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Automotive News & Views Gas Saving Gizmos & Gadgets
332 messages, Last post on Jul 20, 2009 at 12:19 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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And I'm not slamming Lawrence Welk. "Real-world testing by Consumer Reports showed the best-selling plug-in conversion kit for the Toyota Prius did not come close to meeting its manufacturer's fuel-economy claim of a possible 100+ miles per gallon, the magazine says in its February issue." Consumer Reports: Prius Plug-In Kit Gets Nowhere Near Maker's 100+ MPG Claim (Green Car Advisor)
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Replying to: steve_ (Jan 08, 2009 9:57 am) The first known instance of a plug-in hybrid car going up in flames occurred on June 7 in Columbia, South Carolina to a 2008 Prius that had been converted to plug-in capability for the Central Electric Power Cooperative. The conversion was performed with a Hybrids-Plus PHEV15 conversion kit that uses an A123 Systems lithium ion battery pack. The incident is still under investigation by Phoenix, Arizona-based Electric Transportation Engineering Corporation. Initial information indicates the fire may have been triggered by something related to the on-board battery charger and the car had previously experienced some mechanical issues related to that.
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Replying to: gagrice (Jan 08, 2009 1:10 pm) GM and Toyota will beg to differ. |
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Replying to: larsb (Jan 08, 2009 1:12 pm) A123 Systems Seeks $1.8 Billion Federal Loan For EV Battery Factories in U.S. Support Builds for Hybrid, EV Battery Funding in U.S. Economic Stimulus Plan
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Replying to: larsb (Jan 08, 2009 1:12 pm)
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Replying to: steve_ (Jan 08, 2009 1:22 pm) That was my complaint about the CFL mandate. It is just like our Congress to mandate EV cars and the only source would be outside the US, or regulations that would not allow some parts to be built in the USA. If we fund the development of batteries, do the tax payers share in the profits from those developments? We funded the NiMH battery development and I do not know of any profits we have shared it. |
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Replying to: gagrice (Jan 09, 2009 6:08 am) Hold on Pardner - We've seen no major problems with the First Gen Prius batteries. The Gen 1 Prius battery electrolyte discharge problem, which Toyota addressed with “service campaign” was merely to reseal the positive battery terminals. The recall for the early 2004 and 2005 Prius was not directly "battery" related: Toyota announced yesterday that they have recalled 75,000 Prius Hybrids because their engines can stall due to an electrical problem. The cars involved are some 2004 and early model 2005's. Toyota's spokesman Xavier Dominicis said they started investigating when about 68 reports came through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Toyota's says it will voluntarily recall the cars and repair them for free and Dominicis stressed that "the defect isn't related to the Prius's gas-electric hybrid system and could happen in any vehicle." It's not a safety recall. NHTSA has dropped the investigation. Toyota is calling the dealer fix a special service campaign, which involves reprogramming an ECU that, under a rare combination of circumstances, had been causing the Prius's gas engine to stall. The Hybrid Synergy Drive's battery still has enough juice to get the car well off the road, and you can go up to a mile on battery power alone There are no widespread failures of any generation of Prius battery. And the oldest ones are going on 11 years old now. Sure, there have been some failures, but not at alarming rates. Look, we all know that batteries will always eventually fail. But to call the failures a major criticism of the hybrid technology and a reason it is a failed technology is just pushing it a little too far. It's about time you give up the sad old misplaced criticism of the Prius batteries, Gary. Father Time is about to start making your argument look KINDA silly.........
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Replying to: larsb (Jan 09, 2009 6:36 am) Not sure from where you get your statistics. We have not reached 9 years on the first gen Prius that had the batteries recalled. You do not have any statistics on how many of those batteries were replaced. I doubt Toyota would ever give that information to the public. The current Prius is barely 5 years old. Toyota will probably luck out as most people that buy them are high mileage drivers. The ones I will be watching are those that only put 10k miles per year or less. They will stretch the EPA/CARB warranty to the max. So father time has another 5 years to go. Along those lines. I would be real skeptical buying a Prius that has sat for 3-4 months before it gets sold. If they are not keeping those traction batteries charged they will fail prematurely. Sitting out at -10 degrees in the NE that time will be much shorter before failure. A discharged battery that gets frozen is toast. |
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Let's move this to this board, where it's more appropriate: Hyb Bat |
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So much for this loser ripping people off more: FTC gets sales ban on mileage booster The Federal Trade Commission won a court order temporarily barring a New Jersey company from making false claims about a device that it touts as boosting automobile gas mileage by as much as 300 percent. Dennis Lee is a convicted felon who has been selling a device known as the Hydro-Assist Fuel Cell for $1,000, claiming it will "turn any vehicle into a hybrid," according to the FTC complaint filed in federal court in Newark, N.J. Lee's companies, Dutchman Enterprises LLC and United Community Services of America Inc., also are named as defendants. The FTC said Lee and his companies made false claims that "violate basic scientific laws and well-established physical principles." U.S. District Judge Faith Hochberg granted the FTC's request on Jan. 14 for a temporary restraining order and a freeze on the companies' assets. The agency is seeking a permanent ban on the false advertisements as well as customer reimbursements. Hochberg initially sealed the case before making it public on Jan. 29. Lee's companies began making false claims last year, such as boosting gas mileage on a 2007 Honda Civic from 35 miles per gallon to 85 miles, and on a 2006 Mazda from 33 miles to 121 miles, according to the complaint. |
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