Smart people buy Priuses

Look at the battery as no more than 166 D cells, because that's in the end what it is (they're even replaceable in packs of 6 or 8, I think). Does the thought of these frighten you? There's 6 of them in every ghetto blaster.

There's no drive chains, and the power split device is a bunch of gears in constant mesh. Old technology, never breaks. The engine is just an engine, and the traction motors are just plain old electric motors that live a hundred years.

I would still expect the battery to keep up over 300000 - there's a bunch of Priuses around that age really, really well. And 4000 in repairs already buys a handful of shiny new parts for a Prius.

PSD has what... 5 cogs, in constant mesh?

So, would you buy a conventional car today, understood it's aged technology past its prime?

cu .\\arc

You miss the point, little one. (The point being that the acclaimed fuel efficiency of the Prius was reached decades ago using more conventional technology. The shortcomings of those early diesels have been overcome at this point in time.)

Hybrids make no sense.

In the case of the batteries, all batteries have a limited lifetime.

If the Prius is using some exotic type of battery, such as the Ford sodium-sulphur battery, it is difficult to estimate how long that lifetime will be. However, if it uses a type of battery that is used commercially in other devices (such as lithium-ion), we can have an idea of the useful battery life. (How long does the battery in your cell phone last before it loses significant capacity?)

Because it's a tin can with a complex, unconventional Rube Goldberg drivetrain and thousands of dollars worth of batteries ready to crater?

It is certainly possible to drive vehicles with conventional drivetrains over 300,000 miles, if you maintain them properly it is the most economical way to drive.

Technology that has proven itself to be extremely reliable for decades. Gearboxes of this type can easily last 50 years or more.

You misspelled "left-wing idiots."

How much energy was used, raw material used, and waste produced in the manufacture of your "eco conscious" Prius, little one?

ROTFL! What are you, like 12 years old? You must be very young and stoopid, little one. Conventional technology is well-proven and *in* its prime, little one. ("New" and "improved" are not necessarily the same thing.)

Roger, if this is to be the level of our discussion, I wouldn't care at all if you added me to your kill file.

cu .\\arc

Apart from heat, everything has a limited lifetime. Prius battery life time is proven to cover the expected usage of the car.

Currently you may be borderline right. But depending on the place of the world you're in and the evolution of gas prices, you'll be wrong in the near future.

Plus, economy is but one reason to go there.

Quite a bit less than on a comparable diesel car, and it's nicely recyclable, too.

cu .\\arc

Marc, the wonderful thing is I don't have to give a rat's ass what you "think." If you are under the age of 40 or so you have no opinion.

LOL! "Proven" by who? Unless of course the cars are already going to the junkyard having reached their expected usage. (Even I didn't believe it would be happening quite that fast.)

I am 100% right. I have done it. (In fact I have been driving the same car for over 30 years.) Many others that I know have done it as well. Cars do not have to be a disposable item.

Oh, so now you have a crystal ball? (If gas prices triple or more, I'll still be hanging onto my gas burner and loving it.)

I see no reasons to go there. Hybrids simply make no sense, particularly for a long-term vehicle.

Riiiigght. And if you close your eyes, Tinkerbell will live.

Of course you once again miss the point. Given the large amount of waste and energy usage in the production of any new car, the "eco concsious" thing to do is to keep your old one on the road.

You really should take your comedy act on the road, little one, you're a laugh riot.

Prius production started in 1997, so the oldest ones on the road are about 10 years, and a bunch passed 200000 miles. They hold up well, and battery performance over this span has decreased an average of 2%. So they're clearly in the green.

The bits different than a normal car are mostly copper 'n stuff for the traction motors and the NiMH battery. Recycling for these bits is known.

With an average life span of 250000 miles on a modern car, manufacturing energy usage is about 30% of the entire energy usage, while 'consumption' (gas, oil, etc) makes up for about 70%.

cu .\\arc

Unconventional yes, but definitely not Rube Goldberg, nor complex.

Spoken like a true right wingnut.

No more than in the production of conventional cars, ignorant one.

Thanks for demonstrating that you right-wing fringe nuts don't bother to think, but merely parrot the party line.

That's because you don't give a shit about the planet or about people.

They make sense to people who give a shit and who bother to think.

I'm sure you know all about having your eyes closed. Try opening yours for a change.

You're anything but a laugh; you're pathetic.

Not nearly as stupid as you, boy. If he acts 12, you must be 8.

Haven't you noticed that the more ignorant, bombastic, and dogmatic one is, the sooner they resort to that level of discussion. I expect that he hasn't reached bottom yet.

Of course you don't care what others think, seeing as how you don't think yourself, boy.

I still find myself holding my breath and pass as soon as I can if I'm following a diesel. They still burn my nostrils. And talk about a freakin' racket when stopped next to one.

I wouldn't go as far as saying smart people and buying Prius in one breath. But I will say that the owners I've spoke to aren't as emotionally distraught; not constantly assurring themselves their car can leap forward fast, or growl as they pass another car. We've all owned sportier cars and learned our lesson. It don't mean much to anybody but ourselves. As with most legends, it's all in one's head and car commercials. O, btw, when you drive green, your shit really doesn't stink.

Mark_

Or in the bank drive through, when you have to have your window open.

- Piper

Typical "open-minded" liberal. Anyone who doesn't agree with the DNC is a "wingnut." Presumably if you dimbulbs get back into power you'll introduce Soviet-style insane asylums in which to place the refuseniks.

The point being that if you keep your current vehicle rather than have a new one built, you are saving "the environment" from quite a bit of waste and energy use.

LOL! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black! You libs are at least good for a laugh!

Ten years is nothing. How will they be doing at the 15-year mark? The

20-year mark? A conventional 20-year old car in good condition still has utility and economic value. A 20-year-old hybrid with a dead battery pack will most likely wind up rusting away in the junkyard.

So what? Conventional cars are also recycled, if one happens to be interested in recycling. (I am not.)

I expect you are not including the mining and refining of raw materials, etc., and energy is not the only factor due the the amount of waste produced that must be dealt with. However, I only point that out as a data point that people who think that they are somehow "making a difference" by buying a shiny new hybrid are fooling themselves. (I personally am not concerned about energy usage or "saving the planet." My daily driver of choice gets a whopping 15 miles per gallon and I'm perfectly happy with that.)