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Any Prius owners out there?

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aerog

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This question came to mind... does anyone know if the Prius has an hour-meter that shows how long the engine actually runs in it? Usually people use miles to gauge when to change the oil in cars, but since you can't use that to know when the engine's actually been on - well, what do they use in a Prius?

Just curious... frankly I'd rather have a hobbs/hour-meter in all my vehicles just like the airplane, makes more sense to me.
 
I tend to agree. Running time is more an indicator than mileage for maintaining an engine.

Likely why the English refer to the speedo/odo as the "clock".
 
Is the Prius the one where the batteries cost almost as much as the car & the ground in Canada where the metal for the batteries is mined is used by NASA for moon terrain training?
 
I have a friend who had one but gave it up because it was one of the most uncomfortable cars he'd ever owned. I'll ask about the hour meter. Oh & BTW their 50 something MPG mileage is “highly” overrated.

But egads those things are all over the place out here. Driving the freeways out here on the left coast - about every other car in the commuter lanes is a freaking Prius.
 
Bret said:
I have a friend who had one but gave it up because it was one of the most uncomfortable cars he'd ever owned. I'll ask about the hour meter. Oh & BTW their 50 something MPG mileage is “highly” overrated.

But egads those things are all over the place out here. Driving the freeways out here on the left coast - about every other car in the commuter lanes is a freaking Prius.
Click to expand...

Besides I get 32 MPG in my Corvette C5 which is not too shabby for a V8 with nearly 400HP and is far far more fun to drive /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif
 
It helps as far as knowing that Toyota did not address the problem questioned!!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
 
I used to get 50+ MPG from Citroen 2CV/Dyanes......AND they were extremely comfortable, you could haul furniture in 'em, and remove the seats for a picnic if you so desired.

And they were really cheap!
 
I still find it funny that the geo metro I bought new in 92 got better real world milage than any of the high tech hybrids. It averaged in the high 40's till the day it was creamed at a stop light. At times it did better than 50mpg when the conditions were perfect. Heck I could drive from mesa az to my parents house in LA on one tank of gas and drive around for a day or so. At the time it was 400 miles and the tank held 10.8 gallons.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]Is the Prius the one where the batteries cost almost as much as the car & the ground in Canada where the metal for the batteries is mined is used by NASA for moon terrain training? [/QUOTE]

Yep thats it. The area around that plant is a complete dead zone. Nothing grows there.
 
weewillie said:
https://z.about.com/d/cars/1/0/F/m/ag_07prius_speedometer.jpg

does this help
Click to expand...

Yeah... looks like there's no consideration for the actual time the engine is on.

They rave about how you don't use the engine very much "in town", but then when do you change the oil? If it runs half as much as "normal" then you should look at 6000 miles on average than the rule of thumb 3000 miles. Maybe the manual says that.

It was just one of those silly curious things that came to mind for no reason. I have no interest in a hybrid at all though.
 
"But egads those things are all over the place out here. Driving the freeways out here on the left coast - about every other car in the commuter lanes is a freaking Prius."

And that is because they are allowed in the car pool lane with only one person,
Well they "did" get to use the car pool lane , now if you buy one you do not get the car pool decal as they ran out of them and are not going to issue anymore !

But the Prius is a great gimmick , you "think" you are doing the green thing and Toyota makes tons of money,

There are many cars in Europe that get 50 mpg that are not imported here and made by Ford and GM

Beaulieu
 
Basil said:
Besides I get 32 MPG in my Corvette C5 which is not too shabby for a V8 with nearly 400HP and is far far more fun to drive /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif
Click to expand...

I average 30-31 in the Miata (contrary to the miata forum people who constantly claim it's not possible or I'm making it up).

I was thinking about a new car in the event I move and need to commute more. The VW TDI came to mind, then I found out they don't make them right now because some states made them illegal them because of Diesel emissions (nevermind they were more economical than a Prius). The '08 ones are supposed to be more powerful and more economical - should be interesting to see what they do to the Hybrid market! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif
 
beaulieu said:
"But egads those things are all over the place out here. Driving the freeways out here on the left coast - about every other car in the commuter lanes is a freaking Prius."

And that is because they are allowed in the car pool lane with only one person,
Well they "did" get to use the car pool lane , now if you buy one you do not get the car pool decal as they ran out of them and are not going to issue anymore !
Click to expand...
Thats correct. I remember one of the dealerships had two identical used Prius' sitting on the lot and the one with the decal was selling for about $5k more.
 
There is a local Prius near my home whose driver hates my Hummer H3 and my TR8. Says there is no need for a V8 and my H3 represents greed. The first time I saw him we were sitting at a red light right after I bought it and as the light turned green he yelled a few obsenities at me, with my kids in the car, and he and his girlfriend took off laughing... until the next red light caught him and I pulled up beside him again. He has been pretty shy and bashful then. He has a Toyota Pickup truck which I am sure does not get the milage of my H3. Driving to DC last week I averaged over 26 MPG for the whole trip to include the turnpike over the mountains. And if a Yugo hits me from the rear my kids will be safe which is more than his prius offers. I keep telling him that I pay more for gas and it is a price to drive what I like and the security to know my kids are in a 5 star crash tested vehicle.

Ok off my Prius soap box
 
think the cops would believe a '76 MGB qualifies for the car pool lane if I put the stickers on it?


hmmmm... i didn't think so either... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
 
OK time for me to chime in... As a factory trained Prius technician.

The oil change duration is still calculated by mileage. Toyota is standard across the board, including all of our hybrids, using "genuine Toyota motor oil" the interval is 5000 miles.
I know the engine isen't running all of that time, but that's what the factory reccomends.
And Fuel mileage is only a fraction of the "green" of a prius.
The true advantage is in the exhaust emissions. what comes out of the tailpipe of a prius getting 35-40 MPG has been far more thourougly cleaned/processed than a Yugo/Metro/ Rabbit diesel getting 50-60 mpg.
The emissions from Priuses are EXTREMELY minute compared to any standard vehicle. The electric motors allow the gasoline engine to run only in a very narrow RPM range then allowing the gas engine to be highly tuned in that range for more complete combustion. Also you eliminate the "rich" condition of hard acceleration and deceleratrion.
Also extra systems have been added to further reduce amissions.
Because of the narrow RPM range, they are able to use much more sensitive catalysts that are more efficent, and control them better.
The gas engine is an atkins cycle engine, that can vary it's compression to adapt to demand.
There is a thermos type coolant reservoir that stores hot coolant for up to 3 days that gets pumped around the intake runners just before startup to reduce fuel condensation and incomplete burning during a cold start.
the fuel tank is a bladder type that has very little open space in it to reduce the escaping hydrocarbons during refueling. As a matter of fact, the Highlander hybrid pulls a vacuume on the fuel tank for 10 seconds before opening the fuel filler door.
The main HV battery is made of a series of nickel metal hydride cells tied togeather by bus bars. If your not fermiliar with that type of battery, look at your cell phone.

I agree, The Prius (and any of the hybrids) are just a step. They are not the answer (my bet's on hydrogen right now). And many Prius owners are of a different opinion than the mainstream. and they can be a tad rabid when it comes to cars and the enviornment (trust me, I deal with them daily) But the car itsself is really a bigger effort than most average people ever grasp.
All that most people see is MPG MPG MPG... Yes that's a HUGE point! but it's not the only one.
Don't get me wrong guys. I'm not intending to be bashing anything said. Everyone here has valid points. I'm just trying to educate a bit on these cars.
They're as different from your everyday car as our LBC are. And just understanding what's behind them is half the battle.
I'd be glad to answer any questions anybody has. Working on the hybrids is one of the main reasons I like working at Toyota.
 
Ben:
Thanks for your comments. I have read some of this stuff elsewhere, but you said it better.

The Prius is not just about gas mileage...there's a much bigger picture than that and it has to do with the way we use and deliver energy.

And as you say, it's just a step.
For me, as an ME, the Prius has always been a half-way point that pushes the technology. I doubt there will be many hybrids in 25 years, but the things learned for dealing with hybrid cars will probably help us in many ways.
I agree that some of the hybrid crowd can be snarly....but I've seen plenty of uppity British car owners too.

I would be very happy to commute in an electric/bio-fuel/interia-stored/hydrogen/fuel cell/whatever vehicle....then we can save all the gas for racing! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif

And seriously, many folks see hybrids as a good start to practical electric cars. As most of you know, automotive battery technolgy has been stagnant for decades.
Hybrid cars are helping *push* electrical storage research.
A recent discovery related to this is the micro-capacitor "batteries" that can be charged with current *quickly* and do not suffer the chemical breakdown of conventional batteries (these are not really batteries, but millions of tiny capacitors connected together).
My friend Chuck owns a fuel cell company that helped to build the GM "electric skateboard" vehicle.
And there are increased moves to look at safe nuclear power (and a better power grid) to handle this new demand.

Like many of you, I would not buy a hybrid, but I am glad that the "early adopters" are. Many new technical ideas have come indirectly from a re-interest in electric vehicles due to hybrids.

And for the record, my daughter drive a Prius as a company car. She says it's fine (but she prefers her Jag).

<span style='font-size: 8pt'>Topics like this are sort of a hobby of mine. I have lived in a passive solar, direct gain house for over 25 years and I like the idea of *practical* green efforts. </span>
 
Banjo,
Its funny this topic came up when it did, as just last weekend i was looking at one on the dealers lot. My questions would be about the Prius and winter travel. I did do some reading on the web and it seems that some people have reported that the traction stability system is useless in the snow. It seems that if the wheels spin then the computer cuts power to the wheels basically stranding you. Perhaps you can shed some light on this?
and while asking about the computers did toyota manage to straighten out the suddenly dying while driving issue.


thanks

Mark
 
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