Having a half-sheet size handout for the Classic Prius was really handy (a smaller version of the INFO-SHEET). So I finally created this one for the newer Prius... [Broken External Image]:http://john1701a.com/prius/images/Prius_Mini-Sheet.jpg There's a DOC & PDF available for downloading on my website if you're interested.
Thanks John. I love your site. Great information. Good service your doing for all Prius owners. Charlie
I updated the document this evening. That speedo/odometer photo was begging for an update. So I took a new photo, which reveals my current mileage of 21,406 miles.
John, you say that life expectancy for the battery pack is 10-12 years. Where did you get that data? I've seen it posted several times somewhere (either here or the prius-2g newsgroup) that Toyota engineers themselves believe the battery pack to be good for the life of the car. A car should normally last more than 10-12 years, especially a Toyota car. My last car, a Plymouth Laser hatchback was still going strong after 13 years until it got submerged in a flood. A previous car I owned, a 1972 Porsche 914 was still going strong when I sold it in 1987 (15 years old). Anyway, I think "life of the car" sounds better than "10-12 years".
Yes, that may sound better, but it is quite misleading. Roughly 90% of the vehicles in my area (Minnesota) don't even make it to year 10. The intense seasonal changes tear apart the cars. So we'll all have great running Prius with bodies falling apart by then. Much of the rest of the population here simply plans on purchasing a replacement vehicle by then. That's definitely not true of other areas of the country. They expect a vehicle to last longer. And it typically does. So "life of the car" means different durations for different people. The data itself was gathered from quite a few studies. Since then, I've just been gathering facts to find out how accurate that is. And fortunately, there hasn't been anything to contradict the claim... for Prius anyway, whose system goes way out of its way to prevent stress on the battery-pack.
So... what do you think of the "Hybrid Electric" on the Mini-Sheet? Years ago when Prius was first introduced in the United States, that term had a strong meaning. Since then, the value of it has faded. Now, a new identification term seems to be emerging. I hear it mentioned every single day on the radio now. Ford is promoting it to death. The media is using it a surprisingly a lot too. And naturally, I support the need to be more specific than simply calling any new vehicle technology "hybrid" without mentioning a specific brand. Will "Full Hybrid" do? That's what I'd like to put on the Mini-Sheet & Info-Sheet now.
John, I'd go with "Full Hybrid". The "full hybrid" / "mild hybrid" definitely is on the way to becoming standard terminology, or already there. I've heard the two differentiated on NPR, in Consumer Reports and Scientific American, and in a slew of car magazines. It's a clear term, and a widespread one; I'd go for "Full". (At least, the differentation between full and mild hybrids is clear; I still think the mild hybrid needs to be defined so the Silverado isn't considered a hybrid.)
John, I have to agree with Jeff. "Full Hybrid" better represents the nature of the Toyota and Ford systems. The term "Hybrid Electric" is somewhat redundant right now, since no one has produced an alternative hybrid pairing. I think that "Hybrid" is synomenous with "Gas/Electric Hybrid," at least right now. I'm surprised how many people think that the Honda IMA system is equivalent to the Toyota system. After I explain the differences, they fully understand the difference between "Full Hybrid" and "Mild Hybrid." They also typically get a puzzled look when I explain the features of the Chevy Silverado. Their first statement (without coaching) is typically something like "well how is that concidered a hybrid?"
That is actually where the "hybrid electric" orginally came from. There was no "full" or "mild" term back then. So we actually called the IMA system a "hybrid gasoline". Too bad that terminology got abandoned. Clearly, something more than just "hybrid" was needed. Still to this day I run into owners themselves that have no clue what the differences are. But after all, most people don't understand how a traditional vehicle works either... or even how to properly maintain it!
I find that if I simply say "hybrid", many people ask if I mean a petrol/gas hybrid. So I have to clarify that it's petrol/electric. Perhaps LPG is more common here than there? (CNG is pretty rare in Britain, but LPG is probably common enough now to use it as the sole fuel for a vehicle)
Well, I'm going all out with the promotion of "FULL" HYBRID now. Looking at the first post of this topic, you'll see that new label on the MINI-SHEET. Here's the latest INFO-SHEET with it (notice I updated the 2 photos on the front and 1 on the back)... [Broken External Image]:http://john1701a.com/prius/images/Prius_Info-Sheet_front.jpg . [Broken External Image]:http://john1701a.com/prius/images/Prius_Info-Sheet_back.jpg And the business-size card I pass out to anyone that expresses interest in Prius has it now too... [Broken External Image]:http://john1701a.com/prius/images/john1701a_website_card.jpg
