http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1363389-people-are-stealing-batteries-from-hybrid-cars/
People Are Stealing Batteries From Hybrid Cars
By Jonathan Zhou, Epoch Times | May 20, 2015
[image
http://img.theepochtimes.com/n3/eet-content/uploads/2015/05/20/472520634-676x450.jpg
A child opens a door to a Toyota vehicle as his father sits inside the car
at a Toyota showroom in Tokyo on May 8, 2015. (YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty
Images)
]
When life introduces new conveniences, it usually also comes with new
problems. Online shopping has been a boon for consumers—and cyber-thieves.
Likewise, hybrid cars are simultaneously an ally of the environment and of
battery thieves.
The police in San Francisco have identified a growing trend of thieves
tearing out the battery out of Toyota Priuses and presumably selling them on
the black market, reported ABC7 News.
It’s unlikely that the thefts could be attributed to random acts of
vandalism. The batteries weigh 120 pounds, are connected to dangerous
cables, and would take a professional mechanic an hour to remove.
Yahoo Autos says that the outbreak of theft coincides with the expiration of
the battery warrant for the first-generation of Priuses, whose owners are
looking for replacements. Replacements can cost as much as $2,500 retail,
but only $500-$1,000 on Craigslist.
Dealers, however, have been warning car-buyers about the possibility of
theft as early as 2008.
That the batteries are mostly harvested from third-generation Priuses are
another sign that the thieves are professional and organized. They would
have to make in-house modifications to be able to sell those batteries in
usable form to owners of the first-generation Prius.
Battery thefts from hybrid cars have also been reported in Sacramento and
New York. Ironically, the Prius vehicle is actually one of the least likely
car models to be stolen in the United States.
The silver lining is that battery theft could decline as the market share
for fully electric vehicles grows, as the batteries for such vehicles will
most likely be so heavy that it would be impractical for the thieves to
transport them. For instance, the battery for the Tesla Model S comes at a
hefty 1,200 pounds.
[© theepochtimes.com]
http://www.citylab.com/crime/2015/05/hybrid-vehicle-batteries-are-disappearing-in-san-francisco/393701/
Hybrid-Vehicle Batteries Are Disappearing in San Francisco
John Metcalfe [2015/05/20]
[Tweet
https://twitter.com/vicleeabc7/status/599274351448330240
Thieves now stealing batteries from hybrid/electric cars. Appear to be
pros because of danger of electrocution. pic.twitter.com/F2qWXLnoe1
— Vic Lee (@vicleeabc7) May 15, 2015
image
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CFEM2BFVAAAMUFG.jpg
video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjlLnzK-yYA
Gen 3 Prius Stolen HV Battery
lusciousgarage Jan 27, 2015
Second one we've seen in a week. Look out San Fran!
As an anti-theft measure we can replace the 12mm bolts with tamper-proof
ones and shield the harnesses with sheet metal. If it slows thieves down,
that's enough. Contact us for service: http://lusciousgarage.com
$7000 used may be little high... with new replacement modules (we don't
recommend used packs), used body harness (as available), we might get the
price below $5000, but you forget how many parts are involved... SMR
assembly, HV fan, HV battery chassis, Smart key antenna... It adds up.
]
Inventive, no doubt muscular thieves have found a new target.
What’s worse than somebody breaking into your car and stealing a purse or
laptop? Try a thief ripping out the battery, rendering the vehicle into a
sad, immovable magnet for parking tickets.
That’s what’s happening with hybrid cars around San Francisco, according to
this report from ABC 7. After talking with a recent victim of theft, parking
garages, and a Toyota dealership, the news station concludes the city is
facing a spike in battery-ganking:
John Nashed’s Toyota Prius was broken into when he went to his parked
car.
“The passenger rear window was broken into and I look inside and
everything is just a mess,” Nashed said. “It looked like a tornado went
through.”
A burglar made his way into the back of his car and stole the 150-pound
battery that powers his engine. The car was towed to a garage for repairs.
That’s when he learned there’s been a rash of Prius battery thefts in the
city.
“There there was an Allstate insurance adjuster there and he’s like,
wait a minute, I actually have three cases that I’m working on. Same exact
problem,” Nashed said.
Via Twitter, Nashed says he hasn’t heard anything about the police finding a
culprit and his insurance will be taking care of the repairs.
Removing hybrid batteries is a tactical challenge. There must be either
multiple thieves or one, Dwayne Johnson-sized baddie, because the items are
heavy enough to shred untrained back muscles. Then there’s the risk of
accidentally going up like the Fourth of July. Toyota warns that improperly
tinkering
