Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/10/27
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Sonny- for $4500 you can buy a lot of lead acid batteries or gallons of gasoline! Stasys On Oct 27, 2008, at 5:00 PM, Sonny Carter wrote: > According to a Toyota service rep. about $4,500. However: > Toyota Prius Frequently Asked Questions Click on a question to jump > to the > answer > > > >> What is a hybrid >> vehicle?<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q1> >> Do I need to plug the Prius >> in?<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q2> >> What Petrol do I use in the >> Prius?<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q3> >> What fuel economy can I expect from the >> Prius?<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q4> >> How does the Prius perform and handle compared to conventional >> vehicles?<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q5> >> Is the Prius available in a manual >> transmission?<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q6> >> Can the Prius run on electricity when it runs out of >> petrol?<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q7> >> How does the Prius compare to conventional cars with respect to safety > features? <http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q8> >> Who can service my Prius and how often does it need to be >> done?<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q9> >> Who can do repair work if something were to go wrong with my >> Prius?<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q10> >> How long will the Prius >> last?<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q11> >> How long does the battery last in the Prius, and how much will it >> cost to > replace? <http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q12> >> Can I tow with the >> Prius?<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q13> >> Do the back seats fold down in the >> Prius?<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q14> >> Can the Prius be >> jump-started?<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q15> >> How can I be sure the mileage is genuine on the cars you are >> selling?<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q16> >> Does the price on your cars include a warranty and on-road >> costs?<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q17> > >> Can I trade in my non-hybrid car on a hybrid car at *The Clean Green >> Car > Company*? <http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q24> > >> Are English language owner's manuals available for the >> Prius?<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q23> >> What are LEVs, ULEVs, SULEVs and >> AT-PZEVs?<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q18> >> What is the emissions rating of >> Prius?<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q19> >> I don't live in Auckland; can I buy a car from you and if so what is >> the > process? <http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q20> >> What's the difference between Toyota's and Honda's Hybrid >> Systems?<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q21> >> What is the downside of owning a Hybrid >> car?<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#Q22> > > > What is a hybrid vehicle? > > A hybrid car combines a petrol-powered engine with an electric motor to > provide improved fuel economy and help lower emissions. [back to > top<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#top> > ] > > > Do I need to plug the Prius in? > > Never. The Prius automatically recharges its batteries using > regenerative > braking, or by running the on-board generator. The driver never needs > to > worry about recharging the battery. [back to > top<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#top> > ] > > > What Petrol do I use in the Prius? > > The Prius runs better on the cheaper 91 octane unleaded. [back to > top<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#top> > ] > > > What fuel economy can I expect from the Prius? > > You can expect to easily achieve 5ltr/100km (20km/ltr or > 56miles/gallon) > although most of our customers seem to achieve even better results > than this > with some achieving as low as 4.4ltr/100km (22.7km/ltr or > 64miles/gallon) > over a great distance. > > > Typically you can expect between 4.7 and 5.2 litre per 100km depending > on > how you drive. [back to > top<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#top> > ] > > > How does the Prius perform and handle compared to conventional > vehicles? > > The Toyota Prius feels and drives like a normal automatic car with the > exception that when idling and driving at low speeds, the petrol > engine cuts > out, in favour of the electric motor. It is also quieter and smoother > overall than you average car. Although the Toyota Prius Hybrid only > has a > 1500cc petrol engine when combined with the power of the electric > motor it > feels more like a 2.4 litre car to drive. Basically the Toyota Prius > performs just the same as an equivalent sized non-hybrid car - it > achieves > its fantastic fuel economy with no compromise in performance. [back to > top<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#top> > ] > > > Is Prius available in a manual transmission? > > No. The Prius doesn't use any kind of transmission found in a > conventional > non-hybrid car. In fact there is no step gear transmission in the > Prius - it > only has one gear ratio. Instead, in the Prius, all the torque is > provided > by the electric motors. However for the end user it is just the same > as any > other automatic car to drive. [back to > top<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#top> > ] > > > Can Prius run on electricity when it runs out of petrol? > > No. Although the Prius can operate in electric-only mode when petrol > is in > the tank, it is not designed to run without petrol. Doing so could > cause > damage to the hybrid system, so, like any other car, drivers should be > sure > to keep petrol in the tank of their Prius at all times. [back to > top<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#top> > ] > > > How does Prius compare to conventional cars with respect to safety > features? > > The Prius is equipped with many advanced safety features. The Prius > helps > avoid accidents altogether with a standard Anti-lock Brake System > (ABS). In > an accident, its strong mono-form shape, front & rear crumple zones, > side > intrusion bars and driver & front passenger multi-stage airbags help > shield > its occupants from harm. The battery pack is sealed and has built-in > security measures that completely isolate it from the rest of the car > to > prevent any chance of shock in the case of an accident. The Toyota > Prius > Generation II (2000 - 2003) has an NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) > rating > of 4 stars. This is the highest rating given to a car of its design > year. > The Toyota Prius Generation III (2003 onwards) has an NCAP rating of 5 > stars, the highest rating available. [back to > top<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#top> > ] > > > Who can service my Prius and how often does it need to be done? > > Any reputable mechanical workshop can do the standard servicing > because the > Prius' service requirements are the same as any non-hybrid car meaning > it only needs an oil and filter change every 15,000km or one year, > which > ever comes first. The battery pack doesn't require any service, in the > same > way that you don't service the battery in your cell phone and the > electric > motor doesn't require any service, in the same way you don't service > the > electric motor in your washing machine. [back to > top<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#top> > ] > > > Who can do repair work if something were to go wrong with my Prius? > > In the unlikely event of any problems with your Toyota Prius *The Clean > Green Car Company* can put you in touch with any one of the 120 > independent > workshops nation wide or a Toyota franchise service centre that have > Prius > diagnostic equipment. > > [back to top <http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#top>] > > > How long will the Prius last? > > The Toyota Prius is designed to be as durable as any other Toyota, > which > considering Toyota's reputation, is a pretty long time. [back to > top<http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#top> > ] > > > How long does the battery last in the Prius, and how much will it cost > to > replace? > > The Prius battery is designed to last the lifetime of the vehicle and > considering that the Prius is designed to be as durable as any other > Toyota, > and considering Toyota's reputation, that is a pretty long time. > Toyota have > lab data showing the Prius battery can do 290,000km of normal driving > with > absolutely no degradation of the battery's performance. To give some > real > life examples, there is a Taxi driver from British Columbia, Jatinder > Parhar, who has done over 410,000km in his Prius Taxi and has had to do > nothing to his Prius other than standard servicing. (*click to read > more > here*) <http://www.hybridexperience.ca/Toyota_Prius.htm#hybridtaxi>. > Toyota > has sold over 500,000 Generation II and III Prius worldwide and say > they > have never had to supply a battery pack for replacement due to wear and > tear. (*click here to read Toyota Press > release*).<http://pressroom.toyota.com/Releases/View? > id=TYT2004062345528>Given > all this, the price of a replacement battery is probably irrelevant, > however in the extremely unlikely event you needed to replace the > battery in > your Prius, current cost, at time of writing (Feb 2008), is NZ$4500.00 > for a > Generation II Prius and NZ$3150 for a Generation III Prius. However > this is > coming down all the time. When we first looked into this at 3 years > ago the > battery packs were priced at $7000 each. We believe the price will > fall to > around $2000 within a year or so given the increased production of > Hybrid > Vehicles using this type of battery. For piece of mind every Toyota > Prius > brought from The Clean Green Car Company is covered by a 2 year, > unlimited > km Hybrid Car Warranty that includes cover for the battery pack. [back > to > top <http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/faq-prius#top>] > > > On Mon, Oct 27, 2008 at 6:54 PM, Stasys Petravicius <stasys1@cox.net> > wrote: > >> Henning- Common sense is a rare commodity these days. We drove >> Mercedes >> diesels from 1971 to about 1990. Averaged about 27 mpg no matter how >> you >> drove them. In 1971 diesel was $0.27 per gallon- so it was $0.01 per >> mile >> for fuel. Now it's a big multiple of that. My most efficient car gets >> about >> 18 in town and 25 on the road. No progress in my stable of cars. What >> is the >> cost to change the battery pack in a Toyota Prius? Stasys >> >> On Oct 27, 2008, at 1:56 PM, Henning Wulff wrote: >> >> At 4:21 PM -0400 10/27/08, Charles Hehl wrote: >>> >>>> I just purchased a new GMC diesel truck and it requires ultra low >>>> sulfur >>>> diesel fuel as it is designed to meet the 2010 EPA standards for >>>> pollutants. >>>> I also understand that most states now only sell the ultra low >>>> sulfur diesel >>>> fuel and that it takes a bit more refining to make...hence the >>>> higher price. >>>> >>>> Charlie Hehl >>>> >>> >>> >>> That's the fuel that's been available in Europe for 10 years or >>> more, and >>> why we in North America are only now getting the better diesel >>> engined >>> European cars. >>> >>> About 2000 I asked a VW dealer here why we didn't get the more >>> interesting >>> diesel cars, and he said that: >>> >>> 1. No one wanted diesels and he wouldn't be able to sell them >>> >>> 2. They (the oil companies) couldn't make that kind of fuel here and >>> >>> 3. The hybrids have a lot better fuel consumption numbers >>> >>> >>> All of these are only partially true, because >>> >>> 1. No salesmen could sell them because they didn't have any to sell >>> >>> 2. The oil companies had other priorities >>> >>> 3. Hybrids and diesel powered cars excel at different types of >>> driving, >>> but hybrids tend to be more expensive up front, and rarely repay the >>> increased capital cost. >>> >>> >>> So bring on the better diesel cars! >>> >>> VW still doesn't get it; they will now offer one car, the Jetta, >>> with a >>> diesel engine that gives the worst consumption/performance >>> combination of >>> those they offer in Europe. Go figure. >>> >>> >>> -- >>> * Henning J. Wulff >>> /|\ Wulff Photography & Design >>> /###\ mailto:henningw@archiphoto.com >>> |[ ]| http://www.archiphoto.com >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Leica Users Group. >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >>> >>> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> > > > > -- > Regards, > > Sonny > http://www.sonc.com > Natchitoches, Louisiana > USA > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >