How would you respond to this naysayer?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by ReallyLily, Jun 14, 2005.

Page 1 of 2
  1. ReallyLily

    ReallyLily New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2005
    14
    0
    0
    Location:
    Down by the beach, CA
    I read another board where someone asked about hybrid vehicles. One person posted this (good grammar too!):

    The battery compartment scares Mark the Honda hybrid the battery is huge and he has seen problems of corrosion. Have someone rear end you and you'll end up wearing some acid.

    I'm pretty darned sure she hasn't a clue what she's talking about, but I haven't actually read up on the details or what my batteries are made of...anybody have a zingy response for me to post with the technical reason why she's nuts?
     
    #1 ReallyLily, Jun 14, 2005
  2. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2003
    19,891
    1,194
    9
    Location:
    Nixa, MO
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    There is no danger of that in the Prius (I don't know about the hondas)... The batteries are in individual cells and the 'acid' is a gel, not a liquid.
     
    #2 efusco, Jun 14, 2005
  3. ReallyLily

    ReallyLily New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2005
    14
    0
    0
    Location:
    Down by the beach, CA
    thanks! I'd hate for a whole website to be mislead by that woman's post :)
     
    #3 ReallyLily, Jun 14, 2005
  4. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2004
    15,140
    611
    0
    Location:
    South Puget Sound, WA
    Vehicle:
    2013 Nissan LEAF
    Model:
    Persona
    ask Frank Hudon about it. his wife was rear ended in her '04. the collision was so great that the tire compartment cover's edge was pushed down and into the battery pack casing actually breaking the case.

    there was no leakage. no one electrocuted, in fact the battery pack did exactly as it was designed to do in a collision.
     
    #4 DaveinOlyWA, Jun 14, 2005
  5. oly_57mpg

    oly_57mpg New Member

    Joined:
    May 2, 2005
    360
    3
    0
    Location:
    Olympia, Portland, Seattle...
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    First things first: this person is an idiot.

    The batteries that are used for the electric motor are sealed nickel-metal hydride. Not the lead acid batteries that are used on the 12v side. BIG FARKING DIFFERENCE.

    The batteries that are used in the Prius are SEALED. Not only are the batteries SEALED, but there is a lot of reinforcement around the batteries to prevent any occupants from 'wearing some acid.' I'd be more concerned of the propellant used to deploy the airbags! That stuff is probably worse than the sealed nickel-metal hydride batteries!

    Sealed nickel-metal hydride batteries have been used in consumer products since 1988. 19 freaking 88. That's 17 years of technological advances.

    An extreme minimal amount of actual electrolyte is used in the battery; that is to say, they are mostly solid, not liquid like the 12 lead acid battery. Think of 139 "C" sized batteries crammed in the car. Do you let children play with toys that contain batteries? Uh, yeah. Have they 'worn' acid from repeatedly dropping their toys? No.

    If this person doesn't like the idea of batteries, good for them, they are stupid and will probably purchase some crap product from the big four. More power to them. They have Google... But apparently not a brain cell to use it.
     
    #5 oly_57mpg, Jun 14, 2005
  6. Mystery Squid

    Mystery Squid Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 18, 2005
    2
    3
    0
    How would "I" respond?

    YOU STUPID (insert offensive noun here)!!

    :mrgreen:
     
    #6 Mystery Squid, Jun 14, 2005
  7. smasho

    smasho New Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2005
    44
    3
    0
    Location:
    Oregon
    Ahh the ignorant (or is that the idiotic)

    1. Prius (and I believe Honda) battery packs composed of a number of NiMH cells. These are very similar to the rechargable AA batteries you might put in your digital camera. (Please no flames, I know they're prismatics but the concept and chemistry are much the same) They contain no free liquid electrolyte - it's more of a paste.

    2. Every car carries a virtual BOMBThe gasoline you carry is far more dangerous than the battery.
    [/color]
     
    #7 smasho, Jun 14, 2005
  8. ReallyLily

    ReallyLily New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2005
    14
    0
    0
    Location:
    Down by the beach, CA
    Ha ha ha! These responses are so funny! I'm going to add some of these snippets to the thread where I saw this comment....I'd just hate for someone who wanted a hybrid to be turned off by that poster's blatant misinformation.
     
    #8 ReallyLily, Jun 14, 2005
  9. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    45,128
    16,361
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    In that case, she should leave earth. It's a volatile place ya'know? Batteries exploding, plants exploding (the building, not the flora), bombs exploding.

    I suppose she's gonna say, hit something head-on and "you'll end up wearing some acid" from the 12V battery at the front right?

    You want to see huge? look at the Escape Hybrid's battery =). Actually, tell her to find the HV battery on the Prius. 10 points she say "it's somewhere at the back" and that's where it ends.

    Anyway, I digress. The batteries are made of NiMH. They are sealed and are protected. All systems will shut down if a crash occurs. Hmm, where's that pic somebody posted of a totalled Salsa Red Prius. I'll go look for it to show you how much damage it can really take.
     
    #9 Tideland Prius, Jun 14, 2005
  10. oly_57mpg

    oly_57mpg New Member

    Joined:
    May 2, 2005
    360
    3
    0
    Location:
    Olympia, Portland, Seattle...
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius\";p=\"98455)</div>

    NO No No no... You don't want to convert that person... they are worth letting go. I don't want a moron associated to a Prius.
     
    #10 oly_57mpg, Jun 14, 2005
  11. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    45,128
    16,361
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    #11 Tideland Prius, Jun 14, 2005
  12. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    45,128
    16,361
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    True but hey, ReallyLily deserves the right to know too =)

    Actually those pics are pretty good. You can see what's underneath the centre console, where the rear heater ducts come from etc.
     
    #12 Tideland Prius, Jun 14, 2005
  13. ReallyLily

    ReallyLily New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 13, 2005
    14
    0
    0
    Location:
    Down by the beach, CA
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(oly_57mpg\";p=\"98459)</div>
    She wasn't the one who was thinking of buying one - it was another innocent bystander, and this woman was trying to tell her why she shouldn't even consider it. I don't want the innocent bystander to lose out because of some moron putting false fears into her!
     
    #13 ReallyLily, Jun 14, 2005
  14. Mystery Squid

    Mystery Squid Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 18, 2005
    2
    3
    0
    Tell her, her real concern should be the poisonous gases within the sealed headlights (after all, why are they sealed right?)... Which, of course, can violently combust if you leave your lights on too long...

    :mrgreen:
     
    #14 Mystery Squid, Jun 14, 2005
  15. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2004
    13,439
    641
    0
    Location:
    Winnipeg Manitoba
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    I see this is another Urban Legend that just won't die. Like the $15,000 Prius front brake job.

    Uh, $115 is what my local dealer quoted me.

    Any rear end crash severe enough to rupture the NiMH assembly and shower you with electrolyte gell probably isn't survivable.

    Oh, speaking of the Rear End Of Doom, how about all those Ford Crown Victoria passenger cars and Ford Interceptor police cars? I guess Ford didn't learn anything from the Pinto lawsuit, as even their 2005 Crown Vic and police Interceptor still have the fuel tank between the rear bumper and the axle.

    Apparently, around a dozen police officers have been burned to death after being rear ended.

    Much like all the hype over Prius stalling. I actually had it happen to me, and was quite p***** off when it happened. But just today in the Winnipeg Free Press it seems Ford is recalling around 260,000 Ford Super Duty gasoline motor trucks due to a software glitch.

    Causes "unexpected" motor stalling. Usually will not restart right away, have to wait and try a few times. Hmmmm.
     
    #15 jayman, Jun 14, 2005
  16. oly_57mpg

    oly_57mpg New Member

    Joined:
    May 2, 2005
    360
    3
    0
    Location:
    Olympia, Portland, Seattle...
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius\";p=\"98463)</div>
    I was worried that no one would understand my comment...

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ReallyLily\";p=\"98464)</div>
    Doh! Right, of course. Why didn't I see that!

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mystery Squid\";p=\"98467)</div>
    Or the exhaust from an H2 Hummer
    Or the little green men that visit...
     
    #16 oly_57mpg, Jun 14, 2005
  17. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 10, 2004
    9,392
    3,637
    0
    Location:
    Kunming Yunnan China
    Vehicle:
    2001 Prius
    The electrolyte in the Prius HV NiMH battery is alkaline, not acidic. Potassium hydroxide. When Toyota resealed the NHW11 batteries, they neutralized any released electrolyte with a boric acid solution. It has already been mentioned that the possibility of a battery electrolyte release in a crash appears low because of physical containment. If it happens anyway, and you are fresh out of boric acid, plain water should do. This is mentioned in the emergency responder guides if I recall correctly. It would not hurt to post links to those, if somebody has them handy.
     
    #17 tochatihu, Jun 14, 2005
  18. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2004
    15,140
    611
    0
    Location:
    South Puget Sound, WA
    Vehicle:
    2013 Nissan LEAF
    Model:
    Persona
    well if she wont believe the truth about the battery acid, why dont you tell her, that if she got into an accident in a Prius, her chances of being alive to feel that acid burn are much higher than nearly every other car on the road today.

    several posts here describing accidents involving Priuses should help to convince her of that
     
    #18 DaveinOlyWA, Jun 14, 2005
  19. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    45,128
    16,361
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    oh oh I know I know. Keep those plastic rims on the wheels. Without them, the car will be too light and will roll over if a semi passes it. :roll:
     
    #19 Tideland Prius, Jun 14, 2005
  20. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2004
    13,439
    641
    0
    Location:
    Winnipeg Manitoba
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius\";p=\"98510)</div>
    :lol:
     
    #20 jayman, Jun 15, 2005
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)
Page 1 of 2