On May 25th, 2018 I picked up my 3rd version of “Edward the Sparkly Prius“. This one is a plug-in Hybrid, meaning it can be charged via an electrical outlet and also uses gas as fuel.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise then, that I love Priuses (Priuii?) and the (non) colour Blizzard White, and Toyota products in general. (Before my current Prius phase, I was a Matrix gal). I already benefited from good gas mileage with my other Edwards (I and II). With Edward II, I was refueling about every 10 days or so at an average cost of $90 per month (Canadian fuel prices were higher then: 2017/2018). Not bad, right?
Well, I hadn’t seen anything yet! My perception of “not bad” changed with Edward III (long may he reign!). Eddie came to me in May 2018 with a full tank of gas. My first fill up was at the end of July (!). Then the one after that wasn’t until November (!!!). Then I filled up again in December, then in February; and the most recent time I had cause to visit the pumps was back on March 30, over 8 weeks ago. I still have just over 1/2 tank of that fill. For a grand total of $155.47 for a year’s worth of fuel purchases. I drove a little over 13.5 thousand kilometres in that time span.
I couldn’t tell anyone what gas costs right now. I’m only aware of gas prices going up/down when I see long line-ups at the pumps. When Edward is down to 1/4 tank, I just go fill him up. The price of gas no longer holds sway over me.
I had to install an outdoor electrical outlet (just a regular one, not the more expensive, faster “charging station”), to feed Edward. That set me back a few hundred bucks, for an electrician. I haven’t seen a discernible difference in my electrical bills, although I was told at the dealership each full charge could cost $1. I program Eddie to only charge when the electricity is cheapest, so I can plug him in at 5 pm and know he won’t start drawing power until after 7 pm on a weekday. It takes 5.5 hours to fully charge Edward using the regular outlet.
My range, using electricity only, varies depending on the temperature. In the winter the lowest it dipped down to was 35 km on a full charge. As of this morning (June 5), I am up to 54 km per charge. Most days in the warm weather I can do all the running around to work and back, and any daily errands on a single overnight charge. In the winter I did find the gas engine had to kick in for the last few kilometres, in order to get me home every day. (I know; cue the world’s smallest, saddest violin…) I use the gas engine mostly only on extended, weekend drives.
Edward, in his royal benevolence, is teaching me to be a better more fuel efficient driver. Through positive reinforcement such as this;
And this:
I am very happy with my new Edward. I do have to remember that he makes about as much noise as an electric golf cart when in EV (electric vehicle) mode (which is all the time, most days), and that pedestrians and cyclists won’t necessarily hear his approach. Or departure.
Last summer, at the KW Bluesfest, I surprised the slightly inebriated woman leaning on the vehicle parked beside me when Edward began to silently pull out of the parking spot. Her disorientation, double-take, and clutching of the vehicle behind her for support was priceless.
I think this type of vehicle (hybrid or all-electric) is the future. Until we can teleport ourselves ร la Star Trek, that is. ๐
Would you/do you drive an electric car?
Rock on,
The WB
Sounds like a good deal!
I think itโs a great deal, for me and the planet!
You had me sold on this vehicle last summer. I won’t begin to tell you about The Beast I just took on a return trip to Barrie. His fuel appetite is voracious ๐ What you spent in a year, I can spend on The Beast in one week ๐
Wow! The Beast is aptly named ๐ฑ
I know!!
My niece also has a car like yours and she loves it. I couldn’t believe how quiet it is to ride in it! He son-in-law just bought a brand new all electric car. That would make me nervous. I asked him if he’s ever forgotten to plug it in and he has.
In Canada at least, charging stations are still few and far between. Iโm glad I have a gas engine as backup.
I’m hoping for the Teleportation Deb, less traffic that way, I hope.
Leslie
Yeah! And werenโt we supposed to have flying cars by now?
That might ease the congestion on the roads…
Those are compelling stats! I don’t drive an electric/hybrid, and I don’t know how they’d perform here this far north… but I shall certainly consider it for our next vehicle.
Definitely worth taking a look, Maggie!
I am a car gal and I can certainly appreciate your Edward! I don’t drive an electric car but I would give it some thought since we have moved from such an isolated/rural area to a real city! We name our cars too… I’m driving Olive. We get very attached to our cars ๐ Edward is very handsome… a gentleman I am sure.
Electric cars do very well in city driving conditions, I think. My car has regenerative braking, meaning the energy from stopping and slowing the car is captured and translated into additional driving range! And thank you for your kind words about Eddie!
They scored with the design on this one, it’s looks super sporty! Couldn’t stand the look of the previous versions (okay, that coming from a Californian, where what kind of car you drive, defines you).
Hah! I like the look of the old one, and it took me a while to warm up to my latest Edward. Coming from someone who doesnโt usually care a whole lot about car design – more interested in reliability and a good sound system ๐
Hi Deb, Reading through the comments, we had a vehicle called “The Beast” up until 2 years ago, 1978 Chev Crewcab. It was like a member of the family, reliable (ok better than a member of the family) and originally green which became a mostly “brown” colour. The negative, gassy! Toyota products have a good reputation for a reason. The hybrid, all electric is definitely the future and the now. Thanks for sharing. Will help when we purchase another vehicle, although, ours is only 9 years old:) Erica
Thanks Erica. Hey, I canโt see any of the comments on your blog post on Sueโs website, although I am getting notifications of them being made. That is why I havenโt been able to respond to yours and Sueโs.
OK, next car I will definitely explore electric…. but that might be awhile as I don’t change cars often. I call my car Goldie (no – she isn’t saving me any gold – she is a lovely rose-gold shade). But I don’t drive much at all since I’ve retired… I’ve only put on less than 5000 miles in a year! My way of saving the planet?
Saving the planet, saving your sanity? I hate the way people drive anymore…so rude. If I didnโt have to go to work Iโd probably put on even less miles than you, Pat.
Hi Deb! Good for you for buying hybrid/electric! We came close to buying a Prius ourselves but we rented one and test drove it for about a week and my husband didn’t care for certain things…not enough headroom or a couple of other features he felt it lacked. So we ended up buying a Ford CMax hybrid. And while it was good for a while, Ford overestimated the milage and it also had several other flaws that we won’t discuss. Note to self: NEVER buy another Ford! So we trade it in for a Subaru and we actually LOVE it. Gas milage isn’t bad for an SUV . (although it doesn’t come close to what you get!) . We need one larger vehicle for Thom’s work and when our 2nd car dies . (it is now 12 years old with 130,000 miles, we will be going electric. Electric IS the way of the future and I’m guessing as sometime in the not to distant future that is all any of us will drive. Meanwhile, enjoy Edward III! ~Kathy
Thank you Kathy! Good luck with your future electric car purchase ๐
I would consider an electric car BUT..I do lot’s of road trips in some pretty deserted places alone (Montana, West Texas, Nevada) so would need to consider. Also I need an SUV at butt level because my knees dont do that anymore, lol.
Thanks Barb. I having the gas engine as well as electric power for the same reasons as you mentioned. Thereโs lots of places in Canada where gas stations are few and far between and charging stations are nonexistent!
It really looks like a comfy ride. We’re getting closer to pulling the trigger on either Hybrid or full EV when we change our car sometime in the next year or two. It’s just the autonomy on the full EV’s that has us waffling between the two. The tax credits, especially in Quebec, make it hard not to switch. Plus we have the lowest electricity rates in North America.
We’re so looking forward to being able to thumb our noses at gas stations as we silently drive past them ๐
Hi Norm,
I have released your comment from Spam purgatory. Thanks for letting me know you were having issues! Good luck with your next (hybrid or EV) vehicle! I haven’t thumbed my nose at a gas station yet, but I do marvel at the lineups when gas prices drop by a few pennies. Still have half a tank from my last fill-up…in March!
Deb
Hi Deb,
I totally am in! But we have always been put off by the purchase price of hybrids and found we can compensate by buying a cheaper, yet still gas-efficient car. Hence my little Hyundai.
They need to come up with one powerful enough to tow the travel trailer and boat. The truck gas is a killer!
Thanks Nancy. Agreed – people do tow (small things) with Priuses but it invalidates the warranty to do so. We have a ways to go yet, with the technology.
I read this and in my head I was hearing tumpets announcing its entry escorted my Beefeaters. Good luck with it.
Haha! Thanks Don.
Oh, wow. That’s not many km on a charge. I would easily drive that in an afternoon running the Barbarians to there after school activities. We’ve been talking about getting a hybrid as our next car, but electricity here is really expensive so we’re still not sure.
There are cars with bigger ranges, AJ. And my previous car didnโt plug in but had a small battery that charged up when braking. Helped a lot with gas mileage…but nothing like with my current car!
I really can’t say. I’m so used to driving my gas guzzler. ๐
Youโd be pleasantly surprised, I bet. Joanne and I rented a hybrid while in Newfoundland and she was pleased with how little fuel it consumed.
I’d be happy with that, but also anxious that I wouldn’t be able to find somewhere to plug it in.
My car runs on gas when I use up the electric range so I am never stuck.
That’s good to know. With the carbon tax putting up the fuel prices it would be nice to save some money.
Edward III is impressive. His regal looks combined with his good numbers make me want to find one of his American cousins, and make him [or her] my own. When my sweet Olivia, who is a 16 y.o. Honda, finally gives up the ghost I know where I’m going to start my search.
I love Toyota products so I think itโs a good place to start. Honda, Nissan etc will also have their own version of Edward. In NL, Joanne and I rented a Ford Fusion hybrid (not plug-in though) and I was impressed with its performance and mileage as well.
Hi Deb, I’m visiting via Joanne’s blog. With your blog title, how could I not? ๐
Congrats on the Prius. Happy driving. Hugs.
Thank you Teagan!
Deb
It’s great that you love your car. Jealous of the mileage… Lewis Black can tell you I had a different relationship with my last car… Sorry if I’m pushing too many links — but I think the story just flips this post on its head so well, I couldn’t resist. https://kieranbullshit.com/2017/05/08/lewis-black-reads-the-vw-rant/
OMG, that is so funny and terrible too. My late husband and I almost bought a VW at one point but in the end we went with Toyota, and that’s how the whole Prius journey began. But we could’ve been you, Kieran.
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