Posted by jstox on October 20, 2006, 3:21 pm
>I would of liked a "HAL" like announcment on
>the display that there is an 90% chance of total battery failure within
>the next 72 hours.
hehe, I.m getting kinda old. Can we ger a human beiing version
when that's accomplished? Thank You.
Posted by Bill on October 20, 2006, 6:53 pm
> Bill wrote:
>> > Allen:
>> > Yes, this inherent in the design of the Power Split Device of the
>> > Hybrid
>> > Synergy Drive, and it works this way for all Prius models.
>> > It is very hard to explain in words just how this planetary gear
>> > train
>> > works, but it can be seen, with a really terrific description, at
>> > Graham
>> > Davies web site at: http://www.jantzen.nl/prius/Techniek/
>> > Click on the Power Split Device page and you can study his moving
>> > diagrams
>> > and descriptions for hours.
>> >
>> > Dick
>> >
>> That's just great Dick. We can only hope Toyota will re-design the
>> device
>> so the ICE can propel the car if the main battery fails.
> Toyota places a lot of faith in the main battery. They have designed
> software that they think will keep the battery working for the life of
> the car. So designing safe/driveable failure modes for the loss of
> main battery probably was not high on the engineers list.
> However, the battery is constantly monitored and will generally show
> signs of impending failure long before it actually fails. I just want
> the car to give me a warning that something really bad is going to
> happen in the next hour or so, so I will no be surprised when the car
> dies on the expressway.
> It is taking 3 days for the dealer to get a new battery in to repair my
> car, If I had been on a long trip hundrends of miles from home this
> would of been very bad. I would of liked a "HAL" like announcment on
> the display that there is an 90% chance of total battery failure within
> the next 72 hours.
Yes, that would be nice. I don't know much about the Prius battery
technology but I have experienced the sudden, completely unexpected failure
of lead acid batteries. When a plate collapses it starts a rapid domino
effect of successive failures yielding a completely shorted cell. On the
other hand, I've experienced the gradual deterioration of the batteries that
run my cordless drill. As they age, they hold their charge for ever shorter
periods. I've got one right now that takes a full charge in the typical 30
minutes, as indicated by the charger's light, but can sustain operation for
only a few seconds.
I'm betting Toyota's engineers will eventually develop a fall-back to the
ICE. Certainly this isn't going to do anything for my 2005, but perhaps it
will for my 2008 or 2009.
Posted by Michael Pardee on October 23, 2006, 2:06 pm
> Toyota places a lot of faith in the main battery. They have designed
> software that they think will keep the battery working for the life of
> the car. So designing safe/driveable failure modes for the loss of
> main battery probably was not high on the engineers list.
> However, the battery is constantly monitored and will generally show
> signs of impending failure long before it actually fails. I just want
> the car to give me a warning that something really bad is going to
> happen in the next hour or so, so I will no be surprised when the car
> dies on the expressway.
Mostly, it does. This is the first one I've heard of that didn't become
balky and light the warning lights before quitting altogether. OTOH, most of
the on-road failures I've experienced with other cars over the years were
without warning. Clutches and sometimes automatic transmissions give warning
in the way they operate, but pretty much every other failure I've had on the
road was a surprise. Such is life.
Mike
Posted by Paul Missman on October 28, 2006, 8:15 pm
>>
> That's just great Dick. We can only hope Toyota will re-design the device
> so the ICE can propel the car if the main battery fails.
The great thing about the Toyota's hybrid transmission is its simplicity.
However, it does mean that the ICE has no low end torque to the wheels, as
it counts on the electric motors to perform that function. I cannot see any
way that Toyota could provide backup for this kind of failure without
turning their beautiful, simple, reliable transmission into a complete
kludge. Therefore, I doubt they will ever consider trying to engineer a fix
for this.
Paul
Posted by HCLQ on October 29, 2006, 9:19 am
wrote:
>>
>>>
>> That's just great Dick. We can only hope Toyota will re-design the device
>> so the ICE can propel the car if the main battery fails.
>The great thing about the Toyota's hybrid transmission is its simplicity.
>However, it does mean that the ICE has no low end torque to the wheels, as
>it counts on the electric motors to perform that function. I cannot see any
>way that Toyota could provide backup for this kind of failure without
>turning their beautiful, simple, reliable transmission into a complete
>kludge. Therefore, I doubt they will ever consider trying to engineer a fix
>for this.
>Paul
Will they bury the victims in a hybrid coffin?
>the display that there is an 90% chance of total battery failure within
>the next 72 hours.