Posted by richard schumacher on September 7, 2005, 1:43 pm
> Take a look at this statement.
>
> Toyota's manager of alternative fuels and specialized vehicles, Vic
> Johnstone, concedes the batteries, like the car itself, are built to last
> less than a decade. "The life of the car and the battery are supposed to be
> the same... around 8 to 10 years," he said. "We're not expecting to replace
> them [the batteries]. In fact we only hold one [replacement] battery in
> stock nationally."
>
> This came from here
>
>
http://carpoint.ninemsn.com.au/portal/alias__carpointau/tabID__6491/ArticleID__5487/DesktopDefault.aspx
My Prius will never turn a profit?? Oh my GHODDD!!!! Is it too late to
trade back for my Jeep Cherokee?
Posted by cr113 on September 8, 2005, 6:30 pm
richard schumacher wrote:
> > Take a look at this statement.
> >
> > Toyota's manager of alternative fuels and specialized vehicles, Vic
> > Johnstone, concedes the batteries, like the car itself, are built to last
> > less than a decade. "The life of the car and the battery are supposed to be
> > the same... around 8 to 10 years," he said. "We're not expecting to replace
> > them [the batteries]. In fact we only hold one [replacement] battery in
> > stock nationally."
> >
> > This came from here
> >
> >
http://carpoint.ninemsn.com.au/portal/alias__carpointau/tabID__6491/ArticleID__5487/DesktopDefault.aspx
> My Prius will never turn a profit?? Oh my GHODDD!!!! Is it too late to
> trade back for my Jeep Cherokee?
I'll bet $ a gallon gas changes that equation!
My hope is that over time hybrids will be at least as low cost to
maintain as gas. I just bought a new Nissan Sentra so I won't be
needing a new car for at least 5 years. By that time we'll know more
about the hybrid's durability. I hope they start making hybrids without
all the bells and whistles. I just want basic cheap transportation.
Posted by Michelle Steiner on September 10, 2005, 5:19 am
cr113@hotmail.com wrote:
> I'll bet $ a gallon gas changes that equation!
I'm saving $00/month in gas costs (based on 1500 miles a month)
compared to the 2001 Acura TL I owned before the Prius. That's 1/3 of
the car payment on the Prius.
--
Stop Mad Cowboy Disease: Impeach the son of a Bush.
Posted by RRG on September 7, 2005, 2:59 pm
> Take a look at this statement.
> Toyota's manager of alternative fuels and specialized vehicles, Vic
> Johnstone, concedes the batteries, like the car itself, are built to last
> less than a decade. "The life of the car and the battery are supposed to
> be the same... around 8 to 10 years," he said. "We're not expecting to
> replace them [the batteries]. In fact we only hold one [replacement]
> battery in stock nationally."
> This came from here
>
http://carpoint.ninemsn.com.au/portal/alias__carpointau/tabID__6491/ArticleID__5487/DesktopDefault.aspx
Okay a 2 year old article what also states that the prices for the batteries
were alreaday coming down back then. In 3, 5, or 10 years who's to say
that, given the success of these cars, they won't have resolved the issue
that are keeping currently high? Mass production had been proven to make
costs go down dramatically. So has neccessity.
Besides, most early adopters knew/know the risks. And just how many car
makers are making cars that they intend to last longer than 10 years anyway?
Russ
Posted by Paul Missman on September 7, 2005, 11:19 pm
> I'm curious about the durability and repair costs of owning a hybrid.
> Do they break down more often than a gas car? The regenerative braking
> and other features sound kind of complicated. How long will they last?
> Since the technology is new I'm sure there will be great improvement in
> reliability as time goes on, but I wonder which type of car has greater
> "inherent" reliability in the long run. A Corolla will go 300k, what
> about a Prius?
I'd bet the Prius lasts longer.
The gas engine in a Prius runs in a gas engine's best power band. The
electric motors provide the low end torque, freeing the gas engine to run
where it performs the best. Also, the startup cycle on the gas engine is
far easier on the engine than usual, according to Toyota. And, the Anderson
(sp?) cycle probably is more friendly on the engine than the typical Otto
cycle. Add to this that the Prius transmission has no gear changing (it is
a fixed ring, planetary, and sun gear system with optimal ratios for the
electric and gas engines) and you should get a system that lasts longer than
your normal gas - manual or automatic - automobile.
Also, regenerative braking, having no friction generating parts, will cut
down on brake wear.
It will be interesting to see, several years down the road, what parts
actually wore out the fastest.
Paul
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>
> Toyota's manager of alternative fuels and specialized vehicles, Vic
> Johnstone, concedes the batteries, like the car itself, are built to last
> less than a decade. "The life of the car and the battery are supposed to be
> the same... around 8 to 10 years," he said. "We're not expecting to replace
> them [the batteries]. In fact we only hold one [replacement] battery in
> stock nationally."
>
> This came from here
>
>