New Prius Plug-in - Deliver Fully Charged!

[TGL]

I'll have to confess this is a bit of a gripe, but one I have read in dispatches on other posts on this forum.  To any Toyota dealers out there reading this post, can I suggest you deliver plug-in cars to their new owners fully charged. Considering the cost of the vehicle, and the fact you are wanting to promote its economy, surely it would make sense to spend £3 (if that) to fully charge the Battery at least. A quarter tank of fuel I am not entirely fussed about (although a full tank would be a nice touch), but to not fully charge the Battery seems a bit tight and leaves a bitter taste in new owners mouths.

[johalareewi]

Would also be nice if they did that at a service too.  ;)

TBF not many Toyota dealers have got EV charging points.

 

[FROSTYBALLS]

10 hours ago, TGL said:

To any Toyota dealers out there reading this post ......

As the Club is independent of Toyota, I doubt whether many dealers do visit the forums.

[TGL]

58 minutes ago, johalareewi said:

Would also be nice if they did that at a service too.  ;)

TBF not many Toyota dealers have got EV charging points.

 

True, but then again they do have a 3-pin socket for the standard domestic 16amp charger. It only takes 3 hours to fully charge an empty Battery in my experience 😀

 

[TGL]

57 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

As the Club is independent of Toyota, I doubt whether many dealers do visit the forums.

Indeed. Missing an opportunity if they don't. If I was a dealer I would have my eyes firmly glued to the forums 😀

[aCactus]

Not sure about current plug in but mine always started in EV mode so Battery level would quickly reduce unless you pressed the button to switch to HV mode. I suspect the dealer's drivers just assume it is like the other hybrids and don't know how to maintain charge in main Battery.

[ecps]

When I collected my car from the dealers (which was filled to the brim with petrol) the salesman apologised for the fact that the traction Battery was empty but said that, unfortunately, they were not allowed to charge them. Although he did not say so I got the impression that this directive came from Toyota - though I cannot think why this should be. 

[johalareewi]

22 hours ago, TGL said:

True, but then again they do have a 3-pin socket for the standard domestic 16amp charger. It only takes 3 hours to fully charge an empty battery in my experience 😀

 

To be fair again, they probably won't have a handy 3 pin socket outside and they won't have a charging lead.

 

[johalareewi]

7 hours ago, ecps said:

When I collected my car from the dealers (which was filled to the brim with petrol) the salesman apologised for the fact that the traction battery was empty but said that, unfortunately, they were not allowed to charge them.

When I collected my PIP (used) I asked the salesman if I could charge it up (they had an EV charger outside).  He said yes but he didn't know how it worked.

[PeteB]

4 hours ago, johalareewi said:

To be fair again, they probably won't have a handy 3 pin socket outside and they won't have a charging lead.

My dealer has a dedicated EV charging post right outside the showroom entrance.

[TGL]

9 hours ago, PeteB said:

My dealer has a dedicated EV charging post right outside the showroom entrance.

LOL -- Don't get me started. Two dealers I spoke to had no clue about the Plug-in and its specifications and even very basic questions. Needless to say they didn't get my business.

[TGL]

14 hours ago, johalareewi said:

To be fair again, they probably won't have a handy 3 pin socket outside and they won't have a charging lead.

 

Maybe.  Remind me where car technology is heading? :-) :-)

[johalareewi]

11 hours ago, TGL said:

LOL -- Don't get me started. Two dealers I spoke to had no clue about the Plug-in and its specifications and even very basic questions. Needless to say they didn't get my business.

When I was looking to buy a PIP,  none of the test drives could be done in EV mode because they hadn't been charged up (even though some of the dealers had an EV charging point).

Had they been charged up, they would not have used as much petrol saving the dealers a bit of dosh (and they could have demonstrated the PIP's EV capabilities).

[aCactus]

1 hour ago, johalareewi said:

When I was looking to buy a PIP,  none of the test drives could be done in EV mode because they hadn't been charged up (even though some of the dealers had an EV charging point).

Had they been charged up, they would not have used as much petrol saving the dealers a bit of dosh (and they could have demonstrated the PIP's EV capabilities).

Johnsons Liverpool had the car for my  test drive on charge when I arrived so most of the drive was in EV mode till I got to a clear bit of dual carriageway so able to accelerate as fast as I wanted as EV mode was sufficient when stuck behind other cars. 

[PeteB]

My Norwich dealer lent me a Mk1 PiP a couple of years ago while my car was in for a service.  It was plugged in and fully charged when I arrived at 07:30, with an EV range on 9½ miles showing on the dash.  Presumably the cold November morning had hit the estimate, and the actual EV range turned out be be exactly what the car said.

[MEP's Yaris GS]

On 11/21/2017 at 11:37 AM, ecps said:

Although he did not say so I got the impression that this directive came from Toyota - though I cannot think why this should be. 

Prevents Battery degradation - charging it and leaving it sitting for extended periods of time at a high SOC will stress Li-ion cells.

TBH I always ask my Norwich dealer to charge mine for me when serviced, and they always do - although it didn't stop them using the wrong oil last month (0w30) which I made them change to 0w20 before I left.

[PeteB]

12 minutes ago, MEP's Yaris GS said:

Prevents battery degradation - charging it and leaving it sitting for extended periods of time at a high SOC will stress Li-ion cells...

I can't see why they can't see that's it's changed on the day the new owner is due to collect the car though

[MEP's Yaris GS]

1 minute ago, PeteB said:

I can't see why they can't see that's it's changed on the day the new owner is due to collect the car though

True, I wonder what Nissan dealers do for new buyers of Leaf's. I'll ask the question on the FB page I'm a member on.

[TGL]

7 hours ago, MEP's Yaris GS said:

True, I wonder what Nissan dealers do for new buyers of Leaf's. I'll ask the question on the FB page I'm a member on.

I would be shocked (pardon the pun) if they didn't fully charge a Leaf. Imagine a new owner finding they can't make it home without finding a charging station enroute!

[MEP's Yaris GS]

4 hours ago, TGL said:

I would be shocked (pardon the pun) if they didn't fully charge a Leaf. Imagine a new owner finding they can't make it home without finding a charging station enroute!

Well the results are in, I asked "For those that purchased their leaf new or used from a Nissan dealership. Was your leaf fully charged (lets say 90%+ SOC) for you upon collection?"

Yes - 94 vs No - 26

So nearly 20% wern't!

[YarisHybrid2016]

My local Nissan dealer has their demo Leafs on charge all the time, so they're fully charged should someone want a test drive.

Li-Ion store best when charged to ~70% of capacity. If you can put them in the freezer, they last even longer. Be sure to defrost slowly to room temp though before use, and ensure they are dry! I suggest wrapping in plastic before putting in the freezer.

[TGL]

3 hours ago, YarisHybrid2016 said:

Li-Ion store best when charged to ~70% of capacity. If you can put them in the freezer, they last even longer. Be sure to defrost slowly to room temp though before use, and ensure they are dry! I suggest wrapping in plastic before putting in the freezer.

Agree. If Toyota is anything to go by, the Battery management system is configured to ensure the batteries are kept charged between 15% and 85% and never to 100% (even though the dashboard charge indicator may make you believe otherwise). This is how the batteries can last up to 10 years without the need for replacement.

[kithmo]

7 hours ago, YarisHybrid2016 said:

My local Nissan dealer has their demo Leafs on charge all the time, so they're fully charged should someone want a test drive.

Li-Ion store best when charged to ~70% of capacity. If you can put them in the freezer, they last even longer. Be sure to defrost slowly to room temp though before use, and ensure they are dry! I suggest wrapping in plastic before putting in the freezer.

It must be nice to have a drive-in freezer 

[MEP's Yaris GS]

On 12/1/2017 at 5:32 AM, YarisHybrid2016 said:

My local Nissan dealer has their demo Leafs on charge all the time, so they're fully charged should someone want a test drive.

Li-Ion store best when charged to ~70% of capacity. If you can put them in the freezer, they last even longer. Be sure to defrost slowly to room temp though before use, and ensure they are dry! I suggest wrapping in plastic before putting in the freezer.

Actually Li-Ion stores best at around 30% SOC, not 70!

[gonelectric]

On 11/20/2017 at 8:34 AM, TGL said:

I'll have to confess this is a bit of a gripe, but one I have read in dispatches on other posts on this forum.  To any Toyota dealers out there reading this post, can I suggest you deliver plug-in cars to their new owners fully charged. Considering the cost of the vehicle, and the fact you are wanting to promote its economy, surely it would make sense to spend £3 (if that) to fully charge the battery at least. A quarter tank of fuel I am not entirely fussed about (although a full tank would be a nice touch), but to not fully charge the battery seems a bit tight and leaves a bitter taste in new owners mouths.

I agree with you - I had to charge it up and take on more petrol to fill the tank. I would like to ask you how many miles the dash says having fully charged the batteries. I am getting 25-27 and I think this is low. Unfortunately I am the only Prius plug-in customer at my Toyota dealer so they seem not to have much product knowledge.