Prius PHEV

(photograph courtesy of Toyota)

Earlier today Toyota unveiled the Prius PHEV within the confines of the tony Torrey Pines Lodge in San Diego. An exclusive list of invited media attended and had a chance to drive the PHV as well as participate in some seminars on “sustainability”. Festivities continue through tomorrow so I imagine the news stories will start flowing between now and then as it appears Toyota has not embargoed driving impressions of the new Prius (somewhat surprising).

Here’s Toyota’s FAQ on the Prius PHV.

While I languish at POG HQ here in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, my partner in crime, Danny Cooper of priuschat.com and co-host of What Drives Us is out there suffering through San Diego weather and what is surely an onslaught of underpriced media dinners. So, that means a full report on this week’s What Drives Us which should hit the streets in the next day or so (once we get this week’s podcast done). And yes, the What Drives Us take on the Prius PHV will be the definitive one. I would put forth that we might be only two reviewers who also own 2010 Prius (since the PHV is based on the 2010 Prius).

Check back soon and hear me grill Danny on the new PHV and whether or not he was able to sneak off to In-N-Out (it’s only a few miles down the road from your hotel Danny!).

Responding

John Voelcker from Green Car Reports was kind enough to respond in comments below to this POG piece. I wanted to republish it on the front page, as it were, because I thought it was a great response and deserved better billing than the comments section.

Russell: Thanks for the good words. All of the questions in your last paragraph are very apt, and many of us will ask them as the cars get closer to the hands of actual drivers.

As for your comment on my closing question, I could probably have phrased it better. Here’s the point I was trying to get to …

Both cars are plug-ins, and hence will be perceived as “electric cars”. That is, users will expect them to run in electric mode some or most of the time.

From talking to Toyota and GM tech folks, I gather the Prius Plug-In may start its engine under many circumstances: Heavy load, full acceleration, a catalyst that’s cooling down, cold weather, and so forth. It remains fundamentally a power-split hybrid with a larger battery, and operates as such.

On the other hand, the Volt engineers tell me it switches on the engine only under one circumstance: The pack is depleted, which they say occurs only after 40 miles. (It may also fire the engine to start the car in extremely cold weather; must ask about that.)

SO, my question might better be: Will plug-in buyers expect continuous electric running for the stated range (12 or 40 miles)? If they do, I suspect the Prius Plug-In may have a perceptual problem, because it may well not run all-electric for 12 continuous miles. If not, no problem.

In either case, GM and Toyota are likely to be sold out of their first couple of years of production.

It’s in 2014 and after, as volume rises, that they’ll actually have to start to market these guys. That’s when it’ll get interesting!

The real cipher here is the Volt. As I said below, the Prius is a known quantity and, as John points out, perhaps the potential weakness of the Prius PHEV is that it is a Prius and not a brand new, designed from the ground up PHEV. Over the last couple years I’ve said the same thing here several times. While I love the Prius and can’t wait to see the Prius PHEV, I would prefer to see a brand new, designed to be nothing but a PHEV vehicle from Toyota. I think a PHEV should be smaller and lighter than the Prius (more range, better performance). I question whether or not the Prius is the ideal platform for a PHEV given where battery development is right now. All that is moot because this year Prius PHEV testing will begin.

Back to what John said…

I don’t know what the public perceptions of the PHEVs will be. None of us do (as John points out). It will be interesting to see if the Prius’ hybrid PHEV suffers in competition to the Chevy’s take on the PHEV concept. One thing both cars seem to insist on is that gas powered motors augment a pure EV concept for extended range.

I still think that two huge things give Toyota a leg up on producing a real PHEV. One, is using an existing, proven platform. For whatever drawbacks there are to using the Prius platform, there are also huge advantages and, let’s face it, Chevy’s been blowing smoke about the Volt for what, three years now? It’s still a mostly mythical car whereas the Prius is very real. Toyota has established itself in this altcars genre and I think that for every person who wants to buy a bowtie because it is a bowtie, there are just as many people who want the implied reliability and sound engineering that goes with the Toyota name.

John Voelcker wrote:

SO, my question might better be: Will plug-in buyers expect continuous electric running for the stated range (12 or 40 miles)? If they do, I suspect the Prius Plug-In may have a perceptual problem, because it may well not run all-electric for 12 continuous miles. If not, no problem.

My take on it is this, I don’t think consumers are going to care, too much, about how the ICE interacts in either vehicle. What will drive consumer reaction to the Prius PHEV and the Chevy Volt are the basics, MPG, ease of use, comfort, price, reliability. I don’t think that consumers will care overmuch about when the ICE starts and stops as long as it delivers on the PHEV potential of using very little gasoline. I could be wrong and if so, here are my words for future embarrassment but I don’t think I’ll be bummed out by what I’ve written in a few years.

My thanks to John Voelcker for taking the time to read my original article and add his thoughts to it.

The Difference is Clear

I’ve met and like John Voelcker from Green Car Reports. He’s a nice guy and he’s done some great reporting. This story though, I do not get. It feels like filler to me. Well, that and one more thing, it annoys me. The article annoys me because it’s blending two things that in reporting should not necessarily be mixed up, reality and promises.

Reality is walking out your front door, getting into your car and driving someplace. Promises are waiting on the street for a friend to pick you up. Sure, it’s a friend and they’re reliable and all that, but maybe they’ll be late. Maybe your friend you forgot you needed a ride. The two things, while having some similarities are, in practice, very, very different.

And so it goes with the much lauded Chevy Volt (the promise) and the Toyota Prius (the reality).

The Prius is a vehicle that has been on the market for more than ten years now. It has a track record. There are, quite literally, mountains of user collected data on the vehicle’s performance.

The Volt, it’s still in prototype testing. The Volt is now “scheduled” for release sometime, as John points out, sometime in 2011 (a date which has been moved back from Chevy’s original 2010 claim). Maybe Chevy will hit this date, maybe not. Maybe the Volt will do everything Chevy claims, maybe not.

Now, to be fair to John, he’s comparing the not yet in production Prius PHEV (that’s plug-in hybrid electric vehicle for those of you new to the acronym). So in a sense, I’m being a little tough on him. However, the Volt as a platform doesn’t exist at all now It’s all new, designed, according to Chevy, from the ground up. The Prius PHEV on the other hand is merely a modification of an existing vehicle to add PHEV functionality. This is something third party companies such as Hy-Motion have been doing for about five years now. In other words, even though Toyota is carefully testing the PHEV Prius this year for release next year (possibly), there is already data on how the vehicle performs modified as a PHEV.

My point here is this, it’s not really fair or even reasonable to compare one car that does exist to another that is still vaporware. Aside from the basic design differences between the vehicle (which are significant), the Volt is far from production ready. The Prius PHEV could go into production very soon if it were not that Toyota is a very conservative company that rigorously tests new concepts before releasing them. I think that’s a huge difference and it’s not realistic to compare the vehicles, at the very least right now, for that reason among many others.

Finally, John ends his article with this:

The big question: Will the experience of pure electric drive for three times the distance give the Volt an edge over a Prius Plug-In engine that stops and starts whenever it wants?

Here’s why this is NOT the big question and frankly, why John’s question is a terrible one, the Volt’s ICE will start and stop to charge the vehicle. Technically, the vehicle is “pure” electric drive but it’s a gas generated electric system so the idea that one has a motor that stops and starts and the other is “pure” is incorrect and misleading. Yes, what drives the wheels in the Volt is electricity only but what keeps that power flowing, is gas powered.

The big question is actually a few questions. Will the Volt be what Chevy says it is? What level of performance will the PHEV Prius offer? Will auto buyers flock to the established PHEV system in the Prius or run to the novelty of the Volt’s new hybrid system? Which system will hold up better over the long term and produce promised results? Will the size difference between the two vehicles be a factor for consumers (positive or negative)? trying to boil all this down to one question isn’t a reason able goal right now.

The new Toyota plug-in hybrid

Say hello to Auris…

Ok, it’s only a concept at this point but it’s a solid start.

Now in the EU

Toyota has begun its program of test leasing plug-in hybrid Prii in the EU. 150 owners, expanding to 500 by 2010, will get the chance to drive a plug-in Prius.

Making batteries here

This article mentions the Johnson Controls i3 PHEV and the importance of making advanced batteries here in the U.S.

You think?

Building infra-structure we need for the next generation of vehicles

This article from the MercuryNews’ Matt Nauman details one man’s work. His startup company has begun selling and installing charging stations for EVs and PHEVs.

One step at a time. This is a good first step so that when the vehicles are available, people can buy them and use them. Yes, right now there are only a few hundred vehicles that could use these stations but we need to have a charging infrastructure in place before many people can even consider an EV.

Ford promises new vehicles by 2011-2012, Toyota says ten new hybrids and one BEV by 2012

Ford announces three battery-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles by 2012
by John Matras, Auto Review Examiner

Ford says it will have three different electric vehicles in production by 2012 and on sale to the general public. The first will be full battery-electric (BEV) van in production in 2010, followed by a small BEV sedan by 2011 and a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) by 2012.

And from this DC television station…

Toyota, the leader in hybrid vehicle sales, is planning 10 new hybrid models in the next few years, along with an electric car for 2012.

Good question

Environmentalists Say Big Three are Blocking States from Imposing ‘Clean Car’ Standards
By Tiffany Gabbay

Environmental groups say consumers want to buy cars that get 50 miles per gallon and they want electric vehicles – but Big Three automakers don’t want to have to produce them.

When asked why the Big Three – Ford, GM and Chrysler LLC — should be forced to make cars that the automakers say there is no demand for, Mike Tidwell of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network claimed that the market actually wants environment-friendly vehicles.

“Detroit claims that consumers don’t want these vehicles, while every day Detroit pays thousands of dollars to lobbyists to stop any kind of passage of higher gas mileage standards that would lead to hybrid cars, while it sues states that try to go on their own,” Tidwell told CNSNews.com.

“For Detroit to say that consumers don’t want it (fuel efficient cars) while simultaneously trying to stop state houses and Congress from improving standards is a circular and duplicitous argument,” he added.
Tidwell’s group, along with the Global Exchange and California Cars Initiative, called on Congress Friday to require automakers to commit to meet fleet-wide fuel economy standards of 50 miles per gallon (MPG) by 2015 and to produce 500,000 Plug-In Electric Vehicles (PHEV) by 2012, and 3 million by 2015 – before any bailout money is made available.

The groups circled the U.S. Capitol with 25 Japanese electric and hybrid cars as part of a pro-fuel-efficient vehicles demonstration.

The demonstration took place while the Big Three CEOs testified a second time before Congress to plead their case for a $35 billion bailout.

The environmental groups demanded that the automakers, as part of any bailout, agree to end legal action against “clean car” state laws in California and 14 other states.

The laws would require automakers to make significant reduction in the greenhouse gas emissions of cars and light trucks sold in those states, Tidwell said.

“Why is it that Detroit wants our tax dollars but is suing the states that are trying to make cleaner cars?” Tidwell asked.

Going plug-in

County converts hybrids to all-electric

Snohomish County has converted two of its Toyota Prius hybrid vehicles to fully electric vehicles as part of the Plugin Center PHEV Pilot Project of Washington.

The vehicles were fitted with plug-in electric conversion kits, as well as data monitors, in November at Wenatchee Valley College’s automotive training facility. The two vehicles can be parked and charged at the county’s McDougall fleet shop, parking garage and Cathcart fleet center.

The conversion kits use lithium battery packs charged via standard 120-volt outlets. Under optimal conditions, the battery packs provide an all-electric equivalent range of approximately 30 miles. Recharging an empty battery takes about 5.5 hours. Each vehicle also is equipped with data loggers, GPS units and cellular modems to collect real-time vehicle performance data. The data will be analyzed and archived by Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity. Data from Snohomish County’s vehicles will be studied along with information from about 130 other converted vehicles nationwide.

Snohomish County has continually been working to reduce its impact on the environment, especially in terms of fleet improvements. The county recently received a $57,299 state grant to retrofit 24 diesel vehicles, further reducing the county’s overall pollution emissions. Since 2005, emission-reduction improvements have been made to an additional 109 diesel vehicles.

Snohomish County also was recently honored as the third best government green fleet in North America by 100 Best Fleets, a national award co-sponsored by Government Fleet Magazine and other fleet organizations.

The statewide PHEF Pilot Project is sponsored by Washington Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED) and the Port of Chelan County.

Wenatchee, Chelan County, Douglas County PUD, Energy Northwest, Snohomish County, the University of Washington, Benton County PUD, Walla Walla Community College, McKinstry and Green IT Alliance are participating in this phase of the pilot project. Each organization provided its own vehicles.

Contribured by: Christopher Schwarzen – Snohomish County

You don’t say

I’m not aware of any add-on plug-in system that Toyota supports. Whether or not it voids the warranty is another question but I would seriously question any service provider who makes this claim.

And don’t get me wrong, I would love to see Toyota, in some way or another, supporting plug-in conversions but I completely why such an add-on might, at the very least, complicate any questions about your warranty. This is a little different from adding a stereo or alarm to the vehicle.

How to and how much

The Green Car Co., a Bellevue auto garage, bills itself as the only shop in the state that can do plug-in conversions that don’t void the Toyota Prius’ factory warranty.

They charge nearly $10,400 to install the same lithium ion battery packs fitted into the 14 cars in the Port of Chelan County’s plug-in pilot project.

Each of the pilot project’s 12 participants bought their own Prius — at about $25,000 to $30,000 — and paid the $10,400 conversion cost.

Battery kits, which pack as much as 1,000 amps, can cause serious or fatal shock if connected incorrectly, technicians warn.

“This is not something someone should try in their backyard,” Blake Murray, director of Wenatchee Valley College’s Automotive Technology program says.

And then from the same source, a little more news about plug-in conversions…

Regional Priuses take part in national road test
By Christine Pratt
World staff writer

WENATCHEE — Thirteen ordinary Toyota Prius hybrids drove into the Wenatchee Valley College auto shop early last week.

They drove out with even better gas mileage, a direct link to the feds and the hopes of many for a future less dependent on fossil fuels.

“This is all about a convergence of the auto industry with the electric-utility industry,” said Ron Johnston-Rodriguez, economic development director at the Port of Chelan County. “It used to be just about Detroit and oil.”

All 13 of the cars, and the port’s own Prius, are part of the port’s “PHEV Pilot Project.”

Starting this week, they’ll be part of a U.S. Department of Energy data-collection program designed to track the performance of some 130 modified Priuses nationwide under normal road conditions.

All the cars in the test, including the 14 in the port’s pilot project, have been converted into “PHEVs” — plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

Priuses already run on electricity at low speeds and for short distances. Their gasoline engine adds some kick for higher speeds and longer trips.

Plug-in hybrids are fitted with an additional set of long-life lithium ion batteries that extend their all-electric range to about 30 miles. Gas mileage can increase to 100 miles per gallon or more, depending on the driver.

The extra battery pack charges by plugging it into a standard wall outlet — the connector is installed in the cars’ rear bumpers.

Expert installers from the Green Car Co. of Bellevue were in town to convert all 13 of the port program’s Priuses.

The cars are part of regional fleets belonging to the program’s 12 regional “enrollees,” that include the city of Wenatchee, Chelan County, Wenatchee Valley College and the Douglas County PUD.

Each test car is also equipped with a specialized “data logger” that records such information as miles per gallon, kilowatt hours used, charging times, emissions and performance while climbing or under other stresses.

The data logger transmits this information by cellular signal to an Idaho test lab for analysis, Johnston-Rodriguez said.

Data will be used by the feds and automakers to study and perfect alternative technologies that produce vehicles with better gas mileage, Johnston-Rodriguez said.

Research could one day eliminate the need for fossil-fuel-powered vehicles altogether and create economic opportunity for people trained in the new technologies.

“These are green jobs. Green economic activity,” he said, referring to Dan Barker and Mike Sheeler, the two experts who were at work last week converting the 13 Priuses.

“When the fuel we buy is produced locally, more of the money stays here,” he said of the region’s cheap and plentiful hydro-generated electricity.

Port officials hope the pilot project will create jobs by positioning the area as a mecca for research and development of alternative-fuel vehicles.

Automakers may finally be catching on to plug-ins, Johnston-Rodriguez said.

General Motors has announced its Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid could be in showrooms, in limited supply, in 2010. Toyota is also planning to release its first factory-built plug-in hybrid Priuses, he said, as are Nissan and BMW.

“This is about getting the community prepared for a progressively larger deployment,” he said. “They’re all talking about doing plug-ins. And only three years ago, they were all saying ‘This is a joke.’ ”

Christine Pratt: 665-1173

pratt@wenatcheeworld.com

Driving the plug-in Prius

From an article in AutoWeek…

Most of us know by now that a plug-in hybrid is a car with a hybrid drivetrain that can have its batteries recharged from the power grid. It’s turning out, though, that such cars may come in more flavors than Starbucks has syrups.

Case in point: We drove a prototype version of the plug-in Prius, or PHEV, that Toyota will offer corporate and fleet customers starting in late 2009. Our experience was a short tour of downtown Portland, Ore., and for the most part, it was what you’d expect: It drove just like a Prius, but one that runs less often on its engine, more often (and at somewhat higher speeds) in pure electric mode.

More striking is the way this PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) operates distinct from what we are hearing about the Chevrolet Volt that General Motors will offer in late 2010. Toyota’s approach is to start with a Prius and add plug-in rechargability. So the car retains the firm’s hybrid-synergy drive, using what Toyota calls a series/parallel arrangement between the gas engine and electric motor.

In the PHEV version, there’s a button (in the prototype, it was on the dash to the left of the steering column) labeled “EV mode” that lets the driver choose to run the car only on electricity. If you’ve recharged the batteries by plugging in to the electric grid and then select this mode, the prototype will deliver six or seven miles of pure electric driving, burning no gas. The target for the production model is 10 miles of such range, enough for a lot of the trips many drivers make.

After that–or if you demand more performance in the short term than the small motor or the battery-pack state of charge can offer–the engine kicks in. As with any Prius, the engine drives the wheels through the transmission when you need more power or range.

During our drive, when we’d been moving around in pure EV mode for several blocks, we wanted to get out from behind a diesel city bus as we climbed one of the many bridges over the Willamette River. Booting the accelerator for an uphill surge from less than 25 mph to more than 40, we saw a dashboard gauge indicating that we were demanding more energy than was available from the batteries. The engine kicked in briefly until we let up on the pedal, even though we selected EV mode. After the acceleration, the car almost immediately returned to pure EV mode.

Pushing the EV-mode button again, to turn it off, returned the car to what Prius owners would regard as “normal” operation. A perhaps crucial distinction is that when the engine’s power was not needed to move the car, the control systems are set up to charge the pack of nickel-metal-hydride batteries. In theory, after a period of such use, the batteries would be replenished and the owner could again press the EV-mode button and go another several miles without gasoline.

A side note: Our first response to being stuck behind the bus was to hit the climate-control button to recirculate the air inside, rather than taking in not-fresh air from outside. (We were using neither heating nor A/C). The Toyota rep riding in the back seat was eager to have us turn off the climate control, especially the recirc mode –it runs the ventilation fan at a high speed, a drain on the battery.

PHEV drivers would have to judge for themselves, with feedback from the gauges, whether it is better to draw down the battery in this way or by accelerating to pass. You probably could learn to modulate the pedal up to the borderline just before the engine kicks in, though we wouldn’t be eager to do that on the open road, where the higher priority is safety, not consuming a little gasoline. Regardless, the experience was too short, and so was the indicated remaining pure-EV range of less than three miles, to allow such experimentation.