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6 mile (10 km) Lithium Ion battery in Non-Plug-in?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by iplug, Sep 21, 2015.

  1. Lee Jay

    Lee Jay Senior Member

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    Same here.
     
  2. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Depends on how you used those EV miles.
    Put the car in EV mode, and keep the speed and acceleration down.
    Or feather the pedal while cruising to get the ICE off with the motor maintaining speed.
     
  3. gerbre

    gerbre Junior Member

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    this is my first post. I'm a German living near Hamburg in Germany. My car is a 2007 Prius.

    The video mentioned here was published at youtube by Car-News.TV and not by Toyota. Don't rely on any statements made in the video.

     
    giora, TonyPSchaefer, iplug and 2 others like this.
  4. civicdriver06

    civicdriver06 Active Member

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    Yes of course these are only rumours,but the guy in the video was talking to a very well known Prius expert in Germany named Dirk Breuer,so maybe he had a few more hints than others had !
    Nothing is confirmed yet,we'll have to wait for the 29. Oktober !
     
  5. iplug

    iplug Senior Member

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    Like I said, I only know enough German to be dangerous :whistle:.

    Great having your locals there in Germany to report in and keep us Americans up-to-date with the latest tidbits of news from Frankfurt and Toyota Germany and Europe.
     
  6. ken1784

    ken1784 SuperMID designer

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    The above article was wrong and is now revised as follows;
    However, four-wheel-drive models use a nickel-metal hydride battery in all grades.

    Ken@Japan
     
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  7. giora

    giora Senior Member

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    Another mistake in the article?
    Ken1784 reported elsewhere that the E grade will have Lion battery and not NiMH
     
  8. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    Could that mean Li-ion has dropped below Toyota's NiMH cost?
     
  9. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Well if the Eco model is lighter, it'll want a lighter battery. Removing some features could reduce cost and weight, offsetting the Li-Ion price difference. It could be like a Prius One for the Gen 3 where the Prius One had no cruise or rear armrest w/ cupholders and had 4-speakers instead of 6.

    We'll have to see what the mpg numbers are between the "core" models and the Eco model. It might be that Toyota is starting (or have already?) hit the point of diminishing return and the only way to improve mpg without raising the cost significantly is to offer a stripped out model as an "Eco" model and have the consumer choose between a standard car with max mpg and a bit more luxury features and lower mpg. It's also amazing that 40% thermal efficiency is considered good. We're still "wasting" 60% of the fuel to heat instead of motive force. The Gen 5 will need to focus on weight reduction and how to decrease the cost of those expensive materials (like carbon fibre and aluminium) so that they can be used strategically in conjunction with ultra high tensile steel.
     
  10. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    It hasn't even been confirmed if the Eco is for high fuel efficiency, or the cheap to buy base model yet.

    In terms of combustion engines, 60% thermal efficiency is the highest out there in a CCGT power plant. Which means we are talking about turbine engines at the 100 or ton(standard) range. Large ship engines may approach it. In both cases, the large mass of metal alone gives an efficiency bonus. Car engines have no such advantage, and can even lose heat too quickly in harsh winters.

    Fuel cells are also at that 60% range. For both, it is possible to to a 95% system efficiency by going cogeneration power and heating.
     
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  11. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    All that makes sense. What doesn't make sense if that the black car in Vegas had a Lithium pack, electronic driver's seat adjustments, and HUD. Also, I have a picture of a forward-looking camera from the back of the rear-view mirror. Other than the spare tyre, I'm not sure what it was missing in terms of features.
     
  12. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Wayne said that he thinks it's the top trim. I hope you guys don't take after the Canadian specs and have the top trim with the small wheels. It just looks odd. (Mine looks the same as a base model. You can't tell unless you spot the rear bumper protector or the nav screen).

    Toyota seems to have a mish mash of battery options and packages. Hopefully they'll clear things up soon. I guess after the Tokyo Motor Show?

    Edit: Saw this in a link posted by @usbseawolf2000 in the Staff Manual thread

    [Specs of New Prius] Lowest Grade Features Highest Fuel Efficiency (1) - Nikkei Technology Online

    Looks like Japan's "E" grade may be similar to our Eco trim level?
     
    #52 Tideland Prius, Sep 30, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2015