Just read this article about Prius batteries being targeted in SF. Prius Batteries Being Targeted By Thieves: SFist Just wondering if there is a way to lock down batteries? The PiP has two locations for batteries, correct?
no, only one. under the rear hatch floor, behind the seat area. i haven't heard of anyone doing this, but if you are handy, you can probably rig up some steel straps and pad locks. the pip battery is very large and heavy compared to the lift back, i doubt any have been stolen.
It appears to be the Gen3 NiMH batteries they are going after, not PiP. GrumpyCabbie and I theorize (another thread) maybe high mileage Gen3 taxis need replacement batts. One thread mentions the Gen3 NiMH batteries are relatively easy to take out of the Prius. To my knowledge there has not been a single PiP batt failure, let alone a failure out of 8-yrs warranty. So there would presumably be no black market for PiP batts: another plus for PiP!
It should certainly be covered under comprehensive, so not such a big deal unless you liked your car and didn't want to replace it. The trouble is the thieves save the time it would take them to squeeze and unplug connectors by just cutting wire harnesses ... several of them, to the tune of significantly more money than even the battery itself, so the insurance company may well call it a total loss. -Chap
The problem for PiP owners may be that the thieves break in, cut the wires, and only realize that they got a PiP rather than a regular Gen III Prius when they try to pop out the battery. Big $$$ for repairs. I don't know how many miles/yr a cabbie puts on a car; could any have actually reached the 150K mile (in CARB states) warranty in the three years PiPs have been out?
My '04 (now my son's) has close to 200K miles and still goes strong. Avg. MPG around 43 (not much different than when it was new).
Overpriced real property .... cold weather ... horrible traffic ... record earth quakes ... now this ... just one more reason for peeps to stay out of Frisco. Story is WAY over blown. Look what happened when skum bags started using 24v battery powered angle grinders to saw off catalytic converters. BAM. "Serialize your stuff! BAM require junk yard / resellers to thumb print & show drivers license when they fence ... er, I mean 'sell' their products. The crime drops down to a teeny trickle. End of story. Why on earth car manufacturers don't serialize more of their products is a mystery. You get caught owning a gun with a serial number filed off ... BAM off to jail. Should be the same with fenders ... traction batteries ... cat's .... etc. Heck ... even when you sell scrap brass, the junk yard requires to now days to show who you are. .
Journalistic sensationalism. Must have worked because they got you to read it. Hmmmm, seems to me it would be easier money to go after those odd size wheels, 18", 19", 20", than bother even looking to rob a battery from a solitary PiP out of thousands of Gen 1, 2 or 3 Prius.
