Hybrid Goodness pt2

[den]

The Prius uses a giant NiCad battery that has a 5 year warranty and will cost AU$520 to replace if it fails after the 5 years.

The Monaro only has a 12volt battery, of course.

I should also mention that the "keyless" system on the Prius means that you have to carry the key with you to operate the car, you don't have to insert a serrated metal tab into a slot. It's not "keyless" in that you don't need a key. It's a wireless key.

The fully tricked out Prius costs about the same as a Monaro. The environmentalist in me is tugging me toward the Prius, while the rev-head Bloke genes are dragging me toward the Monaro. My poor wallet is caught up in the middlle, screaming "KEEP! THE CAMRY! KEEP THE CAMRY!"

I like my Camry. The 3 litre V6 keeps the Bloke Genes and the Environmentalist reasonably satisfied.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/killjoy_/]

Hybrid electric V-8?

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

no, just a 5.7litre V8 with a lot of grunt.

[http://users.livejournal.com/killjoy_/]

No no no, you misunderstand, the hybrid V8 was suggested as a means to bridge the gap between the bloke and environmentalist.

[hedgegoth.livejournal.com]

i'm telling ya, get a Hyundai.
I love mine.
Drive it all over.

And of course it's equipped with GPS now.

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

nah, I like my Camry. V6, power steering, A/C, 12-stack CD player. The GPS navigation is all in my head. 8)

[hedgegoth.livejournal.com]

well, i only got v4, but it's nice and quick.
dont' got 12stack CD but will soon have 20gig or so of mp3s...

touch screen LCD, etc. etc. ;)

[tropism.livejournal.com]

NiCd? Jesus god, why'd they use a NiCd for a car battery? Not only is cadmium -more- toxic than lead, but you get all those lovely problems inherent with NiCds -- like charge memory and such.

[elektron.livejournal.com]

Because lead-acid is heavy, and gets left on the roadside anyway.

[tropism.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but what I'm saying is that lead acid batteries have a: comparable or longer life spans than NiCd, and b: are possibly less environmentally unfriendly than NiCd, not to mention c: are a damned sight more commonly available and cheaper than giant NiCds.

[http://users.livejournal.com/crossfire_/]

Camrys are good cars. My family has been buying them for years now.

But the technology and engineering involved in those hybrids...woof.

[sideshowbofh.livejournal.com]

What a horrible position to be in.

On one hand, there's the lower ongoing costs and the inner greenie satisfying, on the other hand there's the inner bogan, just waiting for a chance to drive all the way to the shops in first gear...

Now, which is stronger in you, the greenie or the bogan? I'd pay good money to see the battle :-)

[makovette.livejournal.com]

Battle of the Batty Bogan's! Aaaand in this Corner... :-D

Keeping the Camry makes the most sense until the uber job shows up, then you can get the weekender Bloke Toy and the Green Machine in due course.

Good and frankly pleasantly surprising to hear the Prius battery isn't a huuuge expense like the Honda's to replace.

You can get a silly license plate frame for each car too:

My Other Car Is A Monaro and of course My Other Car Is A Prius

So you can advertise your Green Blokeness to the world, that should piss off everyone rather neatly :-D

CYa!
Mako
Ungreen V24 Zzyzxian

Bloke vs Green

[red-frog.livejournal.com]

I have a Mid-Life CrisisMobile (that really does get decent mileage) and walk a lot. :)

[level-head.livejournal.com]

Buying ANY new car engenders manufacturing costs to the environment that are saved by keeping the one you have.

Besides: If it's Bloke, don't "fix" it.

===|==============/ Level Head

[jim-lane.livejournal.com]

Sir "PointyHead" sez:
------------------------------
If it's Bloke, don't "fix" it.

******************

To which I simply observe:
------------------------------
AARRGGGHHHH!!!!!!

(Whew... I fell MUCH better now---)

BTW, LH, have you tried squirting any emails my way recently? Some folks are experiencing "bouncing bunnies"---er...EMAILS once again.)

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

Ooooh I'm going to give you such a pinch!

NiCads

[ursuscal.livejournal.com]

Erf! After having used NiCads for years in law enforcement and ham radio, I rejoiced when lithium ion and nickel metal hydrides came along at a reasonable cost. Better capacity, no "charging memory," and easier charging circuits. Plus, unlike NiCads, whose charge is difficult to assess (they go from almost full voltage to zero very quickly) the others show gradual discharge long before it's too late. They aren't *that* much more expensive, so I wonder why they're using a giant, expensive NiCad in the Prius? Yetch!

Re: NiCads

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

Well, the sales rep may be mistaken. Also, with something like this you want full voltage until the end. The motor requires 500volts to run the car and a gradual discharge would be a disadvantage.

I hope Toyota have some sort of recycling system set up.

Re: NiCads

[ursuscal.livejournal.com]

When I said "gradual discharge" I meant that it doesn't go from "I'm full and happy" to "to bad, so sad, bye-bye!" The discharge slope is still rather steep in LiIon and NiMH batteries, but shows enough early warning if you're monitoring voltage to know that a charge will be needed soon. My Sony Nightshot palmcorder, for example, has a "smart" Lithium Ion battery, that actually tells the camera how many hours of useable charge it has left. There is almost no way to do this with a NiCad battery, unless it's just a timer that tries to predict the charge cycle. Problem is, as the battery gets older, the discharge curve gets worse. Also, although Lithium and Nickel are not exactly safe heavy metals, they're a darn sight safer than cadmium, and somewhat easier to safely dispose of.

[smrgol-t-kirin.livejournal.com]

My Mum and Dad had a Prius while their Camry was in the shop a couple of months back. My VW Passat was also in the shop for its 100,000 mile service, so I got to drive the Prius to work a couple of times (about 45 miles each way).

I was impressed by the car as a whole, but it's not a car that I'd want to own. It's a nice vehicle, just not "me".