Tweaked Toyota Prius Gets 125 MPG

LexusAdmirer submitted on 05/31/2007 Official AutoSpies Timestamp: 9:51 AM
from: carscoop.blogspot.com

[49] user comments | category: Misc News

Tags: Toyota, Prius, 125 mpg, Lithium Iron Phosphate

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Toyota

Prius

125 mpg

Lithium Iron Phosphate

Tweaked Toyota Prius Gets 125 MPG

A retrofitted Toyota Prius, with plug-in capabilities that promises to deliver a whopping 125+ miles per gallon fuel efficiency Read Article

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Caddyman07 - 5/31/2007 10:46:06 AM

+1 Boost

Very impressive! Could this really be executed?

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Caddyman07 - 5/31/2007 11:19:46 AM

0 Boost

That is absolutely awesome!!! Way to go Toyota (again)!!!

SevorbeupstryIsBack - 5/31/2007 11:13:44 AM

+4 Boost

Impressive! But then again let's not forget the VW 1L, VW 3L and the Audi 2L.

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rg12345 - 5/31/2007 11:20:01 AM

0 Boost

Yeap, impressive mpg was already demonstrated by VW a while ago, with engines already on the streets.

kpaxx - 5/31/2007 11:25:38 AM

+4 Boost

SO we plug it in, the coal burning plants to generate the electricity pollute the environment and my electricity bill costs more than it requires me to refuel my car all the time.

What was the purpose of the prius again?

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enthusiastx11 - 5/31/2007 1:55:10 PM

-1 Boost

while the mileage is impressive, plug-in cars are not green.

in the US, the vast majority of electricity is generated by coal-fired plants. this car would work in places like france where the majority of electricity is nuclear generated.

budfrogS4 - 6/1/2007 3:41:54 AMView My AgentSpace

+1 Boost

Lexus, I'm sorry but please reread that article you posted (as well as everybody else that boosted your comment). Coal isn't the largest energy source consumed, petroleum is...but that includes powering cars, machinery, etc - not just for producing electricity. That fact's pretty obvious. However, coal is, by far, the largest energy source used to produce electricity (50% of all electricity is produced by coal according to that article). I'm not sure how many times I reread your comment to make sure I didn't misunderstand what you wrote. Now if you're talking Europe, the numbers are probably a lot different...much more nuclear. But you posted a US article.

I work for one of the largest engineering construction companies, and believe me, coal is booming right now. Virtually all of our power contracts are for coal-fired powerplants, and have been for the past 3 years. Natural gas is extremely expensive to burn and nobody wants nuclear in their backyard. I interned at a power production company a few years ago and we ran our gas plants only after our coal plants were running at full capacity.

Despite all of this, we have recently revived our nuclear power group. So do look for nuclear power to be a major player in the near future. Hopefully we can start educating people that nuclear is much safer than before (really it's always been pretty safe) and there have been many advances in nuclear plant technology.

TheSailor - 6/1/2007 6:32:48 PMView My AgentSpace

0 Boost

50% compared to other energy sources IS the vast majority... And while it is still cleaner than burning gasoline, it isn't that clean!

1995e34 - 5/31/2007 11:31:23 AM

+3 Boost

isn't it misleading claiming 125 mpg if you have to plug it in?

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1995e34 - 5/31/2007 1:10:20 PM

+2 Boost

right, those plug in electric vehicles therefore get infinite mpg. so then 125 mpg isn't a big deal.

TheSailor - 5/31/2007 11:34:50 AMView My AgentSpace

+4 Boost

Well... This is impressive... But aren't we forgetting that the energy used to charge the batteries comes from a power plant which, in most cases, also let out pollution. Also, this isn't a consistent 125 MPG, it is 125 MPG from the time you unplug it and until the energy in the batteries is drained... And how long will a Prius go on battery power alone?!

Also, nice work on the title: "Tweaked Toyota Prius"... That is definately an understatement! Completely new battery pack, plug in capabilities and reprogramming... Thats a major rebuild, not a "tweak"

BTW: LiFePO4 batteries have been rumored to be HUGELY more expensive to their NiMH and normal Li-ion counterparts...

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1995e34 - 5/31/2007 1:12:08 PM

-2 Boost

he has a trust fund, and sails yachts on the weekend.

TheSailor - 6/1/2007 6:04:32 AMView My AgentSpace

+4 Boost

LOL... I'm just a very boring person... :D

TheSailor - 6/1/2007 6:28:04 AMView My AgentSpace

+3 Boost

Since you asked:

http://www.simac.dk/side3_uk.php?p_id=111

I'm a marine engineer/deck officer (navigator)...
Then I've just acquired a CPL pilot license and I'm a self taught mechanic... And I've been in the military but only for four months before I got booted out because of a knee injury... So I guess you can say I've been pretty busy...

1995e34 - 6/1/2007 10:42:38 AM

+3 Boost

america needs more boring people. we should start importing them. i'm not joking.

huu76 - 5/31/2007 12:07:32 PM

+3 Boost

I read somewhere (can't remember if it was on here or in the paper) but there are compaines out there that already do this. For about $11,000 they'll replace the batteries and add a plug-in feature, however, this voids the warranty entirely.

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1970toyotamarc - 5/31/2007 12:10:13 PM

+3 Boost

Power from the grid is much cleaner than power from ICEs. First, most charging would be done at night, non-peak times. Second, many plants use clean(er) fuel sources, esp in areas where hybrids sell well, like CA.

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huu76 - 5/31/2007 12:11:18 PM

+4 Boost

RQ,
So why do the not sell them anymore? The battery they're using on this modification are nearly the same as what will be in the next Prius.

To answer my question, VW couldn't make any money on those 3 tin cans so they cheaped out and dropped it from the lineup. Heaven forbid the Germans would take a financial hit to make the world a better place.

Sailor,
I thought the same but my friend pointed out that powerplants run 24/7 and cannot retain any of the power, so excess capacity is wasted. You might as well use it if it's going to be created anyway. Saves you from having to use the gas motor to recharge the batteries.

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TheSailor - 6/1/2007 6:14:16 AMView My AgentSpace

+2 Boost

Well... They can not retain power, but most plants can just decrease the fuel consumption meaning that the boilers will produce less steam and the turbines won't produce as much power. But I think this is a way better solution than a regular hybrid (and a diesel car) since as someone pointed out, it is correct that electric power plants are way more energy efficient. They don't use cleaner fuel though... Far from it... Only natural gas (and I'm not even sure about natural gas don't work with that stuff but I guess it is cleaner), nuclear power and wind/water is cleaner, not coal/coke and petroleum fuel burners. And the energy is therefore cleaner as well... But it isn't truly a ZEV, you just move the pollution elsewhere... But I guess that is good since you don't pollute as much in the highly populated areas.

I just wanted to point out that though this is VERY impressive, it isn't the holy grail! Those batteries are still very very expensive...

huu76 - 6/3/2007 6:47:29 PM

+2 Boost

There's hydro electric dams, and nuclear plants (depending how you view them).

TheSailor - 6/3/2007 8:15:16 PMView My AgentSpace

0 Boost

There's hydro electric dams, and nuclear plants what? That are cleaner? Yes... But once again you didn't read my complete post... Or my use of parenthesis might have confused you... Because I mentioned them.

TheSailor - 6/3/2007 8:19:53 PMView My AgentSpace

0 Boost

BTW: You do know that marine engineers are also certified power plant technicians (at least we are in denmark) since we have our own power plants on ships (several different systems, including steam turbines powered by heat from exhaust gasses and direct engine drive)... So I'm quite aware of how a power plant works.

silent_power - 5/31/2007 12:19:32 PM

-1 Boost

A typical factory Toyota Prius has the potential of getting 125 mpg.

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TheSailor - 6/1/2007 9:56:12 AMView My AgentSpace

0 Boost

... on a flatbed!

Auto_expert - 5/31/2007 1:01:13 PM

+1 Boost

This is essentially an electric vehicle (95%?). They just put the little bit of gas in there to get a really high MPG figure. Now, someone else should do the same thing but make it 99% electric/1% gas to get a 500mpg figure.

Silly, right? They should just call it what it is, an electric vehicle (you have to plug it in). Like you can't say something is "organic" unless it is 70% or more organic, you shouldn't call it a hybrid when it's almost completely electric. Sounds like marketing (hybrid sounds better than electric).

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bagwell - 6/1/2007 2:28:34 PM

+1 Boost

no, its not electric...even with this better battery, the electric motor is only capable of moving the car up to about 25mph....after that its all ICE...see my comments below.

trd1 - 5/31/2007 5:34:17 PM

+2 Boost

thats crazy!!!

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bagwell - 6/1/2007 8:44:39 AM

+1 Boost

actually - no matter what kind of battery you stick in the Prius - if you drive 55mph, you will NOT get 125mpg...it will be running on the ICE only...so what good is spending $10K+ on a better battery? it can only power the car up to about 25mph, after that all the power is provided by the ICE...sure it will assist in acceleration, but it cannot run on the electric motor alone. Personally I sold my Prius and bought an Insight. I drive approx 27 miles to work at 65-70mph and get 71mpg (902 miles on my last tank of gas), the same run in the Prius would net about 47mpg.

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bagwell - 6/1/2007 10:45:18 AM

+2 Boost

I don't care if its bigger or smaller.....just looking for the best possible MPG for my daily commute (IS350 is my weekend fun car BTW).

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silent_power - 6/1/2007 2:43:14 PM

+1 Boost

A typical Prius can get 125 mpg considering you have a clue about how a Toyota Prius works.

Some facts. Firstly, Prius CANNOT run on ICE only, even if battery is depleted.

Speaking about prius economy, you should learn to use generator power, not battery power.

Ignorance was always substantial on prius case.

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bagwell - 6/1/2007 4:30:08 PM

-1 Boost

wtf are you talking about? do you own one? at cruising speed ONLY THE ICE is running - not in conjunction with the electric motor.

go to Priuschat and see who gets 125mpg. My best ever was 62mpg on a 25 mile run where speeds never went over about 50mph.

Why are they trying to con people into thinking you'll get an instant 125mpg??? oh yeah...to make money...dumb question I guess.

silent_power - 6/2/2007 4:27:35 AM

+3 Boost

Oh yeah? Have you ever heard of warp stealth mode?

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bagwell - 6/4/2007 8:43:05 AM

0 Boost

no Capt Kirk I haven't and that's not capable on a
T Y P I C A L Prius that someone hasn't farted with and voided the warranty.

silent_power - 6/2/2007 4:47:21 AM

+1 Boost

"at cruising speed ONLY THE ICE is running - not in conjunction with the electric motor."

Are you nuts? if electric motor would be "off" at speeds over 68 km/h then you could not move at all!

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Matthew1 - 6/3/2007 1:47:04 AM

+1 Boost

Yes you could -because the petrol motor would be moving the car...

silent_power - 6/4/2007 1:52:00 PM

0 Boost

It s obvious that you don' t know how a Toyota Prius works. The equivalent in a manual gearbox car would have been, ignorance about gearbox role! Which means that you ruin mpg, performance, everything... Prius ICE engine is too weak to be able to move Prius on its own(speeds over 68 upto 180 km/h... no way). Furthermore, if you see how it works, you ll realise that Toyota Prius is the closest to electric car, because electric motor is vital across all speed range.
Warp stealth mode is a Prius function (G spot) that if you learn you can run over 68 km/h without fuel (given the fact that 60 hp enough for coasting).

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bagwell - 6/4/2007 3:55:48 PM

+1 Boost

sorry dude....pulse-n-glide is the way to go....but I prefer to drive normal.

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