[redpoint5]

Outside of commuting, what are other requirements for the car?

I loved the 2012 Prius plug-in I had. It used a Lithium Ion battery instead of the NiMH in the standard Prius, which I assume will last a lot longer. It would be a fantastic car for high speed and that longer distance.

Starting with gen 4, I believe Toyota stopped using NiMH batteries and went lithium ion. Again, my assumption is this will last longer.

Gen 5 is in dealerships January supposedly. Might cause a flood of gen 4 to hit the market as people upgrade to a 200+ horsepower Prius.

I'd be looking at an EV for a commute like that, and I had access to charging at work or home. For me, it's 3 cents per mile for electricity, and about 7 cents per mile for gasoline in a Prius, and about 12 cents in a normal car that gets 30 MPG.