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The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry

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Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry

#161

Post by hedgehog »

bloudermilk wrote: post #96
dtgriscom wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not a challenge, but a plea: where's your source(s) for this? I'm about where you were, but would love to know more about the internals so I can make an informed choice when my current (ICE) car dies.

This video is my favorite on the topic: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O61WihMRdjM&pp=ygUKV2ViZXIgcmF...

That's really good, I watched one of their older videos to understand what I was getting into before I bought a Toyota a few years back. For those reading, the video is from Weber State University, they have a series of hourish long detailed videos on various automotive components including different versions of the Toyota electric transaxle and rear electric drive unit (mechanically separate but present in the AWD vehicles).

My takeaway was the same as some of the other posters here, the system is an engineering tour de force. Simpler than the gas version, proven reliability, and efficiency not too far off the theoretical limit of gas-burning drive trains.

Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry

#162

Post by Tade0 »

dkarl wrote: post #116
Tade0 wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For the reason you stated in the last paragraph I eventually opted against getting a Hyundai Ioniq in favour of a Toyota. The Hyundai felt like driving a regular automatic, so it would occasionally lunge awkwardly and spin the engine in situations where Toyotas switch to EV mode. Sure it had better fuel economy, but I can't stand having a car not react immediately to my input or make noise when it shouldn't.

> I can't stand having a car not react immediately to my input I'm spoiled from years of Priuses now, and driving gas cars, even fancy and expensive ones, feels bizarrely primitive. The lag between the pedal and the response, and the complex relationship between the input and the response, feels antiquated and arcane.

A while ago I rented a regular car and what bugged me was all the additional vibration associated with parts grinding and rolling against each other.

Also at least once I almost went "woah, horsie" as the car lunged forward because I tapped the accelerator a moment after it shifted to a lower gear without me noticing.

It used to be even worse. I had an opportunity to drive a 2005 BMW 7 series in a city where the speed limit was 30km/h. Unfortunately the gearbox was from a time way before traffic calming etc. went mainstream, so it couldn't decide which gear to pick. I ended up switching to manual gear selection mode.

Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry

#163

Post by ariwilson »

silverlake wrote: post #75
gcanyon wrote: post #19

The new Prius is really good-looking (to my eye at least), especially in person: I don't think the photos (I've seen) do it justice. Fun comparisons to the car Burt Reynolds drove in Smokey and the Bandit: Compared to the 1977 Pontiac Trans Am: - The Prius is as fast 0-60 (~7 seconds) - The Prius has nearly the same top speed (~115 mph) - The Prius is 4x(!) as fuel-efficient (57mpg vs. 12-16mpg) - The Prius has all t…

The new Prius looks good, but I love my old Prius’s spacious hatchback. With the backseat down we can stick 3 giant dogs back there. I don’t know if there’s a hybrid with similar internal space.

RAV4

Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry

#165

Post by jval43 »

bloudermilk wrote: post #96
dtgriscom wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not a challenge, but a plea: where's your source(s) for this? I'm about where you were, but would love to know more about the internals so I can make an informed choice when my current (ICE) car dies.

This video is my favorite on the topic: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O61WihMRdjM&pp=ygUKV2ViZXIgcmF...

That video is what made me get a Toyota hybrid.

Seeing how simple the whole mechanism is, I totally get why the empirical reliability is so good.

Not to mention that the lecturer shows and explains things very clearly.

Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry

#166

Post by bityard »

frosted-flakes wrote: post #113
lwhsiao wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Naive question: aren't belts lower maintenance than chains, and don't let last longer? Why doesn't a engine with a chain drive require equal or more replacements?

Unlike most bicycle chains, timung chains are permanently lubricated with filtered oil. Belts are not.

Ford and a few other makers have been using oil-immersed timing belts lately. They quite reliably fail after the car's warranty is up but well before the rest of the car is junk.

Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry

#167

Post by _yb2s »

jgilias wrote: post #36

I sometimes chuckle that most of the cool Lexuses are now Priuses under the hood! But that’s a good thing. I own a Toyota Corolla hybrid myself, and hybrids are one of those things that I can say I’ve completely changed my mind about. I used to dislike the idea of hybrids, because I assumed that the overall system complexity must be higher than either an ICE, or an EV. And I’m a sucker for simple systems, so I though…

The Prius system is an excellent design, but as someone that loves driving, it just feels and drives awful- little tactile or audible feedback on any of the controls, and really unresponsive to inputs- arguably dangerously so. My regular daily driver is an old Porsche Boxster, and by comparison the Prius feels like I’m driving a dishwasher or playing a cheap arcade game- it will get you there reliably but it’s just not any fun. Life is too short for me not to enjoy the time I have to spend driving. My sister has an Audi A3 e-tron hybrid (basically an upscale VW Golf) that is extremely fun to drive, but also a very complex drivetrain and engine.

I think a pure EV with a small range extender not connected to the drivetrain mechanically- like the BMW i3 REX is the way to go. It’s even simpler and lighter than the Prius system, allowing for a much larger battery and more powerful electric motor.

Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry

#168

Post by Lammy »

timbit42 wrote: post #160
Aurornis wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> - Terrible in snow and ice I don’t know what gave you that idea, unless this is a complaint about FWD vs AWD. They do fine around here in snow and ice. Snow and ice performance is primarily (by a wide margin) about the tires. Next is the diffs and/or traction control for keeping both wheels moving when one starts slipping. A Prius on snow tires does about as well as any other common FWD car.

I expect they are referring to the traction control system. On ice, it's really hard to get started moving when it's constantly kicking in. If you're trying to get across one or more lanes of traffic to turn left (driving on right), then you can be in danger of getting hit unless you leave a lot more time to get across.

There's a hidden procedure to disable it. I keep it saved in a note in my phone and have needed to use it one (1) time ever.

- Press Start button twice.

- Push accelerator to the floor twice.

- Push and hold brake pedal and shift into Neutral then release brake pedal.

- Push accelerator to the floor twice.

- Push and hold brake pedal and shift into Park then release brake pedal.

- Push accelerator to the floor twice.

- Start car.

You should see the Traction Control warning light stay on to signal it’s deactivated. It will automatically reactivate when the car is restarted.

Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry

#169

Post by bityard »

timbit42 wrote: post #153
philwelch wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to drive a Prius until the hybrid battery system died, and the quote to replace it was a significant fraction of the value of the entire vehicle. I’ve driven ICE ever since. My goal is usually to drive my vehicle all the way into the ground, and I guess that’s what happened to my Prius except it happened around if not before 150,000 miles.

When my Prius's hybrid battery died, I swapped out the two bad cells (out of 28) for good ones. Cost of parts and labour: $300.

How long did that last?

I have a Prius that's at 100k right now. Repairing the battery is within my abilities but I'm concerned that if one or two cells fail, more will be right behind it.

Re: The Toyota Prius transformed the auto industry

#170

Post by bityard »

timbit42 wrote: post #157
silverlake wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The new Prius looks good, but I love my old Prius’s spacious hatchback. With the backseat down we can stick 3 giant dogs back there. I don’t know if there’s a hybrid with similar internal space.

I got my 65" TV in the back of mine, although it was a tight fit.

I fit a fully assembled entertainment center in mine. Only an inch or two to spare in every dimension but it fit!
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