Think about getting a toyota Prius but first I need to know what happens........?

Drew

If I get struck in slow moving traffic because when the car does under 30MPH it is powered by battery















but only for 1.5 miles ,if I get stuck say behind a accident on the motorway with long tail backs and it,s not possible to get above 30 will my battery just go flat and then I,m broken down?

Something_s out there

ask Top Gear

djaca70

I think the engineers thought about that, so there is nothing to worry about. Besides hybrids are best for short jaunts as opposed to highway driving.

Ben Linus

The Prius doesn't run ONLY on batteries at speeds below 30mph unless you're very light on the throttle pedal. Even then, once the battery power is depleted the car will run on gasoline until the battery is recharged by the gasoline engine and (less so) by regenerative braking.































The Prius can run on gasoline at any speed. Therefore have no worries about the car "running out of battery life" during normal driving and getting stranded somewhere - it can't happen unless you run out of gasoline also or have some major engine problem that prevents the gasoline engine from being able to run (in which case if you were driving a non-hybrid car you'd also be stranded if the engine stops being able to run anyway).

JerryJ

No. You won't be "broken down" until you run out of gas. Here's how the Prius works:































1. The Prius is primarily a gas powered car. Every bit of energy used comes from the gas tank, so as long as there is gas in the tank, the Prius will keep running.































2. The Prius gets it's good MPG because the gas engine is sized for steady state driving rather than for acceleration like an old fashioned car.































3. The two motor/generators (MGs) are there for two reasons: A) To provide additional acceleration when required. B) To allow the engine to turn off when the power demand is very low.































4. The electric motors are operative at every speed. That is, the electric motors are always working. (See the link below and click on "understanding your Prius" for the gory details.































- when the car does under 30MPH it is powered by battery but only for 1.5 miles































This is a misconception. The correct way to state this is: At speeds under 42 mph, the Prius is able to shut down the gas engine and run on electric power only. It may or may not shut down the gas engine depending on various factors such as the catalytic converter temperature, engine temperature, change level of the battery, etc. The distance that you can go on electric power only varies with speed, terrain and the charge level of the battery. But in practice it doesn't make any difference because savvy Prius drivers use the electric power sparingly.































Okay, that needs some explanation. Every time energy is converted from one state to another there is an energy conversion loss. So from gas to heat there is a loss, from heat to mechanical there is a loss, from mechanical to electrical there is a loss, from electrical to mechanical there is a loss. Not all of these losses are identical. So the trick is to avoid losses when possible. For instance at very low power demands, there are less losses from using the electric motors then there are from running the gas engine.































The easiest way to envision this is to think of the battery in the Prius as a credit card. If you use your credit card sparingly, you can even out your cash flow spikes. If you use it a lot, then you won't be able to pay it back at the end of the month and will have high interest charges. (When the plug-in Prius comes out, that will be like having your rich uncle Bob pay off your credit card).































- Highway Driving:































Note that the Prius is a fine highway car. Here are some numbers from my last trip:































--- Trip to NE starts here















08/13/10____111690____625____59.8 (3.9)















08/14/10____112308____618____60.0 (3.9)















08/20/10____112972____663____64.2 (3.7)















08/22/10____113411____438____58.9 (4.0)















08/31/10____113922____510____61.8 (3.8)















--- Trip to NE ends here































2004 Prius MPG from the logbook. (Complete years only):















2003-2004 -- 50.8 mpg 17,628 miles















2005 -- 52.6 mpg 14,688 miles















2006 -- 56.3 mpg 16174 miles















2007 -- 57.3 mpg 18384 miles















2008 -- 59.9 mpg 21755 miles















2009 -- 61.4 mpg 16177 miles















2010 -- 65.2 mpg 12134 miles































www.ecrostech.com

EvelynThe ModifiedDog.

The Pious is a total con.































Buy a small Diesel, it'll do more mpg, be nicer to drive and a lot cheaper to service.















If you buy one made locally it'll also be a hell of a lot more 'eco' because it won't have been carted half way round the world on a huge container ship, and it won't be full of the nickel batteries that causes so much of the pollution involved in making the Pious.































Go on, give me the thumbs down, eco-hippies!

john hobart

as long as you have gas in the tank, you won't have dead batteries. i once waited forever in the taco bell drive through with my air conditioner on and music playing. i noticed that the battery level meter was low and the bar changed color to purple. soon enough the engine came on to charge the HV battery pack. Do yourself a favor...go to a dealer and drive one; nothing to lose.















I rented one 3 times before i bought one but knew i wanted one after the first drive.















Speaking for myself, I did not buy a prius for any reason at all that has to do with being eco friendly or green. i just simply am tired of purchasing gas for inefficient vehicles and needed another vehicle. prius was the answer for me. I would not go with a diesel vehicle. not every gas station carries diesel.















I bought the car strictly for the mileage because i drive 45 miles roundtrip 5 days a week due to my work/home distance. IF it were not for the distance I drive, then i wouldn't consider owning a prius because they do have a higher cost price that needs to be justified somehow. for me the cost difference will be made up with the less amount of gas i will be purchasing plus i keep vehicles for years and years and years.































soon enough 'the flaming raven' will post his cut/paste comment of why you should not buy a prius and that it didn't make some top 10 list. read between the lines because this review he speaks of covers the ownership of a vehicle for a 3 year period. are you someone who will get rid of a vehicle you like after just 3 years of ownership? it takes more than 3 years and you have to drive the miles to make up the cost difference of prius ownership instead of a different vehicle.

DR + Mrs Bears face

Hi















the hybrid idea is to save fuel, when the battery is low it runs on petrol only so no need to worry.

jd1979

Don't, just don't........... horrible car, plugged as "environmentally friendly", but the manufacturing process (nickel mining in canada, then shipping it all over the blinkin' place to turn it into batteries to make the car work) causes more environmental damage than a normal car + the extra weight from the batteries knackers the fuel economy.















http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKTOyiKLARk















http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyaA5I9IvPo































You'd be better off with a Ford Fiesta Econetic, or the upcoming Ford Focus Econetic, or a Volkswagen "Blue Motion" model which beat the crap outta the Pious on fuel economy (and also don't make you look like a numpty)















http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/ford/fiesta-2009/















http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/ford/focus-2011/































The Pious also only manages to get a 3-star rating @ WhatCar















http://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/t...ummary/25893-5































And 4 stars @ http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/toyota/prius-2009/















Not as fuel efficient on long journeys as a diesel (or the Ford Econetic models I mentioned above)

jvclassic

You don't run out of power if you run down the batteries. Gas takes over.















The good thing is that in an electric car, you do not waste fuel idling if traffic is not moving.















Unless you are running heat or AC.