ONE of the major problems with the electric car is that they haven't really designed it for idiots like me. Let me explain.
I quite like electric cars for short-distance travel. They're smooth, they're quiet, they cost just pennies a kilometre (once you've paid for the initial cost), and there's something to be said for the scavenger-hunt feel of tracking down a free charging station. Actually, if you drive your electric car to Granville Island on a weekend, you get VIP parking right out front, courtesy of BC Hydro.
But for all of this to work, for all this excellence to actually be there in your driveway, humming and ready to go, you have to remember to plug the darn thing in. And, unfortunately, remembering to plug things in is not my forte.
In fact, I've got to stop typing this right now and go find the cord for my laptop as it's about to die.
I'm not the only one either - there are thousands of people out there right now with the 10 per cent battery life warning flashing on their iPhones and still an entire day to be got through.
Here's Toyota's solution, and it's a simple one. It's a Prius with a cord, an electric car with a short range that can be fully charged in just three hours from a regular outlet, but that turns into a regular hybrid when the battery runs out. In many ways, it's an electric car for dummies - but is it really worth the premium over a regular hybrid? Design There's much to like about what Toyota's done with their eco-friendly Prius, now that they've sold three million of the things and expanded a single model into a brand. However, from the outside, there's almost nothing to differentiate this plug-in variant from its cordless brethren.
Yes, the PHEV Prius (for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) does say "Plug-In Vehicle" right there on the front flanks, but you'd be forever explaining it to people, and that's not very exciting. Thanks to some clever advertising, everybody knows what a Nissan Leaf looks like - and that it gets you hugs from polar bears - but this car is just another Prius.
On the good side, the Prius' ergonomic-mouse design now has a bit of flair, with sharp-looking headlights and a modicum of styling lines. It's also immediately recognizable as a hybrid, something that gives it status, in a way.
Mind you, Prius styling is all about a low coefficient of friction, and the PHEV is certainly slippery. Other than that, you've probably ridden in a taxicab that looks just like it. Environment More good news on the inside, as the fitment of a larger lithium ion battery pack to boost the Prius' maximum carry charge hasn't really impacted interior space.
Thus, and again just like a regular Prius, you get a spacious, airy cabin along with a usefully sized lift-back trunk. Rear seat room is good, the seats are all comfortable, and a jogging stroller fits in the back without any hassle.
Unfortunately, Toyota's obsession with making sure the Prius is as environmentally sensitive as possible has resulted in an interior that's a bit recycled-looking, and not in a good way. The plastics are all lined up well, but they're all also very thin and flimsy feeling.
High-trim PHEVs come with a pseudo leather that looks OK, but has the feel of a wetsuit, and the unrelenting grey of everything is a bit depressing. It feels like you're about to take Eeyore for a ride.
The ordinary Prius has been in service for some time now, and likewise the PHEV model has a dated interface and old-fashioned navigation system that's more flip-phone than iPod. Everything's all green and black, like an early 1990s desktop computer, and it certainly doesn't feel cutting edge.
Happily though, the ergonomics are mostly quite good - apart from the switches for the heated seats, which are located so far away they might as well be in another car. I especially liked the way touching the steering wheel controls caused a diagram to flash on the high-mounted screen so you could see what button you were about to press without actually looking down. Performance By law, every single motoring writer is required to spend a minimum of four column inches complaining about how dull and soulless a Prius is to drive. But we'll take that as read.
The fact is, driving the PHEV requires a certain recalibration of the old gearhead meter - it's a car in that it has wheels and goes places, but you really need to rethink the definition of "performance."
Yes, it's very slow. The added weight of the larger lithium battery pack is compounded by the fact that it delivers its electricity in an entirely different way than the old nickel hydride cell. The latter worked quite well in a hybrid application, charging quickly and then releasing power in a burst, but the PHEV's setup just lets the charge trickle out slowly.
Add in a very small electric traction motor and the shortrange pack (electric car owners scoffed at the three kilowatt hour rating), and highway on-ramps become a bit of an ordeal. Theoretically, it should be possible to eke 25 kilometres of electric-only range out of the PHEV, but it requires a very gentle foot on the accelerator.
This Prius loves to turn its gasoline engine on at the slightest provocation. Instead of acting like a proper electric car, it doles out the stored electricity to supplement its natural hybrid car tendencies - which actually works quite well. There are few occasions where you can drive just on electricity, but a quick plug into the wall means short-range trips consume in the neighbourhood of 2.2 litres/100 kilometres.
Best of all, drive a little farther and it becomes a regular, if slightly slower, Prius hybrid. Apart from the up-front cost, there are hardly any disadvantages, and quick grocery store trips can be accomplished at almost no cost: it takes just 25 cents to fully charge the battery pack. Features Aside from the standard hybrid vehicle displays, the PHEV is very well equipped, with navigation and a smart-key system that work seamlessly.
The add-on options package costs more than $5,000 and seems hardly worth it, for a bigger stereo and those notvery-nice faux leather seats. However, it does come with radar-guided cruise control, ordinarily a luxury car feature.
Observed fuel economy ranged from zero l/100 km (can't beat that) on short, low-speed drives to 5.2 l/100 km when the battery ran flat and the air-conditioning was on full blast. Most of the time, the PHEV consumed somewhere in the neighbourhood of 2.0 l/100 km, which is even slightly better than its rating. Program in all the free charging points in the Lower Mainland, and costs go down even further. Green light Simply excellent fuel economy; smooth ride; useful space; quick charging. Stop sign Slow; gasoline engine kicks in under even light loads; cheap feeling interior; lots of road noise.
The checkered flag Inching the Prius slightly closer towards a proper electric vehicle offering.
Competitors Ford C-Max Energi The C-Max is essentially just an embiggened Ford Focus, and as such, it drives great. This plug-in version takes longer to charge than the Prius, but has a longer range (around 31 km in real-world testing), and stays in EV mode longer.
More importantly, it goes like the clappers, with huge off-the-line torque and plenty of power. You can drive the C-Max just like a regular car, and the handling and power delivery won't make you wish you hadn't gone green.
If there's an issue, it's with the C-Max's very small cargo space (the battery pack eats up most of the trunk) and the fact that the Prius will likely have better resale due to its established presence and long track record. Though the Ford is more dynamic, the Prius might still be the smarter buy where running costs are concerned.
