Future...

BMW did the same with the English speaking buyers. The existing 60Ahr battery has been replaced by a similar weight, identical size, 96Ahr battery. But the only upgrade path is in the EU and does not include the UK. North America is not on the list.

Bob Wilson

 

You will probably have to do it via vehicle replacement.

That's the way of high tech.

They will probably have new features (safety, piloting, ...) that nobody even knows about today.

I'm confidant that my prime will retain a good amount of value when it's ready to trade, but I bought it new, so it will never really make any monetary sense. The way of high tech.

jp

 

yep, you're not getting squat from toyota. pony up for a new car, or get stuck in the past with a pip, like me.

 

Toyota has been extremely helpful re: Hybrid battery in-kind replacements in the USA.
I don't think they have turned down a single replacement (under warranty) for user abuse reasons.
And they have been quite helpful for those close but over warranty and beyond.

I find it hard to criticize Toyota for hypothetical lack of good faith for a hypothetical wishful thinking situation that I do not really expect to happen.

Toyota is not even marketing a limited range EV. A PHEV that gets a little less range is not really a bad situation. Lease is available for those thinking PHEV is a disposable vehicle (which contradicts the thought that Plug_ins are better for the environment).

 

There's about 0.000000000000001% chance this happens.

 

so.....there is a chance

 

The only company that has been able to make good on the battery upgrade is Tesla. Since battery technology has been improving much slower than the attrition rate of vehicles in my family, this upgrade option is not a priority to me.

In other words, I'm unlikely to replace the batteries on a 2011 Leaf for ~$5000 + labor for a 24 kWh battery + the unknown delta for 30 kWh battery when the existing car is nearly 7 years old. It makes more sense to move into a newer vehicle with more technology and safety equipment.

I liken the battery upgrade to a smartphone. Apple will happily replace the battery for your iPhone but don't expect more capacity.

 

Upgrading the traction pack really isn't as simple as assembling the battery and updating the software on a car. The new chemistry could require better cooling, or the different weight change the car's handling and behavior in a crash. For most car companies, the cost simply isn't worth it.

 

Yes, why not? Changing batteries is like switching lego pieces. Really easy.

 

A common quote from a rocketry forum I follow: "Rockets are not Legos". Neither are cars (for the most part), they are integrated systems.

 

there should be a vin database with the info, but i don't know.

 

Replace this Lego motor

with this one

on a Lego car.

 

I still have that first pictured LEGO motorized set!

 

In the US, the Yaris automatic only has 4 speeds, while everybody else has at least 6 or a CVT. This lets them squeeze the last penny out of the 4 speed factory tooling. Still using NiMH in the Prius and other hybrids is mostly for the same reason.

Toyota still supports hydrogen fuel cells. For Japan, they are converting Australian coal into hydrogen, and shipping to home, because that is cheap, and looks good for Japan's carbon emission balance.

Toyota puts more stock in their bottom line than the environment, like most other corporations. The Prius is a great car, but without Japan being resource poor and its government pushing for lower emission vehicles, the car may not have happened.

 

Only car company doing an upgrade is Tesla for the original Roadster.
No other car company is going to do it in the foreseeable future for the same reason they don't offer to upgrade the engine or transmission; there isn't as much money in it as selling a new car, nor will many people be willing to pay for it on an old car.

I'd say Toyota isn't doing it for perception, but like other companies, finances are a strong driver. This isn't bad, because saving money is the strongest drive for switching to more efficient means.

 

Meh, the future is overrated.