Duane was dead wrong!Hybrid Cars cheaper to maintain!

[PariaMan]

When I bought my b14 in 1999 as a roll on roll off I requested and got the vehicle log.

I was even warned about the EFI. Now how things have changed with people realising that sensors are extremely reliable.

Also I was told that in Japan it is a criminal offence to to change the mileage.

The risk is the same as bringing any other car.

Once there are more of them in Trinidad expect nose cut front cut ect so parts will be available including batteries in the bamboo.

It is new technology but we cannot fear it and reject it simply because it is new!

[Team Loco]

Duane I was disappointed in your contribution. All the research indicates maintenance and battery life is not a real world issue.

well thanks for totally misunderstanding what I said.

I said OLDER hybrids brought into the country can pose problems, namely availability of parts in the bamboo etc. Also a 2008 hybrid would be less efficient than a modern hybrid.
The article said "OLD hybrids" as the author asked me what I thought of extending hybrid imports to vehicles up to 6 years old.

I absolutely think newer hybrids are the way to go!

What data do you have that older hybrids are less efficient?\\

I have found no data to back that up.

Have you?

If there are no Hybrid cars in Trinidad why pray tell will the bamboo have parts for them?

As soon as hybrid cars are brought i in any numbers we will have parts

Come nah man!!

why would you need data to back that up. as with any car, older cars are more expensive to maintain and less efficient

[SMc]

Firstly you can get a used battery on ebay for 500 US.

(I have checked)

There is no logical reason!

Who in their right mind buys a used battery? Whether it be for a camera, Rabbit or even worse a U$6K car? And how much would you have to pay for that to reach T&T?

[PariaMan]

Team Loco

Did you read my post on the comparison between a 2001 prius and a 2002 one doing 200,000 miles . They were almost indentical.

Very remarkable.

The Prius is a very reliable vehicle over thousands and thousands of kilometres.

Older cars obviously more expensive to maintain but that does not justify allowing a person to bringing down a six year old car and not a six year Prius hybrid .

In fact the research suggests that you are much safer bringing down the 6 year Prius

[PariaMan]

Firstly you can get a used battery on ebay for 500 US.

(I have checked)

There is no logical reason!

Who in their right mind buys a used battery? Whether it be for a camera, Rabbit or even worse a U$6K car? And how much would you have to pay for that to reach T&T?

These are not normal batteries (again I have done the research) their charging are computer controlled for long life.

It has been found that by keeping the battery between 40 and 80 percentage charge the lifetime of the battery exceed 10 years.

It is new technology and you have to open your mind and realise that!

[PariaMan]

I quote

The Prius has an outstanding reputation that even dates back to the 1st Gen Hybrid. I own an '04 with nearly 96K and not one problem. As you pointed out the price of the "Big" Battery is under $2,600.00. The "Small" Battery runs $153.00. As I stated I'm in my 6th yr with both original batteries. You'd be hard pressed to find an owner of any Prius with battery problems let alone ever being replaced to date

And again!

Worries over the serviceable lifespan of battery packs have been at the forefront of many critics dislike of hybrid cars. With doom-and-gloom scenarios of pricey replacements and short service life, the pundits have posited the Prius' long-term impracticality. But an Australian taxi outfit has compiled enough real-world data to put that idea to sleep.

With 32 Prius taxis operating in his Cairns, Queensland fleet of Black and White Taxis, owner Graham Boundy knows the truth about high-mileage hybrids - and it's surprisingly good. Each car racks up about 200,000km (125,000mi) each year. Two of the older examples have managed a lifespan of 350,000km (218,000mi) and 550,000km (341,000mi) before needing replacement of their nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. The only problem even at the end of their battery pack service life was a low voltage reading.The cars have been in service since September, 2005, and Bounds has ordered another 8 to bring his fleet total to 40.

According to Toyota Australia's manager of hybrid sales and fleet strategy Vic Johnston, the use seen in the highest-mileage car during those three years equates to roughly 36 years of normal road use. The math works out a bit differently across the pond in the U.S., with a 15,000mi per year average equating to roughly 16 years of use. Still, that's impressive for a hybrid, and in fact equal to or better than a person might expect of trouble-free service from a similarly priced standard combustion-powered car's engine.

[ismithx]

Firstly you can get a used battery on ebay for 500 US.

(I have checked)

There is no logical reason!

Who in their right mind buys a used battery? Whether it be for a camera, Rabbit or even worse a U$6K car? And how much would you have to pay for that to reach T&T?

These are not normal batteries (again I have done the research) their charging are computer controlled for long life.

It has been found that by keeping the battery between 40 and 80 percentage charge the lifetime of the battery exceed 10 years.

It is new technology and you have to open your mind and realise that!

I mean, it's conceivable that people would sell legit used batteries. think what if something happens to a device/otherwise and it becomes more efficient to sell the remaining parts off?

[PariaMan]

Using the Prius as an example. If there are a lot in Trinidad there will be used batteries on sale locally with warranties. So I really do not see that as a problem.

Also all research indicates that the batteries have extremely long life!

[SMc]

Firstly you can get a used battery on ebay for 500 US.

(I have checked)

There is no logical reason!

Who in their right mind buys a used battery? Whether it be for a camera, Rabbit or even worse a U$6K car? And how much would you have to pay for that to reach T&T?

These are not normal batteries (again I have done the research) their charging are computer controlled for long life.

It has been found that by keeping the battery between 40 and 80 percentage charge the lifetime of the battery exceed 10 years.

It is new technology and you have to open your mind and realise that!

I understand that, and its not new technology..part of my job involves working with those 'smart' batteries on a daily basis but for a very different application. Once it reaches EOL (End of Life) it pings a visual code via LED's so I know where it is, if its not happy it pings another code and we troubleshoot from there.

There is no real way to tell how a battery has been treated by its previous owner (ie kept between 40-80% of charge) once you have bought off E-Bay and it lands in TT, it may be brand spanking new or a cheap knockoff with some programming to show that says it brand new and original but not something that makes sense to do.

[PariaMan]

The user does not charge the battery directly it is computer controlled by the car's computer.

I quote again

So why are hybrid batteries sprightly after a decade, while laptop batteries start wheezing within just a few years? The chemistry is different – but in some ways, humans are to blame.

"Generally, when you're charging your device battery, you're charging it to 100 percent," says Mr. Berman, "and you're depleting it to zero percent. Right? That is the worst thing you can do for the longevity of the battery."

Hybrids come with software that purposely stops the battery from charging once it hits about 80 percent of full capacity. Similarly, the battery will say it's empty when it falls to about 20 percent. The exact numbers are company secrets, but the point remains: By undertaxing their batteries, hybrids ensure longer life spans. (Some gadget gurus suggest a stricter "40/80" rule for laptops and phones. Of course, that limits the usefulness of a single charge in exchange for long-term gains.)

[RBphoto]

Flux capacitors these days.... only 0.9 jigawattsh storage after two years use..

SMH.

[PariaMan]

ROFL flux capacitor!

[thatlife]

[Allergic2BunnyEars]

OP does this mean you are ordering a Prius?

[PariaMan]

Well I would love to own one and see no problem with the current price for a 2009 one. However I think it would be even more attractive if they were too reduce the taxes as they do on the two year old ones.

Once there are more of them in Trinidad then there will be more spare parts available and you will find mechanics training up themselves to maintain them.

The problem preventing this from happening is the government not reducing the taxes on hybrids over 2 years.

I am afraid that that article in the newspaper means that there is even less chance of seeing more of them on the road!

[A172]

hybrid car bool op gyal

[PariaMan]

Now reading the article again my problems with it are

1. Hybrid cars have improved vastly over the last two years

The Most popular car the Prius is unchanged since 2009

2. Prius is the world most popular car but you cannot get parts in the Bamboo

Why would some one bring parts for a car when there is only very few in Trinidad?

3. Hybrid cars have only begun being highway capable two to three years ago

Same Prius around since 2009

These statements are very damaging to the cause of getting more Hybrids on the road.

[Sinister_Audio]

[nervewrecker]

Luuk how e callout Duane jusso jusso like two ah dem does pitch marble nah

[nervewrecker]

I wanna pich murbble wid Duane too....
For a ride in de evo though

[tr1ad]

Like OP want to lobby for hybrid cars....
I'll donate some placards

[The Paleontologist]

Like Duane is he padna owa

[abbow]

what rell funny is......the end of each post......"come nah man"....

[toyolink]

Quite an interesting discussion in terms of infor. on this new class of vehicle.
I Actually facilitated importation of 2010 Lexus RX450H and have been servicing the unit since arrival in 2012.
The battery pack brings no fears to me and procurement and installation can be and will be executed if the need arises.
I myself prefer to 'bring in' vehicles of this nature which are no older than 2 years and have been inspected/certified by Toyota or Lexus.
The strategic intent is to have owners as far as possible enjoy at least 5 years fret free operations.
In due course as units become more popular, I am quite certain investments will be made in knowledge and hardware to facilitate maintenance support.
Just like the cvt tranny in the fielder which is now no longer a mystery and cause for fear very soon the Hybrid drivetrain will become a no 'biggie'.

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

Quite an interesting discussion in terms of infor. on this new class of vehicle.
I Actually facilitated importation of 2010 Lexus RX450H and have been servicing the unit since arrival in 2012.
The battery pack brings no fears to me and procurement and installation can be and will be executed if the need arises.
I myself prefer to 'bring in' vehicles of this nature which are no older than 2 years and have been inspected/certified by Toyota or Lexus.
The strategic intent is to have owners as far as possible enjoy at least 5 years fret free operations.
In due course as units become more popular, I am quite certain investments will be made in knowledge and hardware to facilitate maintenance support.
Just like the cvt tranny in the fielder which is now no longer a mystery and cause for fear very soon the Hybrid drivetrain will become a no 'biggie'.

agreed!

[Val]

[Rainman]

My peoplewhohavenotonefucktodo-o-meter is off the charts RE: Pariaman

[16 cycles]

Awaiting the omg meme of admin...

Lot of info on thread...

[Duane 3NE 2NR]

Now reading the article again my problems with it are

1. Hybrid cars have improved vastly over the last two years

The Most popular car the Prius is unchanged since 2009

2. Prius is the world most popular car but you cannot get parts in the Bamboo

Why would some one bring parts for a car when there is only very few in Trinidad?

3. Hybrid cars have only begun being highway capable two to three years ago

Same Prius around since 2009

These statements are very damaging to the cause of getting more Hybrids on the road.

the 3rd gen Prius is the 2010 model to present right? So bringing a 2008 model would be a 2nd gen model. Why not limit it to 2010 and up? i.e. 4 years

We allow 2010 and up Prius in the country and bamboo and Toyota Trinidad has parts for it (since the 3rd gen is the model Toyota currently sells). You with your previous gen model will have problems for parts. There was also a face-lift with different lights, bumpers and bonnet and interior feature changes in 2011.

Plus the Prius is not the only hybrid / electric car. The Nissan Leaf is 2011 to present, no problem there.

I don't know why you want the bamboo to import a set of 6 year old hybrid parts for a new sector of the market.

[shogun]

Steups.