No More Dead Hybrids
Hybrid owners make some personal sacrifices to save on gas and protect mama earth. As automakers work out hybrid bugs, the cars get better and better. Unfortunately one of the most annoying bugs is leaving hybrid drivers, especially Prius owners, standing in parking lots with their fists in the air thanks to dead starter batteries. The Prius may have some very large on board battery cells, but it relies on a small starter battery to get things going. The large amount of electronic monitoring the Prius continually performs on itself is enough to drain this smaller battery if the car sits for more than a few days without being used. This means leaving your car at the airport for a week long jaunt will reward your return with a silent engine.
Like many complicated problems, this one has a simple solution. If your car can't suck the juice out of your battery, it'll be full when you push the GO button. This is accomplished through the implementation of a simple battery switch. These switches have been commonplace for years among race car owners who needed an emergency power cutoff. They are simple to install and won't harm your vehicle's electronics. And they're inexpensive. Who says you can't find cheap insurance?
Comments
I have a 2002 Prius. I have a power steering problem, is it neccessary to
take it to a Toyota dealership, can I
take it to a normal repair shop?
Hi Your post have make me something a idea.Thank a lot.
With respect to Hybrid cars, cars that switch between pure battery power at low speeds, typically below 30mph, and use an internal combustion engine for speeds above 30mph, are missing a much better method of applying hybrid methods. For example, in the case of diesel electric railway locomotives, the diesel engine is running at an optimum speed for maximum efficiency. Instead of driving the wheels, it powers an electrical generator. The output from this generator then powers electric motors that do drive the wheels. In the UK, the same method has been used with a converted BMW Mini Car. The original engine was removed, and replaced with a 250cc engine. This drives an electrical generator, where this charges a battery and provides power to four 160hp electric motors, one for each wheel. This means that the engine is never used to drive the wheels, and is always running at the optimum speed for maximum efficiency.
The advantages include an acceleration rate of 0 to 60 mph in just over 4 seconds, 150 mph top speed, and 100 miles per gallon of petrol.
Unlike existing hybrid cars, the standard electric car battery is still used to start the engine, and is not constantly discharging when the car is not being used. This leaves the main Lithium Ion battery to power the car.
I don’t beieve the story about four 160 HP electric motors in one auto. Maybe four 60 HP.
There is a switch near the steering column labeled “key” that kills the power to the computer. Books says to use whenever the Prius won’t be driven for 10 days or more. I’ve left mine in excess of 2 weeks and it still easily starts. The 12VDC battery just runs the control systems, the 200+VDC battery does the starting and moving.