Jed Rothwell wrote:
Edmund Storms wrote:
I expect in a few years a battery upgrade will be available for a
modest cost.
Ed: What kind of upgrade are you expecting? Larger capacity? Plug-in
capability?
A Li ion battery of the same size as the present battery would allow
much more efficient use of the electric system.
The way the car is engineered now I do not see much point to increasing
the battery capacity, unless the car is converted into a plug in. The
battery does not saturate often, except when driving down mountains.
(But then, you *live* on the mountain.)
The over charging is not so much of a problem here compared to complete
draining of the battery when going up a modest hill. A larger capacity
would allow greater efficiency and perhaps a change in the algorithm to
turn off the engine completely when the battery was charged above a set
level.
The first plug-in conversion kits are expected next year and they will
cost $12,000.
This is a bit steep, but I expect this feature would be much less if it
were a factory option. As you observe, this technology is the wave of
the future. So much for the hydrogen economy or pure electric as being
pushed by the American power structure.
Ed
http://www.calcars.org/priusplus.html
http://www.edrivesystems.com/
They will have a "Valence Saphion lithium-ion" battery pack about 3
times bigger than the present Prius battery. Toyota warns that the kits
will void the warranty, but I expect they will reach an agreement to
certify the kits. Toyota has been cool to the idea of plug-in
conversion, but they are being pressured by national on-line Prius user
groups. These groups are wildly enthusiastic about the plan, and they
are influencing Toyota's designers and executives to an unprecedented
extent. This shows how the Internet affects everything, including
automotive design.
- Jed
