What the author covers
Prius ownership, Toyota HSD explanations, mileage and warm-up, then plug-in hybrids, Prius Prime, RAV4 Prime, Volt, batteries, infrastructure, and the market.
SOURCE RESEARCH
John1701a.com: a hybrid archive
A review of 1,342 personal-log pages, from early Prius ownership to PHEVs, fast charging, and BEV debates.
Coverage: 1,342 entries from Nov 4, 1988 to Nov 1, 2025 · source map
How the focus shifts
Early pages center on Prius and MPG. The middle period follows early PHV and conversions. Later pages focus on PHEV/BEV, batteries, DC charging, and automaker strategy.
Notable observations
Heat, regeneration, and full hybrids
Log 95 describes a coolant thermal store; 112 links lift-off regeneration to a 10-kW motor; 134 distinguishes mild hybrids from full hybrids.
Why a PHEV has more than one MPG
Logs 558 and 563 discuss mileage after charge depletion. In 605, the author reports a trusted owner observation: 13 minutes of EV driving, a 57-mph climb, and 70 MPG during the first minute of warm-up. The figure belongs to that vehicle and operating context.
The battery as the main lever
Log 468 mentions a 12.5-kWh lithium conversion of a 2010 Prius; 669 discusses energy density; 1259 discusses battery pre-conditioning before DC charging.
PHEV as an infrastructure compromise
RAV4 Prime is presented as daily electric driving plus an engine while charging infrastructure develops. Log 1036 discusses a 1,000,000-km warranty and a 50-kW limit. We accept those figures for the author's described context, without applying them to every Toyota.