The hybrid ticking time bomb

[JSH]

Originally Posted by Isaac Zachary

To me crossovers have too much roof height. Not that head room is a bad thing, but the greater the crossectional area and the boxier the shape the worse the aerodynamic drag. And a crossover seems to be going for both boxier and a bigger crossection.

I'd prefer cars to be built a bit shorter and longer. It just makes more sense in my head.

I agree - that is why I said I like the VW Alltrack. It was the body of the Jetta wagon I owned with a 1 inch suspension lift and AWD.

But wagons are basically gone from the US market - I can't think of a gas powered one that sells for less than $60K. The electric Kia EV6 is nice though.

[Isaac Zachary]

I would like to say one more thing about the hybrid ticking time bomb. While buying old cars is not the norm in the USA, in other countries it is. In Central and South America used cars have held their value just like how it is right now in the USA. Down there it doesn't make sense to buy a 3 to 5 year old car as you can get the same car brand new and still under warranty for practically the same price. So if you want a car, you get one either brand new or one that's 10 or 15 years old or older with a ton of miles on it.

Of course on the other hand the culture is different down there in that personal transportation rarely is as necessary as it is in the USA. So a person can have a 15-year-old car with 200,000 miles on it that cost them some $5,000 USA and if it breaks down that person just takes the bus.

[Nathan jones]

I found another supplier with cells of a discharge cycle better than original. They are sketchy about selling on the open western market. I dare say forces are at work preventing people from having reliable old cars. We have choice, but the options are being 'presented'

That's not the same thing

[Nathan jones]

We will win, the environment will be helped and people will somehow find a way. It's what we do best

Incidentally making a battery from many aa ni mh would not be too difficult. Or those rc packs. It's DC though so make sure the cables are thick

[Ecky]

Originally Posted by Nathan jones

We will win, the environment will be helped and people will somehow find a way. It's what we do best

Incidentally making a battery from many aa ni mh would not be too difficult. Or those rc packs. It's DC though so make sure the cables are thick

To my understanding, the original cells intentionally sacrificed capacity and some of their charge and discharge characteristics, in order to improve longevity. At least with Insight cells, those cells that promise improvements, tend not to last more than a few years.

[S Keith]

Originally Posted by Nathan jones

We will win, the environment will be helped and people will somehow find a way. It's what we do best

Incidentally making a battery from many aa ni mh would not be too difficult. Or those rc packs. It's DC though so make sure the cables are thick

Very wrong. "AA" NiMH internal resistances are about 50X higher than the NiMH used in HEV packs.

[S Keith]

Originally Posted by Nathan jones

I found another supplier with cells of a discharge cycle better than original. They are sketchy about selling on the open western market. I dare say forces are at work preventing people from having reliable old cars. We have choice, but the options are being 'presented'

That's not the same thing

Sorry. This is a lie. Not on your part, but by the "supplier."

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by S Keith

Very wrong. "AA" NiMH internal resistances are about 50X higher than the NiMH used in HEV packs.

Very true. I can't seem to find a NiMH cell out there that performs as well as, say, a Prius cell. Even cells with much more capacity never seem to have the low resistance necessary to replace the OEM cells.

[Isaac Zachary]

Originally Posted by Nathan jones

I found another supplier with cells of a discharge cycle better than original. They are sketchy about selling on the open western market. I dare say forces are at work preventing people from having reliable old cars. We have choice, but the options are being 'presented'

That's not the same thing

I think the only non-OEM choices I would go with are NewPriusBatteries or Nexcell (aka Project Lithium). The NewPriusBatteries seem to work, but are cylindrical, so cooling becomes questionable. The Nexcell batteries are LiFePO4 batteries that seem to work so far from what those who are using them are saying, but probably wouldn't survive a place as cold as where I live. The benefit of the Nexcell batteries is you get about 3 times the EV capacity for half the weight.

Edit: None of these options are substantially cheaper than OEM batteries, and are actualy probably more once you factor in shipping. However, I guess there could be an economic benefit by selling your old battery or the individual modules.

[redpoint5]

I have no experience with EV batteries, but I do know replacing a crappy Roomba NiMH that can't last even a year, with a lithium ion one for about the same price is well worth it. Who knows how long that battery will last because I haven't worn one out in a decade.