Heading for the MPG
Recollections fade above time, but the working day you acquire your first electrical motor vehicle will remain with you, perhaps permanently.
A Very first Timer for Clean Fleet Report is somebody who bought their first EV, PHEV or FCEV. This alphabet soup of letters just means their motor vehicle has a plug or runs only on electrical power, these types of as an electrical vehicle (EV), or a plug-in hybrid electrical auto (PHEV) or makes its very own electrical energy as a hydrogen fuel cell electric powered car or truck, (FCEV.)
Thoroughly clean Fleet Report speaks with 1st Timers to hear about their practical experience. In this case we satisfied with Mark and Annette, who purchased a 2021 Toyota Prius Key.
Clear Fleet Report: Inform us a bit about yourselves.
Annette: We reside in South Orange County, California. Annette has labored from a property place of work as a e book editor for several several years, and Mark is a technical engineering manager in the power and process enhancement area.
CFR: Notify us about the investigation and purchasing practical experience and the invest in decision process, these as when did you obtain or lease the Prius Prime, when did you start investigating new cars, and what seller did you go with?
Mark & Annette: Mark’s job requires a truthful sum of journey, so we wished a auto with exceptionally superior gasoline mileage and variety. The completely electric motor vehicles we thought of ended up both also highly-priced or didn’t have the variety Mark requires for operate vacation, so then we took a glance at plug-in hybrids. The Prius Prime is a superior compromise, delivering fantastic gasoline mileage with a thoroughly electric powered possibility for shorter visits.
We started the vehicle research in January 2022. Mark’s vehicle experienced just occur off lease and we ended up working with provide constraints. Inside of a week’s time, we discovered a pre-owned 2021 Prius Key at AutoNation Toyota in Irvine, and we purchased the auto virtually instantly.
CFR: Which other cars did you think about?
M & A: We thought of the Kia Niro, Mini Cooper Countryman and Hyundai Ioniq plug-in hybrids.
CFR: What drew you to the Prius Primary?
M & A: The Prius Prime was moderately priced and, most important, it was obtainable as motor vehicle inventory and availability the previous year has been tight. Toyota has an great dependability record, the warranty is detailed, and friends with Priuses extremely suggested the car.
CFR: Considering that this is your 1st electrically powered car or truck, what are your driving impressions?
Mark: I am the most important driver and am making the most of the know-how and driving data. We get about 71 miles for every gallon on the freeway, which was a surprise and wonderful thinking of the superior expense of gasoline. The big touch display screen and the Apple iphone interface are wonderful attributes.
CFR: What have your encounters been with charging? Do you have a home charger? Do you use general public chargers, and if so which corporation is your desire?
M & A: We use the typical 120-volt wall outlet at residence, and haven’t used a public charger yet. We plug-in at evening, and it’s thoroughly billed in the early morning, supplying us electric powered driving method for excursions below 25 miles. Annette managed a 30-mile spherical-vacation in electric mode, thanks to the regenerative braking.
CFR: How do you typically use the car, and what is the longest trip you have taken?
Mark: The car or truck is utilized most frequently for lengthy-length function excursions, with the longest spherical-journey remaining 1,336 miles.
CFR: Do you have any closing thoughts on possessing a Prius Key, and would you take into consideration proudly owning this car or truck once more?
M & A: We like the motor vehicle, but it is a tiny little bit underpowered, which may possibly be why it receives good fuel mileage, so that is a affordable trade-off. We’d think about getting an additional Prius Primary.
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Tale by John Faulkner. Pictures by John Faulkner and Toyota.
Our time with the Prime:
Street Exam: 2020 Toyota Prius Prime Constrained
Street Test: 2018 Toyota Prius Primary
Flash Travel: 2018 Toyota Prius Prime