Honda and Toyota plug-in hybrids more alike than current hybrids
The Accord plug-in hybrid will offer about 15 miles of EV range
The economical plug-in hybrids?
While at the International Rechargeable Battery Expo in Tokyo, Hirohisa Ogawa, a chief engineer of battery research at Honda, told the audience that Honda’s new plug-in hybrids will offer an EV range “of up to 15 miles“.
That puts Honda’s plug-in hybrid EV range in the same ballpark as Toyota’s plug-in hybrids.
According to early reports, the Prius plug-in hybrid might only offer 12 miles of EV range, giving Honda a small edge in plug-in electric range. That’s in contrast to Honda’s current hybrids – hybrids that never use solely electricity to power the car, unlike Toyota’s hybrid cars.
Certainly, some will pooh-pooh the shorter EV range of these vehicles compared to something like the Chevy Volt, which was designed to offer about 40 miles of EV range. However, numerous battery studies have suggested that smaller battery packs mean better cost-effectiveness for consumers until major breakthroughs are achieved in battery technologies.
Anyway, Toyota seems much better positioned than Honda when it comes to plug-in hybrids. Thanks to the similarities between the current third generation Prius and the plug-in Toyota Prius, Toyota seems well scaled considering the hybrid king has already sold more than 3 million hybrid cars.
No matter what electricity prices are supposed to increase according to the studies I’ve seen, especially when you consider that our grid it out-dated. Just the M&S issues alone are sure to push electricity prices much higher.
I would guess that the cars work like regular hybrids after the batteries are depleted. With a 15-mile EV range, I could squeak by on getting to work and back without gasoline. The recharging part would be a drag since the only Republican governor we had in 40 years used his single term to let the utility monopoly triple the price of electricity.
BTW – Thanks for the great average mileage info Seawolf!
For the most part. Basically, one the Prius uses up its EV range it functions just like a regular Prius.
is this the same config as the Prius Hybrid just a bigger battery?
68% of US one-way commute is under 15 miles. 51% under 10 miles.
10-15 miles is not short. In fact they provide the best bang for the buck. The further you go above 15 miles, the less useful it becomes for most Americans.
Prius PHV can charge to full in 3 hours using a regular plug (no need for high voltage special plug). It opens up plenty of “opportunity charges”. If you can charge often and save money (avoiding a huge expensive cabin intruding battery).
Once the PHV battery runs low, it’ll continue to operate as a 50 MPG Prius. It is already certified as Enhanced AT-PZEV emission rating in California and CA DMV already have it as a qualified vehicle for the new HOV access sticker.
http://www.bts.gov/publications/omnistats/volume_03_issue_04/html/figure_02.html
Both will have batteries. Toyota’s plug-in hybrids are largely just like the current hybrids, such as the Prius, but with a larger battery pack and a plug. Both, however, will also offer pure EVs, however, i’m just referring to their plug-in hybrids in this post.
this is a joke right?
Will the Toyota and Honda plugs-ins also have a ICE backup engine to allow the car to be still used even with a dead battery?