Why is the charging port in back?

Hmmm ... Where-ever I've lived outside the US, most people pull forward.

BTW, IMO, the main reason why Leaf has charging in the front, instead of the side, is because it has 2 ports - L2 & the CHAdeMO.

 

The Tesla Roadster has it on the driver's side, slightly behind the driver's door but in front of the trunk. And the car won't go with the plug door open.

That's where the Xebra had it. Very bad spot. I did some slight damage when I once started to back up while plugged in.

The electric Porsche had it on the right front fender, since the conversion shop just used the gas filler port door as a convenient place to put the plug. In my garage, that meant running the cable over the hood, so there was no chance of driving away with it plugged in.

I'm inclined to think the front and back bumpers are bad locations since that's the most likely place for fender benders.

 

i already have the hooks in place in my garage ceiling so i can drape the charging cord over the drivers door. that way, i can't forget to unplug.:rockon:

 

Not at all practical with a driveway like mine, where it's a very steep drive with a sharp right-hand turn at the end.

I'm very disappointed in the placement of the power port; I have no doubt that the decision was based on cost rather than weight (no matter what Toyota might tell us); this means that every time I get in or out of the car, I'll have to walk around to the other side to deal with the charge cable.

It would have made much more sense to have the power port on the driver's side, since the driver will always be present when getting in or out of the car.

Does anyone know the length of the charge cable? Is it as long or longer than the car itself? My circuit panel is at the front left head of where the car will be parked, which means I'll need at least 1-1/2 times the length of the Prius to reach the charge port.

My order # is 385, will be picking my car up in Alexandria, Virginia from Jack Taylor Toyota.

 

i think in either situation you have to look at convenience. my Zenn Also had the plug on rear panel on PASSENGER side. for an extended Range hybrid; ok, i can see that. gas on one side, EV on the other, but EV would be used more and i would prefer it be on driver's side.

for an EV like Daniel's and my NEV< there is no excuse other than laziness or to save money from an existing design. i thought it sucked too to have to walk around the car to plug in especially when it was pouring down rain on those rare Pacific Northwest days

 

I read here somewhere (I'd search and link to it, but I dont have enough posts) that the cable is 24 feet.

 

This doesn't make any sense. If you get hit from behind, especially on the passenger side, your power receptacle on the PiP could potentially be useless. So, you can't say that putting the power port in the left rear or in front of the driver's door is any better or worse in case of an accident. It all depends on what part of the car is damaged.

 

gotta point there. i rather have my port in the front. if i am gonna ruin it, i want it to be my fault. in my lifetime, i have been rear ended 3 times. i have only rear ended some one once and that was done at less than 5mph...(very embarrassing story we will not get into!!)

 

While I agree that it would be more convenient for American drivers on the left side, it is on the driver's side for Japan which is both the Prius home country and where I believe more Prius Plug-Ins are expected to be purchased than the US.

 

Funny, I was going to discuss this in my last post. Of course it's possible, but think about it from how the Prius was designed.

From the beginning and out of necessity, the Prius was designed to have both left and right side drive models, so the engineers designed it so the steering column could be placed on either side. If they didn't, they couldn't sell it in the US and other left side drive countries.

The Prius Plug-In battery is an add-on to the existing Prius platform. The plug location wasn't even finalized until the production model (as the prototype had it by the left front door, which I would have preferred). Moving it to the right side accommodates the home market. Creating a left side plug would require a right side gas tank and probably other components. Plus it's not a necessity.

Would I like it on the left side? Sure. Is it possible to put it there? Sure. But the point is that the design of the Prius is not entirely centered around America and the desires of its drivers.

 

Heard that.

The gas port which one will be accessing once in a blue moon (3 weeks, 2 months, who knows) is on driver's side.

The plug port which may be accessed every time one starts and ends a trip, is on the other side.

Maybe we'll need a poll - how many times skipped plugging in due to inconvenience / lack of time, etc, in confidence of course.

 

While its nice to have polls, and debate this issue, facts must be faced, Toyota has made their decision already, and they are not likely to change it until the next generation refresh. Just Sayin....

 

The Xebra was my daily car for 4 years. Plug behind the right rear door. Plugging and unplugging was absolutely no less convenient than it would have been on the driver's side because I had to carry the car end of the cord back and forth from the car to the wall socket, where the cord hung when not in use.

The down side was that it was not obvious from the driver's seat whether or not the car was plugged in, and the Xebra would drive when plugged in, not a good thing. Since the PiP will presumably not go while plugged in, that's not an issue.

I see no issue on right vs. left. I see issues on front vs. back if your cord won't reach, and I see issues on which part of the car is more likely to get hit. (Dave has a good point, that a front plug is more likely to be your own fault if damaged, though there are exceptions.)

 

I can virtually guarantee you the PiP will not go if plugged in. Can't imagine they didn't design for that. The damage from driving off plugged in would be .... B.A.D.

 

Yes, I'm sure they read it, and I'm also sure it's not going to change for the MY2012 PiP, as sure as I am the the sun will rise tommorow. They are planning on selling the majority of the PiPs in Japan, and THAT market is dictating their decisions for now. Perhaps in future model year PiPs, they'll relocate it for the North American market, provide multiple charging port locations, or have an option to choose 1 or 2 locations you can have your J-1772 port located. Don't count on any of that now, they are already about to start production on the PiP.