Toyota opened a new website on Earth Day allowing customers to begin ordering the plug-in Prius. (see Toyota is taking reservations for the Plug-in Prius, but is it the first?) The website has a few "FAQ" questions, and answers worth pondering. But first let's look at what they say about range and the battery pack.
The plug-in Prius has a larger battery pack than the non-plug-in Prius. The larger pack gives the car a 13 mile electric-only mode, which is a lot shorter than the 40 mile range of the Volt or 100 mile range of the Leaf. The prime factor determining range is the battery pack size (in kilowatt-hours). Toyota has said (at the Plug-in 2010 conference last summer) they had studied factors of cost and customer willingness to pay a premium and chose to design their Plug-in Prius with a short electric-only range. Toyota gave a different story on their website, that "weight, size, cost and durability" of large batteries "aren't fully solved". One supposes other (Nissan, etc) companies would beg to differ?
How does it work? Interestingly, Toyota says it will "simply plug into any 120V outlet" and not requiring a special charging station. The pictures accompanying their website tell a different story. It is depicted as having a J1772 connector with a cord set leading to a standard 120V outlet (see http://www.toyota.com/upcoming-vehicles/prius-plug-in/photo-gallery.html?i=3). Obviously the car will come with the same sort of power adapter cordset GM delivers with the Volt.
The charging rate through such an adapter is limited to 1.9 kilowatts (120 volts at 15 amps) making for a fairly slow charge rate. But because the battery pack is so small it provides only 12 miles range, the charging time is 1.5 hours on 240V AC and 3 hours on 120V AC.
Benefits? Toyota says "you'll be able to make many of your daily local trips without using a single drop of gas." The small battery pack is only enough to handle short trips, for which Toyota obviously is putting on the best face.
Affects on your electricity bill? While plugged in it draws approximately one kilowatt of electricity, matching the charge rate available on normal 120 volt outlets. What will determine the real effect on your bill is the kilowatt-hours you consume with your driving (and recharging) patterns. Well, that and your local electricity rate.
I want to be one of the first, what do I do? Register with Toyota's online order system on their website. Later in 2011 a "Priority Order Window" will be opened during which you'll be able to place your order. First deliveries will be "around Spring of 2012" which of course can be as late as June 19, 2012, right?
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