Featured Threads Archive

Per Forbes:

Toyota will be offering the next generation Prius as a hybrid hydrogen electric vehicle, battery electric for short trips such as commuting with a hydrogen fuel cell (presumably?) for longer trips. It appears this will be in addition to the next generation of the gasoline-electric hybrid system.

The Corolla will be offered with the option of a more powerful turbocharged gasoline engine or, in 2023, a hydrogen internal combustion engine in an unknown configuration.

Radically New Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology to Transform Aviation, Backed by USAF - autoevolution

"This innovative fuel cell system was proven to deliver up to 2,000 watts per kilogram of specific power (three times more than liquid-cooled hydrogen), and an energy density of up to 1,500 watt-hours per kilogram, for a major increase in range."

That's about the same power density (specific power) as the best high-energy batteries and at least 6 times the energy density (specific energy). Very impressive if true.

The UK has held its first ever EV-only track day | Top Gear

I know we have a Lucid Air Official Thread but I thought I'd give it some exposure first before moving the comments into the other thread.

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First VW ID.4 electric car made at Chattanooga; mass production...

Spoiler: HEV's show lowest TCO

Latest DOE study conducted by Argonne Labs: https://publications.anl.gov/anlpubs/2021/05/167399.pdf

Summation (bold mine): "Comparing across powertrains, the HEV is the vehicle powertrain with the lowest cost of ownership over a 15-year span, at 44.6¢/mile. The ICE-SI, ICE-CI, FCEV, and PHEV50 all have costs around 48¢/mile. The BEV300 has the highest cost, at 51.8¢/mile, though the shorter-range BEV200 (not pictured) has a cost of 45.3¢/mile. The comparatively high costs for BEV300 come from assumed battery costs of $170/kWh in 2025 in the Autonomie model (Islam et al. 2020), though BEV would reach cost parity with HEV at a cost of $102/kWh. For all powertrains, the vehicle cost is the single most expensive cost over the 15-year analysis window. Maintenance and repair taken together is the second most expensive for all powertrain types except FCEV. For petroleum-fueled...

It looks like people earning over $100,000 or buying EVs priced over $40,000 will no longer be able to claim the EV tax credit.

US senate passes nonbinding amendment to limit EV tax credits

A cement factory in Switzerland is now using the world's largest EV to haul rocks.

The particulars of the operation mean that the rock and lime need to be hauled down a hill for processing, so they never need to charge the truck. It climbs back up the hill empty using energy drawn from regeneration on the way down.

Now, it is still a cement factory, and they are notorious for CO2 production so I suppose this is like going through your nuclear bomb collection and proudly stating that no child labor was used to produce it.

But it's still kind of neat that they built a giant EV that doesn't need to be plugged in.

I figure they're waiting till battery technology and miniaturization are good enough to stick 15 to 20 KW/HR batteries under the back seat.

A very interesting article, excerpted from an upcoming book, discussing the change from horses to cars (including electric) in the 1890s up to and including the current discussion about the future.

The lost history of the electric car – and what it tells us about the future of transport | Motoring | The Guardian

Those of us who follow Toyota, the maker of Prius, are wondering if they might have a different point of view after President Biden's speech.

Source: Biden, in a Push to Phase Out Gas Cars, Tightens Pollution Rules - The New York Times


Toyota discontinued the Avalon made in Georgetown KY. What will they build there next?

Bob Wilson

5th Gen Toyota Prius: Set For 2023 Debut | Torque News

Cliff Notes: Sportier exterior (whatever that means, we’re talking Toyota here)
Retains the 1.8L
May have more of a Sedan look than the Liftback look
Will have “Big Improvements” to fuel efficiency
Lots of generalized statements. Sounds like they visited a spiritual advisor or psychic.


iPad ? Pro

Toyota is quietly pushing Congress to slow the shift to electric vehicles - The Verge
"According to The New York Times, a top Toyota executive has met with congressional leaders behind closed doors in recent weeks to advocate against the Biden administration’s plans to spend billions of dollars to incentivize the shift to EVs. The executive, Chris Reynolds, has argued that hybrids, like the Toyota Prius, as well as hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles should also be in the mix.
Toyota is lagging behind the rest of industry in making that transition

In addition, Toyota is also pushing back against EV-friendly policy through the auto industry’s main DC-based lobbying group, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation. The group, which...

Hi guys, new here

i'm having hard time making a decision.

i have 2016 Jeep wrangler unlimited automatic. That thing is a beast and drink gas like crazy. The jeep is almost fully paid. 3 more months and i'll be done with the payments. In 3 months, no more car payments…

However, my jeep is getting old, it's a 2016 and we are in 2021. It has (110k km / 70k miles) already. No issue but it will approach certain repairs . Sparkplugs ($400) change and brakes ($800) , and most 6 years old jeeps i've seen had camshaft ($2500+) and heater core issues ($900) .My jeep is a willys edition and it doesn,t have any of the issue i mentionned but it will eventually and maybe sooner than i think.. and because i have a willys ed it will eventually need a new limited slip drive ($1000+)

i expect to spend atleast $5000 in repair in the next 3 years on the jeep if i keep it.

i don't use the jeep much, i have an older cars to do my errands.

i also keep changing jobs all the time. So my income...

Why do I feel as if there’s an organized effort to kill the Prius?

The hit jobs keep coming. It’s much easier to sell when you remove the competition amid an electrical con job on the masses.

Prius is so much better than any electric, plug-in or other hybrid vehicle. I can get well over 600 miles with my Prius. (My record is almost 670 miles. I could’ve probably stretched it to 700 miles, twice the mileage of any electric car.)

The Prius gets high MPG gas mileage, can run on all-electric for a few miles and the battery is self-charging (A major convenience.) You don’t need charging stations. And now there’s an AWD option.

Many people will make an argument based on the environment. Charging stations, however, require electricity. Renewables currently account for 20 percent of electricity generation in the United, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Coal and nuclear power are 39 percent. Natural gas is 40 percent. Petroleum is one percent.

Unfortunately, solar power...

Toyota to Launch All-New Aqua | Toyota | Global Newsroom | Toyota Motor Corporation Official Global Website

The world named Prius C (as known in the US) has a better 1.5L engine and a new bipolar NiH2 battery. Unusual to call it Nickel Hydrogen and not NiMH. Makes me think it’s actually using gaseous hydrogen like the NiH2 batteries I worked on in the 90’s. The brunt of the story is they can make a Bipolar Nickel Hydrogen battery in a smaller denser space as well as lower the internal resistance (read: less heat generation while charging and especially discharging) than the current NiMH battery. Maybe the current hybrids using Nickel based batteries have some life left in them.

Just wondering if Toyota has started calling all their NiMH batteries Nickel Hydrogen? Or is this a plan to test using bipolar design for their eventual solid state batteries to get more current out of them?


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