Is the Toyota Prius Prime really that big of a deal?

[Mark Miller]

It is a training system rooted in the engineering world. For example, gentle braking that maximizes regenerative energy instead of heating brake pads.

Bob Wilson

Yes, I understand this already -- my question is about how far this goes. I had a more tactile sense in my '05 about how much brake pressure it took to transition from regen to friction braking. It seems to me that with the Prime, a mild pressure that should be (IMO) entirely within the regen regime, say, braking from 35 to 0 mph within 70 m, is giving me a lower score than doing the same within 100 m. So I am wondering if anyone has tested this quantitatively -- or, if Toyota has shared anything on why they set the scoring parameters as they have.

 

[bwilson4web]

I don't know of anyone who has studied it but you might ask at PriusChat.com. Being in the engineering camp, this is not an area I have much interest.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

 

[Mark P]

Thought I would share my experience. Had already started the process of installing rooftop solar on our house in southern Nevada when our 15+ year old SUV started to have issues again so we decided it was time to replace it. We are currently a 2-person, one car household. I have no commute as I work from home and my spouse does not work. Looked into both the Volt and Prime; we decided to go with the Prime. Purchased a 2018 Prime Advanced model to become a first time Toyota owner. Solar was installed and the Prime was purchased in March of this year. After all the expected tax rebates on both the Prime and the solar are taken into consideration, the total cost will be approximately $42,000 (Prime=$30,000, Solar=$12,000). Amounts do not include the additional taxes, license, fees, etc., for the Prime. Since March the solar has covered 100 percent of electric usage for both our house and the Prime. I estimate that we have used no more than 2 gallons of gas in the Prime from the initial tank in 7 plus months. That is over 4000 miles on 2 gallons of gas.

I picked the Prime after reviewing our driving habits and I noticed that our daily driving was almost always between 15 and 25 miles. The Prime would fit this perfectly. Our average monthly miles we drive is approximately 600. No long trips yet, but several are already planned.

According to the stats from the Prime, in March through May, I got 5.1 miles per kWh. During the summer months with the AC load I got 4.3 miles per kWh. At 11.5 cents per kWh, the cost for the Prime is 2.25 to 2.67 cents per mile while in EV mode. I was really surprised how efficient and low cost per mile the Prime is in EV mode. I estimate that my old SUV was closer to 18-20 cents per mile with $3 gas. I understand there is some loss in the charging process so the true cost is a bit higher.

The Toyota entune app shows that my situation is far from unique. The app lists the top 100 Primes for fuel consumption that achieved at least a 999.9 mpg rating. To be on the list the Prime would have had to been in EV mode 100 percent of the time or close to it. For September, the top 100 includes mileage driven in the month from 331 to 1704 miles.

My top 3 reasons why the Prime is a big deal; #1) Its amazingly efficient in both EV and hybrid mode, #2) Has enough range to allow us to drive almost exclusively in EV mode for our daily activities. #3) In planning long road trips I do not have to factor in the longer charging times as I would for an electric only car.

No issues at all after 7 plus months with the Prime. I like the advanced model with the upgraded interior, display screen, and many other features that I have not had in a car before. The Prime is not for everyone, but so far no regrets on this purchase.

 

[2018_Toyota_Prius_Prime]

New member here so I thought I'd chime in.
It was a hard decision to buy a Toyota Prius because of the stigma the brand has created. I mean, common you're buying a Prius...
I literally had a conversation with my wife the night before we signed the papers if I should go through with buying one haha!

In the past I've owned "manly" vehicles, full size trucks, work vans, box trucks, Lifted Jeep Wrangler on 35's, a really nice and quick 05 Subaru STi with Meth injection, and I must say, my 2018 Prius Prime has been a fantastically, great vehicle to own so far (1 year down on 7,000 miles, with 0 and I mean, ZERO issues--which it should be WITH ANY NEW CAR but that's not always the case). I just got the first inspection done (June 2019) and had the oil changed and wiper blades changed and that's it--the gas engine has probably been only run for about 1,000 miles but I'm just going to get the oil changed every year regardless (it's $35 at the Toyota dealer).

This vehicle has been purchased for business purposes and goes on a lot of local appointments--all within the 30 mile range we've been getting out of our Prime. Around town I'm 99% in EV and on the highway I normally manually select the engine to turn on since it's more efficient at highway speeds. BTW the EV mode is able to travel at highway speeds up to 85 MPH before the engine turns on. In addition, THIS THING CAN CRUISE AT 95 MPH FOR MILES AND STILL GET 60 MPG!!! It literally has no issue getting up to higher speeds and flying while getting high MPG.

The Atkinson engine sounds like a DOG around town in city driving (if your battery is depleted and your forced to use it) but the electric motors are actually really fun around town. I drove a friends Tesla Model 3 and I honestly wasn't blown away with it's performance. Unless you get an upgraded Model S with Ludicrous mode (which is the only reason you should by a Tesla btw-it's fast) most of the electric vehicles are pretty close to the same performance. The Prius Prime can spin the tires from a dead stop, but that's not what you buy it for!

YOU BUY THE PRIUS PRIME TO BE THE MOST EFFICIENT AND RELIABLE VEHICLE AVAILABLE. AND SO FAR, IT IS.

I drive the Prime everyday and go to the gas station roughly, every 4 months. I GET ROUGHLY 1500-1900 miles on a tank. No, I'm not making this up. I charge it overnight and keep track of the kWh it uses. I use the standard 120v charging and pay roughly $12 per month on electric (and that's rounding up).

Because I go to the gas station so infrequently, I use ethanol free 90 octane. It's about $3.99/ gallon here in PA. It costs about $35 to fill up the tank every 4 months. I'm looking to go full EV in the next year. We're going to keep this Prius Prime because, well, it's efficient and uber reliable. Looking into a Tesla Model X.

An old co-worker has a 35 mile one way trip to work, use to drive a Subaru Impreza that averaged about 25 mpg on a good tank. The engine started having oil consumpsion issues. He also bought 2018 Prius Prime, He's now averaging a low of 80 and a high of 102 mpg with his Prime. These cars are the cream of the crop Prius's.

I'm looking forward to what Toyota and Subaru do together with their new EV program. I'm guessing they're going to own the EV program going forward in terms of longevity.

 

[bwilson4web]

The Prime is an excellent car and you'll have many happy years of service. I traded mine for a Model 3 for AutoPilot and the challenge of going 100% electric. Our second car, a BMW i3-REx with 72 mi EV range, had become my primary ride and the Prime was just sitting there.

Last year, I took the BMW i3-REx for some experimental EV trips to Nashville, 120 miles away. I realized that fast DC chargers are the key to making an EV into a general purpose car. Sad to say, the Electrify America and EVgo chargers are expensive, 3-4x the cost of gas. Worse, the crappy Electrify America chargers revealed that if the charger owner has no commitment to sell their own EVs, their chargers will be poor quality, too often locked up in their dealers, and too expensive.

The Prime has a nice ability to put a charge on the battery, up to 80% (best done while highway driving.) In effect, the Prime carries its own, portable charger. But the absence of a fast DC charger port and relatively low power J1772, 16 A, made an EV trip to Nashville impractical although quite affordable on gas.

The Prime has a lot of value for long distance driving:

• Prime: ~1,200 miles - 22 gal, $55 ($2.50/gal)
• Model 3: ~660 miles - $26 at SuperChargers

The Model 3 has long legs along the SuperCharger network routes. But there are EV deserts so it is not a universal solution. Still we stay at hotel/motels with chargers or even sleep over in an RV park for a free charge.

The Prime is a great car and you'll have many fine adventures.

Bob Wilson

 

[ColoradoPrime]

Yes, now have 43,500 miles on our 2017 Prius Prime with no repairs at all. It is still a wonderful car in both winter and summer, but we long for an all electric and a little more space and ground clearance so we can camp easier on the back roads.