1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Why I Hate my Prius Prime

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by stevepea, Apr 29, 2017.

  1. Lee Jay

    Lee Jay Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2009
    5,850
    4,017
    0
    Location:
    Westminster, Colorado
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    My daily commute is well within the Prime's range.
     
    dalcon95 likes this.
  2. dalcon95

    dalcon95 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2011
    512
    652
    2
    Location:
    Easley, South Carolina
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
    I think it would be used in situations where you have to drive beyond the EV range and will use gas until you plugin again. I would be a convenience to use and not have to think much when you have to use gas. For me, I strictly try to only use electricity and not gas.

    #1 in Easley,SC
     
    bisco and Prius from Dad like this.
  3. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2005
    27,044
    15,358
    0
    Location:
    Huntsville AL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Unlike ordinary Prime owners who seldom visit, PriusChat members are control freaks?

    Bob Wilson
     
    KrPtNk and Janice N like this.
  4. Prius from Dad

    Prius from Dad Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2012
    724
    1,115
    0
    Location:
    Toms River, NJ USA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Premium
    For me EV auto is conservative. I've tried it and a few other scenarios. For my commute, me controlling it gets me the best daily mpg. If my commute were shorter of longer, I might change my strategy. Everyone's trips are different and with the Prime there is no one size fits all.
     
    dalcon95 likes this.
  5. Bob Comer

    Bob Comer Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2010
    708
    454
    0
    Location:
    South Carolina low country
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    Thanks all!

    My commute is 37 miles each way, so no way am I going to get all EV. I like not having to worry about things, so I'll probably use it. I ordered the Advanced because of all it's other conveniences.

    That's one reason I absolutely love the idea of the Prime, it is extremely versatile, and to answer the OP, I'd never buy a pure EV because it's as rigid as you can get. A taste of something I know I don't want is not I'm going to worry about. :)
     
  6. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2006
    21,566
    11,188
    0
    Location:
    eastern Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    That percent EV is suspect. It appears that it counts engine off, motor on in hybrid mode as EV miles. This means the percent EV isn't just grid powered miles.
     
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,533
    48,842
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    correct, gen 4 has gone to a new system of reporting: engine on/off. idk if there's a reason, or toyota is just trying to pad their stats.
     
  8. joachimz

    joachimz Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2012
    451
    612
    17
    Location:
    SoCal
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    was that different in the original PiP? For my part, I'd assumed it would show the miles driven in EV, whether that energy came from the plug, re-gen or what. The manual page 221 says:
    “EV Driving Ratio”: For the displayed distance of the mileage display, the percent traveled using only electric motor power is displayed.

    Could you elaborate on your "suspect" comment please?
     
  9. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,744
    15,996
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    The PiP had an HV/EV Ratio that tracked the distance (Trip A/B) that was done in HV and done in EV Drive Mode. That way, you knew the EV miles was grid miles.

    On the Prime, the EV Drive % includes any time the engine is off (It's the same menu/display on the Gen 4 which doesn't have a plug). So now, it's harder to discern how many miles were on grid and how many were just with the engine off in HV mode.

    Technically there isn't a difference in the sense that if you're not using the engine, it should be a good thing, whether you're in HV or EV mode. However, PriusChat members are a different breed. We like actually knowing the difference between Grid EV miles and engine-off EV miles.
     
    bisco and Trollbait like this.
  10. joachimz

    joachimz Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 21, 2012
    451
    612
    17
    Location:
    SoCal
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    i see, thanks for the response
     
  11. Nancy S

    Nancy S Member

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2015
    53
    60
    0
    Location:
    Chandler, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    I think no one on the site is probably harder on their Prime than we are. We (hubby and I) commute 21 miles each way to work each day. If you're not going at least 70 in the carpool lane ( and up to 85 sometimes) you'll get run over here and usually with the a/c on both ways. Husband gets to drive in on full electric, I drive out maybe 4-5 miles back on electric before the gas kicks in. Electric is an absolute delight. Love to drive our leased Leaf despite serious range anxiety while we awaiting our pre- ordered model 3 later arriving later this year. I could not imagine 2 full electric cars though, thus the Prime was a "no brainer" ...A Toyota and qualifies for my carpool plate! It is hard to drive a gas car once you have driven electric. I am very glad we waited for the Prime it's an absolute joy and I'm sure it will live up to it's quality expectations. We drove our 2008 Prius just as hard with not a single issue(barring recalls and flat tires). We expect nothing less of the Prime.

    Hybrids, plug -ins, and electric cars all have different attributes it takes research to determine which suits your needs best to bring you to your ultimate decision.:)
     
    jmarkd7 likes this.
  12. Xeno

    Xeno Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 25, 2017
    25
    17
    0
    Location:
    97266
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Premium
    Let's start with #2: If 70% of us drive alone, or with one other person, and want to put an upright base in the car, but dont like the divider.. Put the seats down. Mine lives with the seats down. I dont have rear seat passengers more than once every few weeks at most, and its easy enough to put back up when needed. With it down.. the back seat divider has never once been a problem. Its not even visible.

    Bringing us to #1: With seats down, I put in wheelchairs, groceries, and other larger items with no difficulty whatsoever. Went camping with a friend and two full sets of gear, and still had full visibility out the back window. I carry a lot of stuff regularly and have had 0 space issues. Never once even come close to running out of space.

    Which flows into #6.. that rear seat divider provides.. a place to put things. An extra cubby. If it were retractable, I doubt it would have room to put much of anything into it.
     
  13. MikeDee

    MikeDee Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2013
    1,534
    581
    0
    Location:
    San Francisco Bay Area
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    As I understand it, the purpose of EV Auto is to give you more power when you need it by recruiting the ICE when you need power to accelerate. You are not going to get better mileage in EV Auto. I've tried it a few times. Now I never use it.
     
    Prius from Dad likes this.
  14. Bob Comer

    Bob Comer Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2010
    708
    454
    0
    Location:
    South Carolina low country
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    My commute is a 37 mile each way mix of highway, city, and rural, roads that I take every day. I was thinking that EV auto would possibly use the ICE on the highway, full EV in the city, and maybe a mix on the rural roads, once the predictive efficient drive learned my route. Maybe I'm asking for it to do too much, but that's the way I would program it if i did it. :)

    I'll certainly have to try different things when I get my Prime in. If it ever gets here. :(
     
    Prius from Dad and dalcon95 like this.
  15. stevepea

    stevepea Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 16, 2017
    531
    578
    0
    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Again, thanks everyone for your answers and comments.
    Yesterday for the fast 45 + 45 freeway mile drive I decided to put it into HV mode all the time (except the short getting to, and after the fwy). Battery was fully charged (or close to it, minus about a mile or two).

    One thing I noticed by glancing at the display, was that in the HV mode with the battery charged (driving flat steady 65-70 freeway miles), it seemed to constantly switch between (a) using only the battery (all EV) for maybe just 15 seconds -- then (b) turning on the engine, to both power the car and recharge the battery for about the same length of time. This surprised me, as I thought, especially with close to a full battery, the cycle would be for much longer periods, maybe a couple of minutes, not short cycles like 15 seconds all-EV, 15 seconds engine power & charge (the 15 seconds is approximate, but it was indeed a constant, somewhat quick on/off thing).

    While I do intend to plug in my Prime (at least from time to time), I have a colleague w/the original PiP who has never ONCE plugged the car in. And as I do almost all freeway (instead of city) driving, this brings up two questions:

    (1) If there were zero EV miles left in the battery (just the 20% charge set aside by the car for HV mode) -- and I never were to plug it in again -- I'm wondering if the Prime would perform differently in HV mode than it does with there being plenty of charge to spare. If the battery only had 20% (or 30%) charge left, would that cycle I described above be as quick? And would the car recharge back only whatever small amount of the 20% HV buffer that was used to drive (to keep it at the 20% buffer level)? Or will the Prime use the engine to try to recharge more of the battery, to emulate plugging in, and try to bring the battery back up to maybe 50%?

    (2): Regarding battery longevity, if one drives almost all freeways, and theoretically were to never use anything but the HV mode (never use the EV mode): Over the long run, is it better to (a) not ever plug in, and have the car keep the battery just at around the lower 20% HV buffer level, or (b) to have plugged it in once three months ago, and have the car keep the battery around the 90% level?
     
    jmarkd7 likes this.
  16. Prius from Dad

    Prius from Dad Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2012
    724
    1,115
    0
    Location:
    Toms River, NJ USA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Premium
    One thing different in the Prime from a regular hybrid is that when you are in a slight decline, even at freeway speeds, HV will use the battery whether you have EV portion left or not. When the power indicator goes above the line at ECO, the ICE will kick in. The ICE needs to be warmed up, though. In my 2012 v, I could only use the battery up to 43 mph.
     
    dalcon95 likes this.
  17. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2006
    21,566
    11,188
    0
    Location:
    eastern Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    You might have had to get a Ford Energi for that.
     
  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,533
    48,842
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    only because there's no free lunch, and hv ev miles are generated by gasoline, albeit by capturing potentially lost energy.
    a third data gauge would be welcome.
     
    Tideland Prius likes this.
  19. Bob Comer

    Bob Comer Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2010
    708
    454
    0
    Location:
    South Carolina low country
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    Too far for an Energi.
     
  20. Prius from Dad

    Prius from Dad Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2012
    724
    1,115
    0
    Location:
    Toms River, NJ USA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Premium
    Your commute is similar to mine. I tried different scenarios and found the one that is right for me. EV auto didn't work for my commute. Your mix of speed limits and hills will take a while to figure out. But it'll definitely be fun trying.:) Hope your Prime comes in soon. (y)
     
    Bob Comer likes this.