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Originally Posted by Daox
It is odd that they don't offer a bit more range for the PHEV version. Something to compete with the Volt would probably sell a lot better. That being said, 15.5 miles is darn near perfect for my commute.
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It is not odd to offer only 15 miles of EV range. Why spend more money on having a larger battery that rarely gets 100% used when you can spend much less money on a smaller battery that often gets 100% usage on every trip?
Since the Prius already has a very efficient gasoline motor, it makes sense to use a small battery. If I wanted a car that would cover 100% of my commute and around town errands on electricity alone, I would purchase an EV.
Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard
Yikes, the early rumors on the PiP has a 30-35 mile range and the battery pack is all lithium. The AWD is interesting, but it seems like a distraction.
The Prius is all about efficiency, and I wonder what their reasoning is for having a smaller front electric motor and then adding a rear electric motor. Because the current drivetrain has two (front) electric motors. Did they completely rework the whole drivetrain?
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The PiP was never going to have a 30 EV mile range. It goes against the design principle I mentioned above. Ford hit the EV range sweet-spot in my opinion. 20 miles range gets close to covering most trips while minimizing the expense and weight of a larger battery that would not be utilized in most cases.
AWD does seem unecessary, but I'm curious to see how the drive train is different than the previous design. Obviously it is efficient since Toyota shoots for a 10% mpg improvement for each new generation.
Strange to see that Toyota is going with NiMH again when they were considering phasing it out with the 3rd generation Prius.