[Fot] mileage plus

[Bill Babcock]

We all understood I suspect. Big debate on the batteries in the hybrid  
sites. Dealers charge about $8K to replace a pack and generally trash  
them. The packs can be disassembled and individually cell tested. It's  
usually NOT a bad battery but corroded connectors. Some folks have  
them last 150K miles or more, some barely make 50K. In a car that  
supposed to be a daily commuter that's pretty unacceptable.

Plug-in hybrids will get even more interesting. They have a range of  
about 25 miles before the motor has to run. For most commutes that's  
pretty good, even if you don't have a place to charge them at work.  
Seems like a solar panel on the roof could deliver a decent float  
charge even unplugged. Give the usual duty cycle of a car (1 hour in  
the morning, idle all day, 1 hour at night) it should be useful. We'll  
see. Cars are going to get pretty interesting. I'm considering (in a  
lightweight, goofy fashion) building my TR3 street car as a hybrid.

On Jun 6, 2008, at 11:37 AM, Shane Ingate wrote:

> A blathering idiot (me) wrote:
>
>> I heard on NPR just the other day that the resource
>> cost of producing a Toyota Prius is LESS than
>> building a Tahoe.
>
> Sorry.  That is incorrect.  The statement should read:
>
> ..the resource cost of producing a Toyota Prius is MORE
> than building a Tahoe.
> Shane Ingate, better off asleep, in NM.
>
>
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Bill Babcock
Babcock & Jenkins
Billb at bnj.com
503.936.7660
www.bnj.com