By WILLIAM MEAD
Los Alamos

Since we had no usage history with our new-to-us 2022 Prius Prime, we decided to run a tank through the hybrid without any wall-plug charging so we could be sure the gasoline hybrid system was working.

The Autumn weather for our test was mostly in the 50-70 degree range. Reportedly, the mileage will decrease at colder temperatures.

We traveled 624 miles on 8.9 gallons of gas – that’s 70 mpg! We drove mostly around town, but with one trip to Santa Fe and one trip to Espanola. This is calculated from odometer and gas-pump data. (The EPA rating is 50 mpg.)

We can charge the car using 115 VAC from our solar panels for a wholesale cost of $0.07 per kwh (ignoring our capital cost), or about $0.35 for a full charge. On a full charge, we get over 30 miles of electric-only range (rated at 25). This ignores our capital cost for the roof-top-solar, but we’re happy to count the equivalent CO2 reduction of planting ~1000 trees over seven years of use as a more than fair use of the capital.

Now, there’s a contribution to mitigating climate change. Plus, it’s a nice, capable car and the roof-top-solar is maintenance free.

Disclaimer: We have no ties to Toyota other than buying their cars.