Prius plug in

Joined
Nov 27, 2015
Messages
783
Location
S.E. Idaho USA
I stumbled into a good deal on a 2013 Prius, I couldn't resist. I needed to buy a commuter rig to get to my crane yard in town, 13 miles one way, one that would be a company car, I've been missing out on the tax deductions involved with having a specific company car, no more! Damned if the first rig I see at the Toyota dealership (my brand of choice for decades now, I've had super good luck with them) was a used white (preferred) Prius just old enough to be past the worst of the
depreciation but still the newest car I've ever bought. As I'm walking around it kicking the tires, I see a access port on the side that looks like a gas filler door, to my surprise when I pushed the button, it opened.

"That's odd, these days most of them are locked or opened from the inside," I thought, but then a closer look reveals a electrical socket! Just then, the sales guy apologetically starts explaining how they didn't sell many of these plug in rigs in Idaho, like he was afraid it was going to queer the deal for me or something! I instantly knew I was going to buy it, here is what I came up with.

The plug in will go 11 to 15 miles in pure EV, my crane yard is 13 miles, but 3 of that is downhill, then level ground. I have a surplus of FREE electricity at home thanks to my large grid tie wind, solar, and hydroelectric systems. Right now I have over 11,000 KWH stashed in Idaho Power's system, in fact my surplus is so large I recently moved one of my PV arrays down to my crane yard earlier in the year, and have already built up enough surplus there to more then power my electric boiler for the radiant floor heat system this winter. I should be able to make the 13 miles to the crane yard, for free, I can charge it at the yard while out working, and then make the first 10 miles home, the level part, free. Then the last 3 miles, 1200' altitude gain, it will turn into a regular Prius and I'll complete the drive home. I'm picking it up today, after riding to the car lot on my electric bike, which will be easily placed inside the big rear space, with the seats folded down. So, an electric vehicle, sort of, it should be fun exploring it's capabilities.
 
Sounds like you have a good find there. Be sure to test drive your intended route to verify it will perform as you hope. Batteries are tricky little buggers !
I have been trying to find something similar down here..a plug in hybrid.. for daily urban runs and the odd wayward trip that a pure EV wont do without several recharge stops.
But our choices are limited, with the Volt being about the sole contender ..but V expensive at $60+k new .
The only other realistic option is the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV @ $45k new, but being run out for a model change and can be picked up as ex demo vehicles for $30 k or so. It also has the advantage of a 50km pure electric range, true 4 wheel drive off road ability, and of course the SUV versatility for carrying the bikes, towing etc .
Just need to find the right one !
http://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/mitsubishi/outlander-phev
Let us know how the Prius performs
What did the Prius cost you, if you dont mind me asking ?
 
18 K, and I'm selling the Yaris for 4500.00.

For the first time I charged at my crane yard today, while out doing a couple jobs. More then long enough for the charger to do its thing. I was pleased to see the 15 amp breaker on the outside outlet I used worked just fine. Got home, 13 miles away but more importantly with a 1200 vert climb the last 3, and I see (according to the in dash display at least, I'm also keeping track the "real" way when filling it up, but that may take a while at this rate) I got 68 mpg.

It's charging now (along with a couple bike batteries, got a big ride planned for tomorrow) so tomorrow morning will be a full charge down the hill, did it once before but failed to note the display readout, there are so many bells and whistles on this thing I am having a hard time keeping up with it! Like how it apparently has some kind of radar thing for stopping, screw that, I don't WANT to know how that works!

I have a good old beater Toyota RAV4 for my winter ride, but it only gets mid to high 20's mpg. Which reminds me, I've taken to referring to the Yaris as "the gas hog", ha ha.
 
I have 300 miles now on the PIP, and I am real pleased with what I am seeing so far. I can easily get to my crane yard without any engine help, just on the traction battery. Except for a brief startup that I believe is so that IF needed the ICE is warm and ready to go. I'm driving 45 to 50 mph on the 2 lane 45 mph road, which parallels the Interstate. So, 13 miles, with a 1200' downhill stretch, pure EV, is no sweat. Speaking of sweat, one day was a bit warm, so for the first time I used the AC while in EV, it worked fine and I still got to the bottom of the mountain before the ICE fired up. BTW, that transition of ICE on or off, is seamless, you cannot feel or really hear any difference, the TOY engineers did a great job! One day I went quite a bit further, past the crane yard and across town to a window tinting shop a friend owns. The next day I picked it back up (after riding across town on my folding Montague e bike and putting it in the hatch) and drove back to the crane yard, all on EV power except for the brief ICE startup. About 20 or more miles.

Pulling up to a red light at the biggest intersection in town, a guy in a older Chevy pickup pulled up along side, and it for the first time occurred to me that the whole engine idling thing is so outdated. I'm sitting there in total silence and burning zero gas, what's not to like? Plug in BS aside, I'm liking a lot, the auto engine off feature, it really changes your attitude when the light turns yellow and you make that snap decision to either come to a full stop or maybe run it a bit. Now, it's more "oh good, a little re gen and then I'll just sit there engine off."

On a different note, I was negligent a bit while merging onto the Interstate the other day, and when I started paying full attention I realized I was going to merge with a semi's under carriage (he couldn't move over due to traffic on his left, and he was right at the bottom of a big hill so wanting to keep what speed he had maintained, I pull the same bitch of hill in the crane so I can relate), so it was my choice to either slow my merge and get behind him or romp on it. I for the first time "romped" it, hitting the "performance" button (conveniently placed, right handy) and also flooring it. I think the trucker got a surprise, ("oh great, a slow as hell Prius driver trying to max out his MPG"), I sure did, the thing hauls ass when needed! More then adequate, and a feature I may use more often if I sense someone is profiling me (ha!) as a prissy Prius owner driving like an old women (nothing against old woman), but I am on a mission to change the gen public's attitude a bit maybe about the Prius. Anyone who knows me knows that this thing will be WORKED, and worked hard, it has to earn it's keep. As an example, here's a pic of 4 280 watt solar panels I needed to deliver to a customer about 40 one way miles away. These big suckers are 65" by 39", and they slid into the back like they were made for it. This was great news as this size of PV module is one I deal with quite a bit, and I can't think of a more cost effective way to deliver them. I got a round trip total of 58 mpg on this 72 MPH with AC on highway run.
 
Right on! Yes, ICE is pretty “lame” when you consider all of the “extra steps” required to use it for transportation purposes. As you realized, ICE sitting at idle is 100% waste of so many precious resources.

Glad you’re enjoying the PIP. Someday when bored you might wanna give the “plug-out” Prius modifications a look - http://www.converdant.biz/home
 
I spent a few hours first FINDING the 12 v Prius battery, (in the back) then installing a high quality (hopefully higher amperage capable then the cheap ones, looks more robust anyway) 12 VDC power socket. Connected directly to the 12 V battery, fused, all heat shrinked connections I did a real nice job. I did the same thing with my Yaris, after finding the 400 watt 12v to 120v inverter I use to power up my Luna charger while driving drew just a few too many amps for the stock receptacle. I hardwired a better one direct to the battery and ran heavier wires into the car and it worked fine, we're talking less then 20 amps, around 15 I think it draws. But to my surprise, the Prius is not so easy, and after some though I think I know why.

The 12 v battery is (I guess) charged by the 207 v main battery, not through a fan belt driven alternator on the ICE (that's so 20 th. century), and I am slowly coming to grips with the high techness of this rig. At rest the AGM battery measured 12.47 v, once the car was "started" (ICE engine not running, but all systems ON and ready to drive away) the battery v rose to 14.7 v. OK, similar to any car battery, a higher voltage under charge/while "running", I get that. But then it got weird, my first time I plugged in the little inverter, it blew the 30 amp inline fuse. Thinking I had somehow screwed up the simple install, I double checked and tried again, same thing! No way that inverter draws that much! Then (and I should have, in retrospect, tried this first) I put the alligator leads on the inverter and connected it directly to the at rest/12.47 battery. It refused to power up, actually it briefly did, then immediately shut down. The LOW VOLTAGE buzzer on the inverter didn't go off, like I know it does with too low of a voltage and too big of a load. I then opened the hood on my pickup parked close by, and it's at rest battery showed 12.38v, and I hooked the inverter up to it and it worked normal!

At this point I realized there is something going on beyond my expertise with the car, nothing wrong with it, it's working as designed probably, but I quit while I was ahead. More research from someone who knows Prius's is indicated, there has to be a way to pull 12 or 14 amps at 12 vdc out of it, we'll see. I see the PLUG OUT company sells a 1 kw inverter, that works off the 12 v battery, what the hell? After reading that I thought they we're simply offering an off the shelf 12 v inverter, like I can pick up anywhere, but now I think they are on to something, besides offering the inverter, they must also know how to wire it in to the Prius in the proper way, not as simple as going straight to the 12v battery like any other rig.
 
Nice buy on the plug in, Toyota is @ the top of it's class imo. Personally I've been partial to their 4x4's since a teenager, though my old bucket- an 89 crx hf hatch did pretty good @ <45mpg- and it was such a simple machine. I miss that car and the hatch format above all.

Anyway, googling a replacement battery shows it's just a standard lead acid (fwict). That size has about ~400 cca, so plenty to run a 400w inverter for a while. Advanceauto's site does mention "agm vrla" as a battery spec, though I can't see why (or HOW) a valve regulated glass mat structure could limit draw below 40a when it can deliver 400 to cranking. . .

I can see no reason why you can't pull 40 amps direct from that battery for your inverter!

________
Sidenote, you show transport of pv panels. . . I am planning on getting some 200-250w sometime- do you have a recommended source for best pricing for the east coast? Thanks!
 
I have no advice for a good back east solar connection, if you get out to Idaho though look me up!

After doing some research on how the Prius 12 v battery works, I got the 400 watt inverter working as it should. It seems the dummy who installed the 12 v receptacle had the positive where the negative wire should go, this explains why it kept blowing fuses. I was that dummy :roll: Moving on.....

The reason the inverter seemed to operate hinky when directly connected to the battery was as simple: the LUNA charger has internal circuity of some sort that makes for a delay of several seconds when you first plug it in. This fact, combined with the inverters feature of only fully powering on when it detects a load, makes for an odd sequence when you first turn them both on. First nothing happens, then the inverter comes on, then shuts off. THEN a second or so later they both come on and stay on. My mistake was freaking out after that first pause and thinking I had a problem, and not leaving it plugged in long enough to sort things out. So, after a little drama, I now have a way to recharge my bikes while driving down the road, with only a 14 amp load on the battery, and research shops the main Prius battery can supply up to 100 amps into the 12 v battery (why so much I don't know).

With the inverter on, the voltage is, 14.7 volts, rock solid. The cool thing is I can turn the Prius on (ICE off), but just leave it in park, and as the 12 v battery discharges the main traction battery will keep it topped off. At some point, hours later, the ICE will start, as the cars systems senses the big battery needs to be charged. The ICE goes to a set RPM (most efficient) for a short period, delivering a huge amount of amps to the big battery, and then the car shuts down again. It turns out this is also super efficient, nothing like idling a conventional car to keep the battery charged while using an inverter! Much more efficient then the best small Honda generator, which are known for working great. None of this matters though, when the wires are crossed at the plug in for the inverter, ha ha.
 
Absolutely perfect match for my situation/commute. The rest of the time its a super aero clean super high mpg car, WINNING, ( apologies to Charlie Sheen for stealing that from him).
 
I had to make a very quick trip into town a couple days ago, I had a customer coming up from some distance away to pick up a 1 KW off grid system and I did not want to keep him waiting. It was late Friday and the things I needed would not be available over the weekend. About 40 miles round trip. Unlike my usual leisurely drive using the 45 MPH secondary road, this time I got on the interstate and for once blended right in with other traffic by going the same speed almost all of them were, 80! That is the posted limit here.....all the better for the 65 MPH speed trap I-15 lowers to when passing through Pocatello. Usually, even if I take the interstate, I'm cruising at 62 or so, not this time. Besides actually being real short of time, I was also going to see what the worst case parameters were for the PIP: by driving like most people, too damn fast.

Once in town, I had 4 stops to make, so some typical town driving, stops lights/signs, etc. I made no special effort other then the usual common sense thing of not racing up to a light that was going to turn red. Then I hit the south bound on ramp to head home, and this on ramp is one that gets your attention in a slow vehicle as it is uphill, while the traffic you hope to merge with is going downhill, plus there is a curve. I could see both lanes pretty full, so I could either lollygag a bit and wait for the gaggle to proceed me, or just continue my acceleration a bit and smoothly enter before them. So, pedal to the metal, after hitting the POWER button(or maybe it says PEFORMANCE, same dif), and the PIP moved right on out, again up to my cruising speed of 80. Then, once off the highway after 8 miles and back on the secondary road, I had to pull my hill, with it's 1200 feet of vert, that'd be UP vert. Again, I went faster then normal up it, 50, as opposed to the more sane 35.

Once parked back at the charging station (what I now call the tin shed outbuilding I use for a garage), I shut it down and the dash board display told me my MPG for the trip was 61. I had NOT started with a full charge either, just 4 miles of EV range instead of the usual 11 to 14. Not bad, not bad at all! In contrast, a slower then normal drive into town yesterday, (40-45) yielded a round trip average of 109 MPG. :shock:

Now, the dash display I'm told is inaccurate, and I myself consider the gold standard of keeping track of your MPG is the old fashioned way of simply dividing the trip meter miles by the gallons needed to fill up. I also try and fill in the same fashion, same pump if possible, parked the same direction, consistency is the key. But, it is good for a rough idea, and it is looking GOOD! So while my little Yaris returned mid 40's in my typical mix of driving, the much roomier (as in more room to haul stuff, making it more practical, not talking passenger comfort here, it's almost always just me and the dog) the PIP is looking to be "better". It is super fun, and entirely reminiscent of how I ride my ebikes, to take advantage of the rolling hills, any slope at all, by speeding up smoothly before pulling them, and then gradually slow until you crest it and then start re gening on the other side. Except I don't ride a DD hub drive, just saying. I do this with an eagle eye on my rear view mirror BTW, with no one behind me in other words. It makes driving more of an intellectual excercise, instead of just mashing down on the throttle. I was down to about half a tank a few days ago, and eagerly went to fill up so I could get my first real MPG #'s, but I had accidentally reset the trip meter earlier by disconnecting the 12 volt battery while installing an inverter to enable me to recharge the bikes batteries while driving somewhere. So, it will be a while again before I get some real numbers. Today I'm installing the rear bumper/trailer hitch mount for the fatbike (which will only be installed when actually carrying the bike, one pin removes it), and I expect that it will be a pretty major drag hit, the bike itself not the mount. I already have been carrying the folding Montague in the car, it fits super good where the passenger front seat used to be, with no drag penalty of course.

More to follow on a thread I stumbled upon on the priuschat site, about how, when used as a camper, the PIP is unique in offering over night heat OR AC for the campers inside! You turn the car on (not start it, turn it on) and set the auto HVAC system to the desired temp, and every few hours the ICE engine kicks on for a few minutes to recharge the traction battery (the source of the heater and the AC) and then shuts down. Much experience has shown that carbon monoxide is not a problem, though many have a detector none have reported and elevated levels, the exhaust and the air intake are widely separated. The fuel burned is so little people have a hard time quantifying it, that big battery is real handy it turns out. Having a cool place to sleep in very hot conditions, or a warm one in frigid, means a weight savings in carrying less equipment: no tent, minimal sleeping gear, plus when camped in bear country, other advantages (like not getting mauled or eaten, it happens more then you may think around these parts). I understand that some leave their cars turned on, when making brief stops of an hour or so, with the HVAC system keeping interior temps where needed, without the ICE coming on at all. That seems a trifle decadent but is a good example of the technology involved.

I turned my computer back on and made a change in those numbers, I arrived at them by averaging out the MPG shown on the display after each stop, and dividing by the number of stops, anyway, THESE MPG numbers are accurate, or at least as accurate as the onboard display.
 
Saw similar thing about "Tesla Camper" back in August:

http://insideevs.com/putting-tesla-model-s-camper-mode-video/

Practical uses for large mobile battery packs are merely beginning to be discovered. Exciting EV times.
 
I've been working ( crane service) the last few days on a big job, and as usual when it starts getting chilly, come lunch time, every one heads to their rigs (all most all 4x4 pickups) and either sit in them with the engine idling while eating if they packed a lunch, or run down the road a couple miles to the closet convenience store. This is as much a part of any construction job as hammers, I've done it myself countless times, back when I was bending nails.

But all that is now ancient history for me, yesterday I drove 4 miles, went through a local drive-in that makes a killer fish sandwich, and after waiting for my order about 5 minutes (they are slow, part of the charm of the place, not Mc Anything) pulled out and sat in the car while eating lunch and listening to the sat radio. Then I headed back to the job site, stopping along the way to get some coffee, and then after my return and I was shutting it down, I realized I had done all this without the ICE starting, all on the EV system. I had the electric seat warmer on also.

A day before that, I drove 24 miles and about 1,000 to 1,300 vert up, to e mountain bike. When done, (8 miles, nice ride) I made the 17.4 mile trip to the local watering hole that's right on my way home. That return leg was at 944 MPG, with about 4 or 5 miles of it a steady downgrade, but the remaining 11/12 rolling with no net gain or loss in height. Today, I got 289 MPG on the ride down into town, and on the way back up 61 MPG. it seems that I am in the sweet spot of the 11-15 mile EV range of the PIP, I am blown away with these numbers. I plugged in one day for half an hour (120v), and got 4 miles of range back. I feel like I'm in some kind of time warp, when pulling up to a stop light and all the other cars are idling away, and I coast up silently, or if the ICE is running, it shuts down while I wait for the green. The other cars seem quaint and antiquated, from a different time. The performance of this car is addicting, I would find it very hard to go back to a regular car for my main ride. It'd be like going back to rotary, (these had a spring tensioned disc with holes in it for your fingertip, you'd poke a finger in on the digit you wanted, and twirl it clockwise to the stop, wait while it returned to its other stop, then dial the next digit, honest, I'm not making this up) with hard wired phones, and mailing hand written letters to communicate. But I will be forced to drive the '99 RAV4 this winter quite a bit, as I absolutely need AWD where I live. In a day or so I'll post some pictures showing my new fatbike rack for the rear end of the car, and how the folding Montague fits in the front, inside. I'm getting it tricked out the way I need it, the last thing I need to work on is the smug look many Prius drivers seem to have, now I know why :shock: For a (sort of) electric car, I can't think of anything else available NOW, for a price ten's of thousands less then the new pure EV cars. With zero range anxiety, I can't wait for my first big road trip, looks like it may be from Idaho to the Big Sur area, I used to live there and thinking back....I want to take my ebike there and do some riding and see some old friends, in that order.
 
You have discovered a new lifestyle ! :lol:
Now, if only you had been able to find one of those Mitsubishi PHEV Outlanders, you could do all that , and more, with AWD for the winter, 30mile elecctric range, and even bigger carrying space. :wink:
 
Prius 006.jpgrsz_img_20161001_154034949.jpgPrius 002.jpgView attachment 3The Prius at work......hauling four 130 lb. batteries (pulling the passenger seat makes for a nice low loading height, and keeps the weight better distributed then all in the ass end), hauling an empty plastic water tank on my lightweight trailer (we had 30 MPH headwinds on the drive into town that day, you can see the weather conditions I was driving towards, I still got 48 MPG). Also, the BBSHD/Montague/Rohloff hubbed folder in it's new home. Unlike when I carry this in the airplane, it is a super easy and quick job to stick it in there, the low loading height coming in handy again. Plus the fat bike rack I built for it, I kept it as short coupled as I could, and will also use a purpose built strap that hooks into the top of the hatch in order to somewhat pre load the hitch loads: so the weight isn't just cantilevered out there and flopping around with every road bump, like I see on some bike racks. There is a removable vertical strut that you can see in the one picture, and the entire arrangement seems to be real solid with no flexing.

So, this is what has got me all excited, a super high MPG ride, with a good practical load hauling capability, while it still leaves the entire rear open for sleeping in and/or hauling more gear. It fairly screams ROAD TRIP! Once I'm "wherever", it will only be a moments work to park the car and get the bike out, with a fully charged battery of course thanks to the car's inverter. In the meantime, the inside the car bike carrying thing is proving handy as it is obviously, out of the weather and safe. If I throw an old blanket over it, no one is the wiser, it's like having a secret super power, the ability to drive up in a perfectly respectable looking and even common looking car, and then minutes later to move out on a 30+mph AND at the same time a very low geared eMTB and quickly access terrain more mortals can't, all without advertising the fact in advance I even have a bike of any kind with me, ha ha ha!

HillHater: that Outlander Hybrid is one sweet ride, but WAY beyond what I want to tie up dollar wise in a ANY car.....probably 30 to 40K? Where as these used Prius plug ins can be bought for a relative bargain, between 10 an 20K anyway, which is STILL about double then I have ever spent in my life for a vehicle! They seem like a great entry level EV for the "common man."
 
I got my first little road trip in over the weekend, 300 miles of 50 to 65 mph two lane, lots of climbs and descents, and I used cruise almost all the time. I had a fair bit of wind, some good, some bad. I got 58.8 mpg. I think I can safely say 50 mpg will be very easy to attain at higher speeds on more level ground. As will over 60 mpg if going slower, on secondary roads. My first tank refill on my more usual route of local driving showed 78 mpg, this being where I can use the strictly EV mode more often. I'm really liking the interior room, being able to haul more crap and STILL being able to sleep in it while STILL getting significant better mileage then the little Toyota Yaris the PIP replaced seems to be a win/win.

I got the Montague out 3 different times, one planned, the other two spur of the moment, "I wonder where that trail goes?" I have pretty much fine tuned how I carry it in the Prius, so it's no hassle at all, putting on the front wheel (getting the disc brake lined up without knocking the pads out of whack) takes longer then getting the bike out and unfolding it. Less then 3 minutes is about average. Another 30 seconds to strap on the 11.5 AH battery, but usually no extra time if using the already installed 6 AH Mini.
 
My 1920 watt grid tied PV system at my crane yard, I have a much bigger one at home but can't drive near it for a photo op! Oddly enough, when I plugged it in to recharge before going out for a short crane job, I made a note of the current reading on the utility meter, and when I got back about 2 hours later, the car was fully charged and the meter read the exact same number. Couldn't do that again if I tried.

No power was used inside the building of course, and won't be until heating season starts, then the 2 KW electric boiler that heats the radiant floor will kick on. Then my consumption will outstrip my production, and I'll start eating into my surplus I made during the non heating months. By the time the surplus is almost gone, it will be spring, and the process will start again for the following year. Simple, no moving parts, and maintenance free. And a perfect match for my commute and the Prius 's EV range. Today for the first time, while I was driving down a big mountain I had been e MTBing on for 20 miles, I was in re-gen/ICE off, in the Prius while at the same time the 400 watt inverter was throwing a quick charge into the bikes battery. I had to get some tire work done so I was leaving the car in town and needed enough juice to pull the hill to get home, it all worked out great.PIP 002.jpg
 
That's living the dream! Inspiring, thank you...
 
I've had 6 Toyota Prii in the last ten years, very dependable ICE cars. But out here in San Diego and LA you can find low mileage Volts for $10-$12k and Nissan Leafs for $6k. I couldn't pass up the deal I got, under 50,000 with a brand new "lizard battery pack" for $6k. Once you go full electric you'll never be without an EV. However, from an efficiency standpoint I recognize my Stealth Bomber, is better than all electric cars mainly because you are not lugging an extra 3,000lbs with you to Starbucks.

Somebody with your charing options is an ideal candidate for a true EV, in my opinion.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRnkC41b-Hc
 
Up here in Idaho, EV's are rare, they never even sold the PIP in the state, this one came out of New York ( according to the navigation history, using that info I could drive right to the previous owners doorstep, kinda creepy) probably best to wipe those before reselling! That is good to know they are readily available and a good deal down there, I'll keep it in mind. as I do find that ANYTIME the ICE comes on, however rarely, its a pisser.....after the Omness (?) of the pure EV mod. I could see it being addictive.
 
Awesome. Why do so many of my heroes seem to be mid westerners?

Just you and the dog?

You have a plane?

My god man. Stop it. I hate you. :)

I shall re read your wisdom, but..

So the passenger seat is easily removed?

Just curious, but u love the ev part so, are u not tempted by the notion of boosting battery capacity?

I am a ~noob on this, but the same again, wired in parallel, ought not affect the prius electrics? Maybe the second bank could be simple 4C~ lifepo4 pouches?

It wasnt clear to me if u carry a wall socket charger with u?

Maybe FYI?, but usa is a little underweight for ev charging vs ~220v countries. It seems many houses need a new socket wired in for overnight EV full charging. A great pity. ~any socket will do in 220v countries (as in oz here for hillhater and I). OTH, home a/c is common and power hungry, so i am a bit puzzled.

thanks again for your excellent thread. I shall recommend it.
 
Ebikes are a common accessory for RVs.

An apt term I heard for them is "an RV dinghy".

So yeah, your fatbike is your plugin hybridS "dinghy".

Pertinently, while using the "dinghy" for a side trip errand to deliver a diode, the prius with its other delivery of heavy batteries, could be sitting on a charger or at least, far less mass need be shifted for the detour than otherwise.

charging the ebike as u go is even more awesome.

not for u i know, but for some, the wind resistance of the bike on the rack like yours, could influence choice of bike as a "dinghy". Yours would drag a lot at 80mph.

A bonus i dont recall u mentioning, is that electric is very low maintenance, and since electric does the hard part of getting rolling, i suspect prius mechanicals would last well and reliably for exceptional longevity. For example, CVT is not great for hi torque apps I think, but with electric taking most of that strain, the prius cvt should manage well and last well too.

Similarly, the atkinson cycle ice motor is very under stressed, by definition almost.
 
You dont mention discharge rates. Range varies a lot depending on the rate. So knowing and acting on your optimum watts output rate would help range. You can aim for a speed which consumes at that rate.

At speed, wind is easily the energy hog. Outside wind speed would be good to know. An anemometer.

Never used it, but predictive/adaptive cruise control sounds great (i presume hi tech prius has it?). Passing and lane changing is stressful and gains little. 5-10kph slower is fine by me if calmer. I figure, spot a big rig or car doing a suitable speed for that stretch of highway, slip in behind, and automatically keep a civilised distance back, maybe even slipstream a bit, safely. Who is gonna pass u just to sit behind a semi? You dont feel guilty u r slowing traffic.

when the semi slows for ~terrain, move on til the next vehicle which suits.
 
I'm minutes away from my first major road trip in the Prius/ebike combo, as soon as the UPS guy gets here!I'm waiting on something needed for the trip. I'll be driving due south, right into approaching cold front, 20 to 30 headwind. Utah, Arizona, California, and back to Idaho via Nevada. Making having the bike INSIDE the sleek Prius highly desirable. I have it set up with blackout curtains and all my usual camping gear (less tent) I carry in my small airplane, with plenty of room left over. To roll out my thick foam sleeping pad (not a hiking or lightweight one, I got it from a upholstery shop, so super comfortable), after sliding the drivers side seat up all the way and sliding a small piece of plywood forward to bridge the gap, I have a private sleeping area, with heat or AC if needed. I have to exploit that capability of the Prius, it providing 24 hour heat or cool, with very minimal ICE operation, many do though. The big scrap left over from the black out material I bought (kind of weird fabric, unusual anyway, flat black so you can't tell you're looking at a curtain even, no sheen to it at all, it just sucks any light up) I can throw over the bike, so pretty stealthy. A LOT more stealthy anyway then a roof rack or rear rack mounted, besides the aero issues of that.

I don't have much interest in adding battery to the PIP, I'll leave it stock and the distances in Idaho are pretty large most of time. If anything, I'd buy a used Leaf for local travel, but with the PIP already, I can't really justify that.It IS working out real well, perfect, for my usual work commute of 13 miles.
 
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