# Coal rollers verses Prius owners **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 9, 2014, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700 "2014-07-09T10:46:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WWhiskey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@WWhiskey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WWhiskey)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700/1 "2014-07-09T10:46:25Z")
Coal rolling is stupid, but is owning a Prius any better? The batteries in the Prius are very toxic , and in many states, they are coal charged, making your Prius coal powered. My first thread, hope it’s fun! ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700/2 "2014-07-09T10:53:30Z")
1. It’s versus, not verses. 2. This is the pit. You haven’t pitted anyone, just made a seriously weak invitation to debate. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700/3 "2014-07-09T11:03:10Z")
So this is about how stupid liberals are liberal and stupid? Anyway, I figure the best solution until controlled fusion comes along is electric and hybrid vehicles charged by widespread use of fission power plants. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700/4 "2014-07-09T11:04:32Z")
I don’t think you know how hybrids work. Very few Priuses are “charged” on anything but their own brakes. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700/5 "2014-07-09T11:06:05Z")
I’m kinda curious about plug-in biodiesel hybrids, myself. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700/6 "2014-07-09T11:20:27Z")
> [@WWhiskey](#): > > Coal rolling is stupid, but is owning a Prius any better? Yes, because owning a Prius is not in-and-of-itself stupid. Next question! ---
**Author:** ![WWhiskey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@WWhiskey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WWhiskey)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700/7 "2014-07-09T11:41:34Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > I don’t think you know how hybrids work. Very few Priuses are “charged” on anything but their own brakes. So you drag it around behind some other car/truck, all the while pumping the brakes to charge it? Please tell us more. ---
**Author:** ![WWhiskey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@WWhiskey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WWhiskey)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700/8 "2014-07-09T11:49:11Z")
I wasn’t aware you couldn’t charge a Prius , does it not have a charge port? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700/9 "2014-07-09T11:52:36Z")
> [@WWhiskey](#): > > I wasn’t aware you couldn’t charge a Prius , does it not have a charge port? And yet you know ever so much about the composition of its batteries. How convenient. ---
**Author:** ![WWhiskey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@WWhiskey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WWhiskey)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700/10 "2014-07-09T11:53:23Z")
Prius Plug-In 2012 For 2012, Toyota added a plug-in Prius model to its lineup. In addition to the hybrid gasoline-electric setup, the Prius Plug-In features the capability of charging from a standard 120-volt household outlet with a dedicated 15-amp circuit. The Prius Plug-In requires three hours for a full charge, which allows for a range of up to 15 miles and speeds up to 62 mph. When the charge runs out, the Prius Plug-In automatically switches over to its hybrid power train. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700/11 "2014-07-09T11:53:46Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I’m kinda curious about plug-in biodiesel hybrids, myself. I plug mine into a diesel generator that I strap to the roof. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700/12 "2014-07-09T11:54:26Z")
> [@WWhiskey](#): > > So you drag it around behind some other car/truck, all the while pumping the brakes to charge it? Please tell us more. Yes. That’s exactly what you do. That’s why rolling coal on a Prius is so stupid, as a Prius is actually an opportunity for business. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700/13 "2014-07-09T11:54:47Z")
You can plug a Prius in for about a dozen miles of purely electric driving, but the main feature of the electric components is that you can recover energy that would otherwise be wasted via friction brakes, which does wonders for the fuel economy, and let the combustion engine run at maximum efficiency. ---
**Author:** ![WWhiskey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@WWhiskey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WWhiskey)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700/14 "2014-07-09T11:56:08Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I plug mine into a diesel generator that I strap to the roof. The one picture I have seen had it fastened to the back bumper . ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700/15 "2014-07-09T11:57:01Z")
Dammit. I hate reading something so stupid this early in the morning. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700/16 "2014-07-09T11:59:01Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > You can plug a Prius in for about a dozen miles of purely electric driving, but the main feature of the electric components is that you can recover energy that would otherwise be wasted via friction brakes, which does wonders for the fuel economy, and let the combustion engine run at maximum efficiency. You can only plug in a plug-in Prius, which most Priuses are not. Around 60,000 of the plug-in model have been sold out of more than 3 million total. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700/17 "2014-07-09T12:01:03Z")
And nary a link to be found in the weak OP to fuel (heh) further outrage. ---
**Author:** ![WWhiskey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f9ae1b/32.png) [@WWhiskey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WWhiskey)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700/18 "2014-07-09T12:06:20Z")
Sitting in the corner with the dunce cap on , reflecting, stupid idea! Oh well ! ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700/19 "2014-07-09T12:07:09Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > You can only plug in a plug-in Prius, which most Priuses are not. Around 60,000 of the plug-in model have been sold out of more than 3 million total. Apologies for not stipulating that you cannot plug in a Prius which you cannot, in fact, plug in; you can only plug in a Prius that can be plugged in. I hope that’s cleared everything up. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2014, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700/20 "2014-07-09T12:12:23Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > Apologies for not stipulating that you cannot plug in a Prius which you cannot, in fact, plug in; you can only plug in a Prius that can be plugged in. I hope that’s cleared everything up. To add to this, you can upgrade a [Prius (gen 2 and 3)](http://www.pluginsupply.com/faq/) to be a plug-in vehicle. Also worthy of note, you can mod your US Prius to switch over to EV mode, meaning it will go off of the battery first. This is standard in many other countries, but due to warranties re: the battery, it’s not available in the US without an aftermarket mod. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coal-rollers-verses-prius-owners/692700.md?page=2)