needs.

With the gen4 Prius, Toyota stopped looking forward. They thought a pack the size of the PiP's was going to be good enough when everybody else had larger ones in older models. Which means to didn't consider larger pack sizes for their new platform line. Not a real big deal if you aren't expecting plug ins to become mainstream, but it also means they didn't consider space for hydrogen tanks when the FCEVs they are pushing did.

 

Even at the lowest volumetric energy density for lithium technology of 250 Wh per liter, and tripling that for components, cooling, and electronics, 8 kWh would need 96 liters (a cube measuring 18 inches per side). That can easily fit under the rear seat.

 

Looking forward is not good business after several generations. Lateral growth is necessary at that point. Product diversification is essential.

 

They got a hybrid Corolla in sedan, hatchback, and wagon forms with fuel economy close enough to the Prius for the majority of buyers. Plus more hybrid models equipped with better technology than the Prius.

If the Prius no longer is the herald of upcoming technologies for Toyota, what is it role in the line up? Another hybrid will have a Prime option before the next Prius generation, and it will be done better than the PP, which was Toyota's second PHEV.

At this moment, the Prius is just a Corolla with a more polarizing style. That can be done cheaper with embellishment kits for the Corolla.

 

we don't get corolla hybrid hatch do we?

 

Which is probably the only thing saving the Prius in North America.

 

Don't like the timing, attempt to raise doubt.

 

Once again, I'm not clear what you are trying to communicate here, john.

But I will say, Isn't doubt and skepticism a good thing? !!

 

Product diversification gets brought up on a regular basis.

 

HSD costs too much compared to ICE cars for entry level models here. The Prius c is going away, and no word of us getting the Yaris hybrid. The Corolla sedan hybrid has a very obvious $3000 hybrid premium.

I'd just be happy if we got the Corolla wagon ICE.

Other engine options would be nice, but the US always got a pared down selection compared to the rest of the world. The best we hope for is the more powerful system being offered in a Lexus.

That was as clear as mud.

The Yaris, Corolla, Camry, Rav4, and Highlander are available globally as hybrids. Then there are Lexus models, and ones limited in markets, like the minivans in Japan.

The decline in Prius sales has been discussed here, and it is not as popular other hybrids in Europe because of import taxes. If it is no longer going before, what does Toyota plan for it? They have already consolidated the model line up with the introduction of the Corolla(no more Auris or Avensis), and the same is happening with the Yaris(no more Prius c or Aqua).

What lateral moves are there for the Prius? The v/Alpha/+ only seems to be hanging on where it is available with a third row seat, but Toyota has other models with that which will likely become a hybrid soon. Another model will have a Prime option before the next Prius Prime comes out.

 

The prime has a square battery crammed over a round hole.
They could have easily increased capacity by using space properly.
By modifying the car body to fit a bigger, better battery container, eliminating wasted space.
BTW, under the back seat is the gasoline tank, and the charger.
jp

 

The gas tank is outside the cabin. Inside the cabin, there is a void under the rear seat. In the Prius, the hybrid battery is there. As you state, the Prime's battery charger is there, but that can be moved. The main reason for not using the space for the traction pack was that Toyota was using it for the battery to the solar roof option.

The Rav4 difference for the LE is less or more. If you were going to get AWD no matter what, it is just $1000(I think it might have been $700 for 2019). Going from FWD LE to hybrid LE is $2400.

 

So, you want double the energy density but no weight or size change!?
You and every EV manufacturer on earth!

What you want is a purpose built PHEV.
The Prime is not that.
It is still a patch put in a regular Prius.

There was a 50 mile range PHEV and it was a True EV when operating in EV mode. RIP, Volt.

 

Better technology than the Prius? How so?