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What to expect from the next model year Prius

311 messages,  Last post on Apr 26, 2009 at 5:43 AM

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#63 of 311 Re: Toyota CEO: Li-ion batteries for 2009 Prius! [kdhspyder] by pathstar1 Feb 25, 2007 (8:13 am)
Absolutely. In the Prius II (current model - I think the "snippet" you posted is for the Prius I), the "traction battery" is protected by fuses and relays, and by a ground fault system. -ANY- fault to ground (the only thing that would cause a fire as there is NO hydrogen to burn with a NIMH battery) will shut off the battery - both conductors, to the rest of the vehicle. Even a collision will shut it off, if it's violent enough to trigger the collision system (airbags). There is a "normal" 12 V lead acid gel cell battery in the Prius as well. It's protected by a fuse, and is in the right rear, just ahead of the taillamps. You could cause a fire by shorting this battery, just like every other car on the road.   It is possible to cause a short in the traction battery by crushing the vehicle enough to collapse the battery steel box. There is a fuse in the battery which would make this short momentary at best. At this point any passengers would be squashed beyond recognition, as the battery is in the centre of the vehicle, on the floor - the strongest part of the vehicle. In other words, the traction battery would be the last thing to be badly damaged in a collision.   Keep in mind the Prius traction battery doesn't really hold a lot of energy. It's about 7 AHr at 201.6 V. That's just over 1400 WHrs. About twice what a "normal" car battery holds. It isn't an electric car, it's a gasoline powered car that uses electric/electronic components to maximize the efficiency of operation of the gasoline powerplant.   Anyone can download the "emergency workers instructions" from the Toyota site. Much of the information I posted comes from this document.
#69 of 311 Lithium Ion batteries and halving size and cost of current hybrid system by larsb Feb 26, 2007 (7:45 am)
Like I said before:   LI-ION IN THE STREETS Yet Toyota should soon be giving the environmental lobby something to cheer about. In an interview with BusinessWeek on Feb. 16, Chief Executive Katsuaki Watanabe confirmed that Toyota's third-generation hybrid cars, due out in late 2008 or early 2009, will use lithium-ion batteries. Lighter and more powerful than the current nickel metal hydride packs, the new batteries will help make for more fuel-efficient hybrids. "We will change the battery from nickel hydride to the lithium battery," the CEO said during a rare one-on-one interview at the company's headquarters in Toyota City. Toyota officials say it's the first time Watanabe had confirmed the change of cells (see BusinessWeek.com, 2/22/07, "Talking with Toyota's Top Man").   While widely expected, some had wondered whether Toyota's li-ions would be available in time for its new hybrid system. Watanabe, who occasionally visits the site where the batteries are being developed, has no doubts: "We can develop the battery in time," he says.   It's not just the batteries that will be better. The rest of Toyota's next-generation hybrid systems will also be a big step up from what's on the road today. "We are now aiming at reducing, by half, both size and cost of the third-generation hybrid system," saysWatanabe. That should go some way to bringing the price of hybrids closer to regular gasoline cars.   Toyota's plans for the future of hybrid systems

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