Plug in Prius 135mpg!!!
Discussion
Last weeks autocar has a review of this car.
Now I'm no fan of the Prius I find the interior cheap boot shallow and it's asking price high and the Electric only range of 0.5miles laughable and on my commute a 520d would be vastly better in every way incl economy
That said this new one can do c20miles on electric only provided you drive at 51 mph no more or the petrol engine would kick in. Add to that it charges in 3hours... Add to that the future recharge method will be wireless over a parking bay but for now it's a plug.
So thinking lets say my commute was 25 miles I'd use the engine for 5miles only and frankly I would drive it at 51mph max speed until EV was empty(else why buy the thing).
Imagine the cost...fuel bills would drop by 80% for the commute and any shopping trips etc would be essentially free.
Let's say annual milage of 12k f you drove a diesel that would cost c£2k in fuel this would cost £400!
This range seriously makes sense to those who want to commute as cheaply as is physically possible plus road tax free. Commuting doesn't get much more white goods than this. Also remember for many commutes average speed isn't above 30mph so even when m way is clear just hold back to the 51mph it will make all of a minute or two in commuting time.
I could be converted. Well done Prius - cannot believe I said that.
(then you can have a weekend v12 XJS or whatever you like)
Now I'm no fan of the Prius I find the interior cheap boot shallow and it's asking price high and the Electric only range of 0.5miles laughable and on my commute a 520d would be vastly better in every way incl economy
That said this new one can do c20miles on electric only provided you drive at 51 mph no more or the petrol engine would kick in. Add to that it charges in 3hours... Add to that the future recharge method will be wireless over a parking bay but for now it's a plug.
So thinking lets say my commute was 25 miles I'd use the engine for 5miles only and frankly I would drive it at 51mph max speed until EV was empty(else why buy the thing).
Imagine the cost...fuel bills would drop by 80% for the commute and any shopping trips etc would be essentially free.
Let's say annual milage of 12k f you drove a diesel that would cost c£2k in fuel this would cost £400!
This range seriously makes sense to those who want to commute as cheaply as is physically possible plus road tax free. Commuting doesn't get much more white goods than this. Also remember for many commutes average speed isn't above 30mph so even when m way is clear just hold back to the 51mph it will make all of a minute or two in commuting time.
I could be converted. Well done Prius - cannot believe I said that.
(then you can have a weekend v12 XJS or whatever you like)
Yeah, but have you seen the price?
£32,895 list (before extras) but then you need to apply a £5,000 government grant. But like most government grant things, its not knocked off the list price when you stroll into a Toyota dealership....
£27k (after the grant) for a car that is supposed to be really economical - its flipping expensive! The Chevy Volt / Vauxhall Ampere is equally as expensive so I guess this is the price point that they think they can get away with. But £27k buys you a very nice car that is also economical too.
And £3,000 for a bigger battery and a plug-in port? Is it me, or does that seem just a little expensive?
£32,895 list (before extras) but then you need to apply a £5,000 government grant. But like most government grant things, its not knocked off the list price when you stroll into a Toyota dealership....
£27k (after the grant) for a car that is supposed to be really economical - its flipping expensive! The Chevy Volt / Vauxhall Ampere is equally as expensive so I guess this is the price point that they think they can get away with. But £27k buys you a very nice car that is also economical too.
And £3,000 for a bigger battery and a plug-in port? Is it me, or does that seem just a little expensive?
smartphone hater said:
Usually I have little interest in modern technology but I must admit that charging by wireless technology intrigues me, any idea how it works?
Seen demo's of it online. Cant be that efficient can it?By the time you have burned fossil fuels in a power station(loss), converted that to electricity(loss), transmitted that to the location(loss), wirelessly charged(loss) the batteries (loss) then draw current from the batteries (loss)into the motors (loss) how much of the initial energy is left!?!
RobDickinson said:
Seen demo's of it online. Cant be that efficient can it?
By the time you have burned fossil fuels in a power station(loss), converted that to electricity(loss), transmitted that to the location(loss), wirelessly charged(loss) the batteries (loss) then draw current from the batteries (loss)into the motors (loss) how much of the initial energy is left!?!
Don't disagree at all - however those power generations happen anyway. You could say all of the above for oil too as you need energy to extract it and tere is huge electrical energy used in the process. By the time you have burned fossil fuels in a power station(loss), converted that to electricity(loss), transmitted that to the location(loss), wirelessly charged(loss) the batteries (loss) then draw current from the batteries (loss)into the motors (loss) how much of the initial energy is left!?!
Some of the figures, and numbers on here are laughable.
15.5 Miles EV Only range, not 20. But yes, up to 51mph, although you can switch modes to get the best out of the vehicle. Charging time is 90 minutes (not three hours) from a 13amp 3 pin household plug.
The government grant is dealt with by the dealership, so your not putting the extra upfront, something Toyota have made sure of, so no worries there either.
Yes 27k is a lot of money, but itll hold its value pretty well (as Prius do), itll save a lot of people a lot of money on running costs of fuel etc, and will be perfect for London and Congestion Charge places, where it runs free, and can refil charge in city centres when parked up.
Its the ultimate big city commuter car, that doesnt restrict you when you want to go further like an normal electric vehicle does with range anxiety. The last thing you want, and when the EV battery is depleted, its a normal Prius, with over 70mpg, unlike the Ampera/Volt
15.5 Miles EV Only range, not 20. But yes, up to 51mph, although you can switch modes to get the best out of the vehicle. Charging time is 90 minutes (not three hours) from a 13amp 3 pin household plug.
The government grant is dealt with by the dealership, so your not putting the extra upfront, something Toyota have made sure of, so no worries there either.
Yes 27k is a lot of money, but itll hold its value pretty well (as Prius do), itll save a lot of people a lot of money on running costs of fuel etc, and will be perfect for London and Congestion Charge places, where it runs free, and can refil charge in city centres when parked up.
Its the ultimate big city commuter car, that doesnt restrict you when you want to go further like an normal electric vehicle does with range anxiety. The last thing you want, and when the EV battery is depleted, its a normal Prius, with over 70mpg, unlike the Ampera/Volt
smartphone hater said:
Usually I have little interest in modern technology but I must admit that charging by wireless technology intrigues me, any idea how it works?
Same as an electric toothbrush. Induction charging.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_charging
Welshbeef said:
Imagine the cost...fuel bills would drop by 80% for the commute and any shopping trips etc would be essentially free.
Does that mean you've got permission to charge the car at work?I can't remember the figures off the top of my head, but the total electricity costs for charging an EV aren't as low as you might assume. Still quids in, I'm sure, particularly when you factor in zero road tax etc. but I'm sure the last set of figures I saw for EV charging were a bit of an eye opener.
If you spend most of your time in town and you can afford the extra outlay then the Volt/Ampera is worth a look too.
LouD86 said:
The government grant is dealt with by the dealership, so your not putting the extra upfront, something Toyota have made sure of, so no worries there either.
And there lies the total folly and error of modern subsidies. 
The Taxpayer gives £5k to one of the largest companies in the world every time a UK resident buys one.
Grants should be processed through te tax return and never, ever by the company.
Nothing against the car at all but just tired of how taxpayers money is thrown away and the idiot taxpayers so thick that they think they are getting £5k.
t heavy petrol car now.Has your friend had his car serviced by Toyota for its life? If so, may be worth talking to the dealership. I know of several people in early gen 1's, or gen 2' who have had issues, and batteries have been replaced by Toyota FOC, not even a labour charge.
Could be a worthwhile shout, they are a great company, who like to please their customers.
Could be a worthwhile shout, they are a great company, who like to please their customers.
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