My local paper is writing an article on me and my Prius. I wanted to give her good factual information. One thing that I have not gotten a straight answer on is HP. According to Motor Trend it's max HP is 110, Edmunds says 76, now Toyota says that the ICE has 76 HP and the electric motor has 67 HP, so is it possible for the Prius to generate 143 HP?
Also other than talking about the great gas mileage, low emissions, cool gadgets, and how much I love this car, what else should I mention to the reporter?

 

Oh and yes I will mention Greenhybrid.com as a source for great info on the Prius and other Hybrids!!!!

 

I would try "Let me tell you what the driving experience is like when extra power is called for"

Can you pass cars safely ?
Merging onto expressways any problem ?
Any limitation in getting up to speed from a stop ?
How does the car drive on the expressway ?

For the gearheads, talk torque -- aka acceleration.

I was reading the articles of Neil something -- the journalist from the LA times who caused a bit of angst over in GM land recently .. and was reminded that a LOT of drivers identify with their cars on many levels. I hate to say it, but you may want to give some thought to how the car makes you *feel* owning and driving it.

The owning part has been much written about: proud to be less of a blight on the environment, doing your part to reduce US dependence on foreign oil.

The driving part remains obscure to most. Car enthusianst mags pretty much write an article derived from how sure the car whips around a corner. There are many other facets. Do you *enjoy* driving the Prius ? Tell them why! I know I do; and I am not by any stretch of the imagination a car buff. I find the silent, effortless glide of the car extremely relaxing. It is like sitting in my sunroom on a nice day, with my favorite cat purring nearby. It has the attraction of sailing, without having to acquire sealegs :-) It is less a drive, and much more a ride. Time after time.

To an interested but inexperienced reader, I might say: if your first thought riding the monorail at Disney World was "hey, this is cool!", you are going to LOVE the Prius !!

 

Hybrid Synergy Drive combines engine and motor to a maximum of 110 HP. You can't just add the numbers together. But compared with a regular 110 HP car, you get more torque. I don't know the combined, but the electrical motor delivers 400 Nm of torque.

I have asked for emissions data for american sold Priuses here before, but has still not seen the numbers.

I agree very much with EricGo that you should focus on the feel of riding a Prius, as this is different from a regular car. Reliability is also nice to mention, and excellent crash test scores.

Good luck with the article!

 

the only emissions data i can find is on www.fueleconomy.gov

 

Regarding Emissions: I think a reasonable compromise to accuracy in discussing this topic in a non-technical forum is to discuss GHG (greenhouse gases, the cause of global warming -- largely a matter of C02), and smog (Nox, Sox, Hydrocarbons, Particulate matter) separately.

Some cars can approach Prius in (mpg) C02. Diesels, for instance; or the Honda Civic HX.
A growing number of cars obtain the admirable SULEV (90% cleaner than minimum CARB requirements) smog emission credentials that the Prius does.
No other non-hybrid car comes anywhere close to doing both well, while the Prius is superb in both categories. This is what makes the Toyota Prius and Honda hybrid family such a compelling alternative to conventional cars.

I imagine MPG and epa will come up. Here are the points I would emphasize:
Overall, Prius obtains the same *percent* of epa (85 - 90) as other cars, for the average driver. And like other cars, better or worse for an individual driver is mostly a measure of driver habits, trip length, and local climate. If you get 67% of epa in your current car (even if you do not know it!), you are likely to get 67% of epa in your Prius. So the greater than two-fold increase in gas economy holds true when upgrading from a current average economy car. The only difference is you know exactly what your economy is with a Prius, whereas most people were just assuming (incorrectly) that they were obtaining epa averages with their conventional car.

Good Luck with your interview!

 

I'm sorry, but your invitation to contribute has me blabbing ..

Johan's mention of safety and reliability is spot on. I would also mention that the Prius is a luxury car in disguise for a few thousand dollars over base.GPS, 6 airbags, bluetooth, climate control, smart entry/start, HID headlights, Premium audio, integrated steering wheel/screen controls, two-way voice .. I am probably forgetting other things.

I think most Americans, when they take a moment to think about it, realize that dependence on foreign oil is a prescription for political turmoil, terrorism, war, and US economic decline. Exploiting Alaska is a band-aid, when the problem is hemmorhage. Hybrids like the Prius allow, by a huge stretch, the most meaningful individual contribution to improving this problem while requiring miminal financial or personal sacrifice.

The decreased expenses at the pump, coupled with state and federal incentives, offset most or more of the up-front cost of the car compared to just about any other new car purchase * (depending on the price of gas over the coming years), effectively allowing every car driver to contribute to a clean environment, a safer country, and a healthier economy -- all for free or at a profit. Hybrids are the best thing in cars since the horse & buggy. It is like the local utility offering you a choice of electric from coal or wind at the same price. A very, very, easy choice.

* In the Prius' case, the hybrid powertrain adds about $3000 US to the car's price -- about 13%. Since gas expenses will decrease about 50% for most owners compared to purchasing a new, similar but conventional car, if your monthly gas expenses are 26% of your monthly payment for the non-hybrid contender, you will break even money wise *from day 1*. Once the car is paid off, hybrid ownership saves you money every time you go to the pump.

Another price calculation in a similar vein is to figure out the monthly cost to finance the hybrid tech, and see how that compares to monthly gas savings. $3000 US amortized over 5 years at 4% costs $55.25 a month. When you save 50% on your gasoline bill, that $55 is recouped *easily* for many people. As an example, my wife and I have two cars, but for the most part 'car-pool' together, putting about 1500 miles/month on the Prius, equal to 30 gallons of gas a month. At current pump prices we save 30 gallons * $2.25/gallon = $67.50 a month. If gas goes up to $3/gallon and stays there (a distinct possibility), we save $90 a month, a 163% ROI *profit* for being a good citizen.

 

Isn't it odd that one can't find the emission specs (not just the EPA rating which does not tell the whole truth) for the Prius?

 

Johan, most of what I have filed away comes from you, I think :-)
But just in case ..

http://www.ctts.nrel.gov/analysis/he...ta_prius.shtml
has Prius I data.

I also have a table that shows the max emissions by sub-type allowed, to qualify on the EPA's 1 - 10 rating scale. Once I understand how to post a jpeg, I'll send it.

 

Johan, I've uploaded the EPA ratings table to
https://www.greenhybrid.com/share/sh...e.php?i=90&c=9

I know it is not exactly what you are looking for, but it will define a lower bound. The Prius II is 9.5/10. I do not know how fractions are derived. Linear ???

I found this link from Argonne testing the 2004 Prius with EPA money. No data yet, but looks promising:
http://transtech.anl.gov/v4n1/prius.html

- Eric