Remember PriUPS?

Most Likely You Don't

I started this web site in 2005 to document a project I was undertaking, which I called PriUPS. I had previously installed a generator for my NJ house, and when I moved down the street, I had an inspiration. Instead of a separate generator in the garage, I ordered a 2005 Prius with the intention of using its battery and gasoline engine to run the house in the case of a power failure. It's been over a decade since I've made a meaningful contribution to that story, preferring to commit this blog.

Did I Mention 2005?

I think I did. That was 18 years ago! Until I moved to Sedona, I took advantage of Prius Power several times to keep the lights (and the heat!) on when gravity, the weather, or the electric company caused power interruptions. I'd tell a lot more about this here, except I already have on the PriUPS portion of this site. Click on the link at the left.

Did I Mention 2023?

Again I'm thinking Prius, and I'm at war with myself. I, or as we pretentious bloggers say, "this blog" has been an unstinting advocate for electric cars, solar power, Tesla cars and batteries, and all things electric. Living in Sedona, with abundant sunshine, plenty of roof, and with the nearest big city a hundred miles away, going electric requires a serious car. About four years ago I traded in my 2012 plug-in Prius for a Tesla, whose H TO HE license plate truly signifies that it runs on fusion power from old sol. Yet my place of striving remains in New Jersey, and I visit periodically. There I maintain—so far with little difficulty—a 2008 "second generation" blue Prius hybrid. The 2008 differs from the 2005 on which the PriUPS project was based only in minor ways such as a larger display and other intra-generation tweaks. While it has been reliable thus far, it's 15 years old and I'm thinking it may be time to replace it.

In 2022 Toyota introduced its fifth generation Prius, which sports a (claimed) 44-mile all-electric range. When I started thinking about replacing the 2008, I reflexively considered getting a Tesla 3, the smaller of their sedans. But the Prius is less expensive, and unlike in the West, NJ trips are typically shorter, and I began to wonder if the Tesla, with its 300 or so mile range and concomitantly heavy battery would be the best choice. I'm very happy now with my Tesla and I was very happy with my plug-in Prius (2012, 3rd generation). I have no reason to believe the new, 5th-generation Prius won't be satisfactory. Which to get?

• Environment: The Tesla is fully electric. It doesn't and can't use gasoline. The plug-in Prius has enough electric range that it will only need gas for long trips. (I am able to charge both vehicles conveniently.)
• Performance: The Tesla has amazing acceleration, the Prius doesn't. But I am unlikely to use that performance for more than seconds per trip, if that.
• Color: They're both available in blue.
• Price: The Prius has a significantly lower price. Or does it?

Sure, there are many other differences. But the price seems to be the most significant! Which brings us to the USDUC.

USDUC? What?

It's been a while since I reported on USDUC feasance. I can't call it malfeasance—committing foolishness like the following is their avowed purpose. In this case, it's arranging tax breaks for electric cars. The United States Department of Unintended Consequences has been very busy recently, and one small consequence has been discouraging the purchase of EVs, such as the Tesla 3 I've been considering.

Discouraging?

Yes. The United States federal government wants to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to reduce global warming. To that end, they try to encourage people to buy fully electric cars by manipulating taxes and subsidies. But USDUC has found ways to thwart the process. For example:

• They have revamped the tax credit that used to be fairly simple to understand and made it so complicated that it's hard to know if one or his proposed purchase qualifies! Instead of making it uniform for all purchasers, ideally as a subsidy to reduce the price of the car, USDUC convinced the writers of the regulations to make it a credit against taxes. Clever! For the many people with relatively low income who might want to buy an EV, they can't use the tax credit because they don't pay enough taxes to exhaust it. For the many people with relatively high income who might want to buy an EV and can otherwise afford to, they are discouraged and irritated by the fact that the tax credit is reduced as their income exceeds an arbitrary threshold. Result? Fewer electric cars sold!
• The credit applies to fully electric vehicles, but not to plug-in hybrids. One argument against fully electric cars is that manufacturing their batteries creates a lot of the greenhouse gases that are otherwise saved by driving the cars themselves. To the extent that electric cars are typically driven from five to 50 miles per trip, is it really necessary to put a 300-mile battery with the emissions attendant upon its manufacture in all of them? Wouldn't it be better to make a plug-in hybrid that will run on battery for frequent, short trips and activate its internal combustion engine for longer journeys? This is an argument for plug-in hybrid subsidies but USDUC made sure there are no taxpayer subsidies* for them!

We're In Suspense! What Will (Or Did) You Purchase?

As far as my decision about which (if any) new vehicle to purchase, I haven't decided. Due to the tax subsidies, the price of an EV is much closer to the price of the new Prius. And the old 2008 Prius is still fully functional albeit suffering from road rash. Maybe instead of buying a new car, I'll take a nap and make my decision when it becomes more urgent.

And What About the PriUPS Project Itself?

During the 18 years(!) since I started the PriUPS project, I have received many notes from those who noticed it. The earliest batch were from individuals who liked the idea and were interested in replicating it for their own homes, albeit with somewhat different hardware. As those inquiries subsided, they were replaced by emails from those who were eager to tell me that the world was catching on. When the Fukushima reactors created an electricity emergency in Japan, there was some commercial interest from major auto manufacturers in putting inverters in cars sold to individuals for emergency power. More recently, all-electric vehicles such as the Ford F150 with its enormous battery are touted by their manufacturers as providing household power when necessary. And, of course, a plug-in hybrid with a biggish battery can do an even better job of powering ones house than my long-gone 2005 Prius did. Articles about "V2G" abound, many of which argue that connecting vehicle batteries to the grid will provide advantages instead of lamenting the imminent demise of the grid itself.

In other words, PriUPS is dead, long live PriUPS!

* Before someone, somewhere, writes to me whining about my support for government subsidies, I should issue this disclaimer. I generally don't approve of subsidies, although I am easily hypocritical enough to take advantage of any that come my way. I try to eschew politics and what we are now calling the "culture wars" in this blog, so I'll leave it at that.

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