2010 Prius - Next Generation

jpeters1970

I have never had a problem with any BT phones linked to my 2004 Prius. I actually have an iPhone 3G and it works fine. I've also hooked up a Blackberry, Nokia and Motorola with no issues. Don't solely rely on Toyota's list. Try it out first because they don't test every phone on the market.

gfr1

No, your mapping data should be the real deal, if it's up to date. In your case, though, where a more rural/obscure street doesn't show up, there is one more thing to try. This is the case on lesser streets, but still may not get the data you need. The further you expand (close in) the range, the more street data will be displayed, due to reduction of map display clutter. If all streets were displayed at all ranges, the map info, on longer ranges, would be solid and not readable. When you are at your home (desination) location, or can slave the map to the location you are seeking, put you range selection towards the most expanded and see if more streets are displayed. Sometimes when you get down to the 1/8" scale, or 1/16" scale, a former not-displayed street will show up. In my caase, I was trying to set a destination to a country club. It wouldn't accept a address, so I tried to set it by map. There wasn't a street displayed. Then I centered the map at the closest point of the displayed street to the destination (as I knew it). I began expanding (blowing up) the map and the streets I needed began to show up. I then, finally recognized the club's location (by slewing the map) by the traffic circle at the club entrance. I selected the point and it accepted the address location and gave valid steering data to that destination. Just another idea that might, or might not, work in your case. -- gfr

wvgasguy

I did the $10 download from the Apple site that gave me the bluetooth capabilities

felt

Is it ALL about zero emissions? .... I cannot see any useful purpose for an all electric vehicle, except to travel in the neighborhood, or local delivery trucks and etc..

Yesterday I drove my G3, IV on a 60 mile round trip. My wife and I went over a mountain pass going, and returning. Going up, my mpg took a strong "hit," but made it up coming down ..... both ways. Overall average was 52.7 mpg. In my opinion, that is hard to beat!!

Wouldn't a full plug-in vehicle deplete it's battery much faster going up a steep grade than driving on level pavement? Wouldn't that seriously deminish the travel distance they are capable of driving? Further battery drains will come from A/C, windshield wipers, and lights.

GM is talking big about the Volt and a new Buick plug in. Will they have (from what little we have heard) the capability of regen?

Personally, I have no interest in a plug-in. From what little I have read, they are pricey, and have very limited range, with hours to re-charge expensive batteries. I feel the hybrid gas/electric makes so much more sense.

tyler70

can anyone tell me where I can find the complete list of all possible commands for G3 prius? can I use voice commands for climate control ?? I dont think the command list on the Navi screen is complete. for example, when I say "i am hungry", the prius shows all restaurant Icons, but that command is not listed on the command list. I tried to call Toyota but they are useless, they referred me to the list on navi.
thanks

kdhspyder

The not posted commands are known as 'Easter Eggs'. They simply have to be found.

rogue9

I for one agree. I wonder as far as emissions go has anyone really done the actual expenditure math, as well as the emissions math, concerning hybrid vs plug in. I mean how much will it cost to charge your batteries every day.
They advertise that the volt will go 40 miles before burning any gas, sounds great until you stop and think how much petroleum is used to produce the electrical power needed to recharge those batteries on a daily basis and which is cheaper buying gas for a hybrid, or electricity on the grid for a plug in? Most power plants pump out the co2, whats the actual related oil use as well as the amount of co2 pumped into the atmosphere to produce each fuel type?
I know our local power plants are not green and pump out some serious smoke out of those big smoke stacks every second of every day to keep us loaded up with electricity.
There truly is alot of different factors to take into consideration when considering a plug in vs a hybrid. Which one will cost more to operate day to day? Which one is actually cleaner taking into consideration the origin of there fuel and how it is delivered to the consumer. I love my prius, but if there is something truly better out there, in respects to cleaner and more cost effective then I'm all ears.
For this to be the case,s then GM is going to have to do something they have not done for a very long time, that is deliver a vehicle that the consumer wants and can actually rely on. It must have the right look the right features, reliability, resell ability, and a serious incentive for the consumer to take another chance on a car company who truly has not delivered a superior, or for that matter even a product that equals the competition in todays market.
I dont like bashing ford or gm because after all, they are american companies, I just wish they didn't drop the ball in the past as miserably as they did. American pride is big on my list but trying to back a losing horse for so stinking long gets really old. Guess we still have apple pie and baseball. I really hope they throw us all for a big loop, because Lord knows we need a modern day success story to play out for us to truly get excited about any of our american car companies again.

roho1

This probably off topic but you raise some interesting questions. I never considered the cost of charging the batteries before. I have an electric golf cart and charge it quite often but haven't seen a my spike in my electric bill. Sometimes the charger is on all night. There must be costs for this available somewhere. The high cost of the Volt and only getting 40 miles on charge doesn't seem to make sense unless you just buying a $40k car to go grocery shopping? I can get about 15 miles per charge on my cart with just 6 old car batteries. I think the plug in tech is in its infancy so the Prius hybrid will be the best option for awhile.

roho1

(though I am Canadian and high fuel prices does benefit my country)

Dewey, How do high fuel prices benefit Canada?

Kirstie_H

That's quite the interesting question & discussion, but it's really better for an Automotive News discussion. Let's reserve this one for conversation about the 2010 Prius.

felt

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe the Volt, as presently configured, will be a plug-in, but will have a small gasoline engine, not for propulsion, but to re-charging the battery. I think the range will be more than 40 miles, but that will diminish when running lights, A/C and other accessories are added, as well as going up hills.

I intend to ask an Electrical Engineer friend how many kwh would it take to charge a Volt's battery .... then we can calculate the cost. Any of you EE out there have any idea?

Some of the very small electric cars that are shown on TV make more sense to me for a "city" car than the Volt. The Volt is too big to be truly power efficient, and to small for anything but neighborhood travel. Too expensive for such limited use. I have wondered however, if those very small "roller skate" size electric cars we have all seen can meet all the federal requirements for front, rear and side impacts crashes?

felt

I was looking at another forum, and found, at least in part, the answer to my question:

If a gasoline powered Prius gets 50 MPG and gas costs $ 2.80 / gallon (current price here in Northern California), then the gas cost is 5.6 cents per mile.

Now here in Northern California, PG&E (Pacific Gas & Electric) charges residential customers using a graduated pricing formula. Our baseline costs is only 11.531 cents per KWH (Kilo-Watt Hour) for the first 378 KWH per month. However we, like most consumers, use more than our baseline allocation. Now if we had a plug-in Prius, we would consume electricity (charge the batteries) at a premium rate and would pay PG&E 25.974 cents per KWH. So the question is -- in typical driving, how many KWH are required for a plug-in Prius to drive 1 mile?

Using some estimated values, a Prius size vehicle with occupants needs about 400 Watt-Hours to drive one mile. Therefore at 25.974 cents/KWH, the electric cost for driving a Prius size vehicle is 10.4 cents per mile. (Actually the electric cost per mile would be higher because this calculation assumes a 100% efficiency factor. That is, 100% of the electricity measured at the electric meter on the wall is used for turning the motor in the car. In reality, there are losses for: 1) AC to DC Converter, 2) Converting electricity to chemical storage in the battery, 3) then converting chemical storage back into electricity.)

Depending upon your local cost of gasoline and electricity costs, your results will vary. However these numbers would be valid today here in northern California.

redhot888

I just had my GEN III Prius V 9 days ago and so far...I am falling in love with the gadget and new technology that comes with it. Every day seems like a new small good surpise. I love the exterior and interior...it makes feel secure and at the same time...feeling awesome!!! The most amazing part that I like from my Prius V is the 17" alloy wheel. It really give you the feeling of stability even at a higher speed!

dmathews3

CBS News just said on their national news that the Volt gets equivelent of 230mpg. I'd rather see my power company get my money then some alkida org.

roho1

cnet posted an article today about the volt and said it would cost 40 cents to recharge the volt batteries overnight. That was calculated with an off peak rate of 5 cents per KWH in Detroit.

felt

We shall see. How did they arrive at 230 mpg? If you drive less than 40 miles a day .... the Volt will be able to get an infinite mpg. (Miles @ no gallon! ) I suspect the government EPA mileage tables will need an * with an explanatory foot note.

In many instances, it would seem to suggest that you will need to own two cars, and use the Volt solely for a less than a 40 mile compute, or shopping .... which, there is nothing wrong with that!

Beyond 40 miles, the (EPA) mileage will drop. The battery will be depleted, and the small gas engine will run to charge the battery. While that is not bad .... it just impact the advertised 230 mpg. I predict now that the Volt will have a thread such as this, and many will report they do not get 230 mpg as promised. We shall see. I think I would have been a bit more conservative about raising such expectations until the product is ready for the highway.

Another question I have is, will the small gas engine generate enough electricity to propel the Volt at speeds to keep up with traffic? That is a question .. not a doubt. Consider you have 100 miles to drive; you are solely on battery for 40 miles, then it is depleted; the gas engine starts (remember it does not provide direct power to the wheels) can it generate sufficient electricity to drive the wheels at freeway speed, A/C, and lights, and re-charge the battery? Maybe so ... I have no idea.

kdhspyder

Good for GM.. Well done. Now they just have to find buyers at $40000 a pop. :surprise:

imscf

I live on the 14th floor of a high-rise building in NYC. How am I going to plug in the Volt battery to my apt socket? Do I take the battery off the car and carry it home, or will GM provide me with a long, long extension cord?

bamacar

What is the government tax credit going to be? Seems while the government is giving out so much money, and it was giving up to $3150 for Priuses for 42-45mpg in 2006, it would give about 15k for the Volt. Anyone willing to shell out 28-30k for the comparatively low tech, low mpg Prius would just fall all over themselves to get a Volt for a credit adjusted 25-35k.

I see they say $7500 which is rather low and unfair versus the original Prius tax credit. At 32500 it would still be a steal versus a high end Prius.

felt

I do not agree with your "low tech, low mpg Prius" but will save that for another discussion.

I was reading what I could find on the Internet about the Volt, and I read that Chevy hopes for a $7000.00 government subsidy. The article suggested Chevy may loose money on every copy sold. I am certain Gov. Motors will do all they can to promote their car.

I did read that the Volt is touted as a "city car." Nothing wrong with that. except it leaves it relegates it to a rather narrow notch. I assume it means that it has lower speed potential, and limited (40 mile electric) range. Apparently, the images shown are of the concept car .... not the actual pre-production vehicle. The Volt is said to be about the size of a Prius, and suggested the profile is still being developed to improve wind resistance. The vehicle is called a "series hybrid" which GM is down playing. The battery pack is significantly larger, heavier, but more powerful than the Prius. I do not think anyone will be lugging it up to their high-rise apartment. The article said the battery is the biggest unknown .... availability, cost and service life. It can be charged in 8 hours with 110 household current, and 3 hours with 220.

The vehicle shown is very handsome. I still wonder how they settled on 230 mpg. If it uses no gasoline, why not 500 or 1000 mpg?

gfr1

I sorta agree with your logic, but in real life, you have it backwards! And it results in a whole different concept. About three months ago a magazine auto editor (Popular Science, if I remember correctly) went to GM to study the Volt. At that time (& I think this is a final determination), the ICE motor will never charge the battery. Another magazine, a week or so ago, described it rather functionally. They called the ICE a "built-in wrecker"! That is, to get the vehicle back home, or to a charging station, if the battery becomes depleted! The implication is that the ICE will, in fact, not deliver much in the way of excess power to, say, motor around with the ICE operating. Other than brake regeneration (which they haven't discussed much lately, either), the battery can only be charged from a charging station! This concept may be their way of trying for the high EPA ratings for the vehicle and corporate EPA reasons. In other words, the mileage ratings are pretty much battery electric (as GM may be planning it). With this concept, the brake regeneration may not be worth the cost, either. -- GR

tyler70

does anyone know if we still get a tax credit for 2010 prius this year?

wvgasguy

I'd rather see my power company get my money then some alkida org.

Amen. Regardless of the GREEN implications, Power plants burn coal, natural gas and use hydro as well as nuclear energy. We have those resources HERE in the US!

wvgasguy

The Toyota tax credits expired a long time ago.

kdhspyder

Agreed. This is the long term goal to get as many of our vehicles as possible operating on our own energy sources. 'Energy security'.

redhot888

The answer is NO. I did research the tax deductable cuz. I did buy also 2010 Prius V and hoping to ge some money back...since I paid in full...no money left here...

go to http://www.edmunds.com/fueleconomy/car-tax-credit.html?mktcat=hybrid-tax-credit&- kw=hybrid+tax+credit&mktid=ga56677312&gclid=CLThvZzHnJwCFRwpawodzG1WdA

this is the link of the hybrid car deductable information.

Red

felt

Last night I hit an object on the freeway (minor damage) (in my month old G3) simply because the lights do not project out far enough on low beam. Otherwise, I have no major issue with the OEM lights.

First - Can the light pattern be elevated?

Second - If they cannot, would an aftermarket lamp raise the light pattern (I am not looking for whiter lights, or even brighter ... just an elevated pattern).

I live where there are dear and other large animals occasionally on the road, and I have a fear of hitting one because they are beyond the illuminated area. I drive when I can with high beams ..... but with so much traffic that is not very practical.

tyler70

I have seen people mentioned about the tire pressure monitor on the G3 Prius and USB plug in but I cant find these features in my car. I have a package IV. can anyone tell me if these features are available in USA Prius or just out of USA ? I have MP3 AUX but not USB plug in. also where can I find tire pressure monitor if it is avail in USA models ? what is the tire pressure monitor do ? thanks

wvgasguy

The USB is an option starting after Aug 1 built cars. The tire pressure monitor will tell you when your pressure drops below a set threshold. I believe it is 8 psig less than the "set" pressure. The pressure can be reset if you decide to change the pressures you run with. I believe one of your screens will tell you info about the tire pressure. I'd have to look, but I know my HH has a screen for that.

rogue9

Your tires have sensors in the valve stems and if one falls below the recommended pressure a light will appear on your dash. The light is supposed to look like a flat tire. When the light comes on you need to check your tire pressure and bring it back up to par and the light will dissapear from the dash area.
If you find that all your tires have the correct pressure and the light is still illuminated on your dash then you should check the tire pressure on your spare because in some vehicles the spare also has a sensor as well.

tyler70

thanks very much. is the tire presssure a standard feature? where is the button at ? it sucks that I done have USB as I bought my in july.,

wvgasguy

TPMS is standard. As mentioned above a "flat" tire yellow light will come on if pressure falls below the threshold. Your owners manual will tell you how to reset the system if you change pressure settings.

The USB / iPod connection will not be standard as I originally thought so the new cars will be paying more for it. However for those of us wanting to upgrade we will have an installation cost that will surely make it more expensive for us. I understand from some postings that's about $100+ installation cost.

felt

We live near mountains, and on several occasions have driven into the mountains on a day trip. Returning home, the battery will show a full charge, but we will still have several miles of downhill ahead. Is there a danger of overcharging? Should we resist using the "B" mode? Does the computer, in effect, turn off the generator?

Comments appreciated.

tyler70

how low should the battery level get before i should worry? one time I parked with the engine and a/c on and the battery level got down to 2 bars then I turned off the engine. is "2 bars" low ?

jpeters1970

Two bars is fine. That happens frequently in the summer if you are running the A/C and you're stopped or driving in stop and go traffic. The Prius computer system keeps the battery in its optimal range of 40% - 80% charge. When you see those two bars your battery actually has 40% of its capacity. The engine will come on to charge the battery if you have two bars showing. It may only come on momentarily just to keep the battery at a specific minimum state of charge (SOC). One you get underway on the highway or in mixed suburban/city driving you'll see your battery gain bars fairly quickly. Truly an amazing automobile and quite bulletproof. Glad you made the decision to go with a hybrid. At least when you're idling you are not spewing out wasted fuel like most other vehicles on the road. That is the beauty of having the hybrid as opposed to a clean diesel. Even though they are fuel efficient they waste fuel in city driving which is why the Prius will always do better than a TDI Jetta in that type of situation. So... long winded here... your battery is operating fine!!!! Welcome to the wonderful world of hybrids!!!

wvgasguy

You can't overcharge it. There are some threads about this. Basically the excess energy is taken care of different ways. I understand that you may hear the engine rev in a situation when the battery is full and you are going downhill. I believe others said it will turn over very fast to burn off the energy (but not using gasoline)

halwick

Thanks for your explanation.

I had a concern that while I'm on the freeway during rush-hour traffic, creeping along at 5 mph for 10 miles or so, I'm running on battery power and draining it and the car shuts down.

So I'm in no danger of draining the battery and everything shuts down because at the two-bar indication the gas engine kicks in and charges the battery? At that point I'm running on the gas engine until the battery is charged up? Then after fully charged, the engine shuts down and the car run on battery power until drained and the engine kicks in again?

Thanks,
Hal

dewey

Does anybody maximize their mileage by driving on EV mode?

In my particular case with my 2010 Prius the fast battery discharge on EV mode negatively affects my mileage to the point where I find Eco mode as being the only mode that maximizes my mileage.

tyler70

thank you very much. that put my mind at ease. I love my prius at first I did not like to way it drives, because coming from a Lexus, IT IS VERY DIFFERENT, however, the more I drive, the more I enjoy it. It is really is a good car, especially when it comes time of fueling :-)
thanks

jpeters1970

Glad to answer any questions. I don't consider myself a Prius expert but having one for six years definitely qualifies me for something huh?? :confuse: Enjoy your GEN III cars folks. Looks like I'm going to pass this GEN and get the IV as my II shows no signs of wanting to retire. I just hit 70,200 so she's still a baby.

wvgasguy

Does anybody maximize their mileage by driving on EV mode?

There are a few die hards that want the EV switch but most people seldom use it. Perhaps in a parking garage or instances where you want to drive a short distance, but for the most part just let the computer do its work. The system is pretty effecient at cycling through the charge stages. (I leave mine in ECO mode)

wvgasguy

So I'm in no danger of draining the battery ...

If you don't put your car in "N" the computer will kick the engine on and off as needed to keep the battery within the range of charge it is designed for. There are tricks you can do later as you become more familiar with the car and the way it handles specific routes you take often, but for the most part, just drive it and it knows what to do.

railroadjames

I presently have 103,000 miles on an '04 and just want to say...Ditto! Amazing trouble free car. What could be better than a vehicle that delivers the goods. After over 53 cars in my life I found this "diamond in the rough" that defys the usual logic of previous cars. It's like the Timex watch...."just keeps on ticking." :shades:

tyler70

can anyone tell me the difference leaving it in automatic vs eco mode ?? I dont really see the difference on mine, second question is my EV mode. the dealer told me i can go up to 25 mph in ev mode but I cant seems to go over the low teens before it kicks me out of ev mode. :confuse: lastly, I turned the heater on this AM for the first time and I notice the heat is not the same as a regular gas veh. It is not as hot until much later. is this because it is a hybrid ?

stevegold

Two good questions.
The EV mode is really worthless. I have it on my 2004. It only works a) if the battery is "fully charged", b) under 32 mph, c) you don't hit the accelerator hard, d) on level ground. I can go 1/2 mile at most before the gas engine comes on. You would need a battery 5-10 times as "big" for it to make a real difference.
When you start the engine, the hot/warm coolant from the day before is pumped back from the thermos to the radiator. That gives your heater and the engine an initial warm boost. After a while it really heats up. When you shut down, the hot coolant is pumped into the thermos where it can stay warm for a day or two.

jpeters1970

I am guessing you did this as aftermarket with a coastal tech mod? The 2004 does not come stock with an EV mode. I decided not to install it as I would never gain any benefit from it. It is nice to prevent the engine from starting if you are just moving the car a few feet.

tyler70

so you are saying that we dont have to "warm up" the prius before driving like other vehs, even in the winter ?? if i turn on the heater, is it using the gas engine or the battery?? why are they saying that we get lest MPG in the winter ? thanks

tyler70

can anyone tell me how to use the remore to start the Prius IV ? thanks. :confuse:

dudleyr

No you don't have to warm up the prius before driving. In fact you should not warm up any vehicle before driving. The best warm up is to drive off gently.

justlooking9

I just turn off nav at night because there does not seem to be an adjustment for night mode. We have an '06 RL with nav and that screen changes automatically to night mode with a dark background. Anyone know of a day/night adjustment for the nav?

It would also be nice if there were shading over the screen to see better in direct sunlight.