Prius rant

[human5]

I always wondered what a Prius would look like if it had a trailer attached to it. I'm sure a lot of you wonder too. Well, think no more, here it is.

I saw this last night. It was kinda funny to see but at the same time, pointless. I wonder how it acted on the road, I'm sure it was loaded up pretty decently seeing as they were parked in a whole sale stores parking lot.

 

[Jason]

I don't know. I think we should turn a 4x4 hybrid escape into a rock crawler. LOL

Perhaps. Look up the torque figures on those MG's (motor/generators). You will be very shocked.

 

[Roadkill]

Perhaps. Look up the torque figures on those MG's (motor/generators). You will be very shocked.

Very shocked indeed. Especially when you go wheeling up near me and hit one of the water obstacles.

 

[mhughes165]

Very shocked indeed. Especially when you go wheeling up near me and hit one of the water obstacles.

i hope he intends to be the one drivin it, ill just stay very far away

 

[Jason]

They are 100% sealed. But being the experts that you all are on the technology you knew that. Right?

 

[mhughes165]

i dont care if its a 100% sealed system, i will not drive anything that relies on a electric motor through water, it just doesnt make sense to me, if they were 100% safe they wouldnt need warning stickers all over the engine bay warning about the voltages in the vehicle.


take one of them espape hybrids and actually drive it through a watter crossing then, i dare u

 

[Roadkill]

Just make sure you let us know so we can get some good video.

Oh and BTW genius. Battery compartments HAVE to be vented and cannot be 100% sealed. They need to offgas at times, mostly due to large temperature swings.

 

[Jason]

Just make sure you let us know so we can get some good video.

Oh and BTW genius. Battery compartments HAVE to be vented and cannot be 100% sealed. They need to offgas at times, mostly due to large temperature swings.

The battery compartments are vented, and are in the cabin under the rear seat. NiMH batteries do not have to be vented themselves and that is what stores the energy. Thanks for the compliment. Simply put, a hybrid Escape is just as good as a regular v-6 Escape for water crossings and off-roading. Of course, the bar isn't set very high anyhow.

 

[Roadkill]

Actually NiMH batteries DO have to be vented. They, like NiCaD, have internal vents designed into them in order to help protect the battery itself.

 

[Will]

Why would that Prius not be able to pull a little trailer? It's got about the same type drive train a locomotive does. It makes 295ft# from 0-1200rpm. How much torque does a 7.3 powerstroke make at ZERO rpm? It has a 13.5-1 compression 1.5 liter gas motor and can combine the gas and electric for 110hp with the gas motor able to produce 76hp on it's own (an early Ford Escort had a 68hp engine). That's about the power of an early Ranger isn't it? And a lot more torque. I'm sure it would shred it's drivetrain if they didn't control the motor output. That's a hell of an electric motor in there.

And it's in it's 11th year of production. Why are we hacking on it now?

 

[Roadkill]

Hmm, my 7.3 Powerstroke at 0 rpm is pretty much squat. Mind you it gets great fuel mileage at that rate as well. LOL

The hybrids should be able to tow about as much as their gas counterparts. The sub frames under the rear are most likely pretty much identical. The electric motors will get the trailers moving easy enough, once the gas kicks in and the electrics have to shut down then they may have some issues. All in all, I for one hope that the US market automakers get their heads out of their asses and start building diesel hybrids. More torque and cleaner emissions in an even smaller motor with even better mileage rates. Maybe I'll have to make my own somehow.

 

[Greenpig4#4]

When i had my 2500 i always wanted to throw one in the bed and take it home just to beat on..... I know there are a lot of special precautions that firefighters have to take with them things when the catch fire. our local had to buy some pretty expensive sh*t and take some classes about the eletric cars.

 

[Jason]

Actually NiMH batteries DO have to be vented. They, like NiCaD, have internal vents designed into them in order to help protect the battery itself.

Please report this to the engineers at Toyota. The Prius' individual battery cells are not vented. I am amazed they haven't started on fire yet. (I work at a Toyota dealer and have seen many of these, not one failure though)

As far as a hybrids ability to pull a trailer. The electric motors don't stop when the gas comes in, they work together. Plus, and this is an exaggeration to make the point, but the heaviest pullers on Earth are a type of hybrid.
http://www.getransportation.com/na/en/ac4400.html
http://www.getransportation.com/na/en/hybrid.html
http://www.getransportation.com/na/en/dash9.html

ALL HYBRID'S!!

I am not trying to be a ball-buster but why is it that people always talk about hybrids with such disgust when they do not understand the technology or it's purpose? The idea is not solely fuel savings. It is not solely to be "green". A good part of it is getting more performance from less fuel. A Highlander Hybrid for example performs like a V-8 as far as power goes, but gets good mileage. If you take all these things together, that is the purpose of the hybrid.
In the example above, how much diesel would be burned in trucks to move the same weight over the same distance as that locomotive?

 

[lifeissomething]

When i had my 2500 i always wanted to throw one in the bed and take it home just to beat on..... I know there are a lot of special precautions that firefighters have to take with them things when the catch fire. our local had to buy some pretty expensive sh*t and take some classes about the eletric cars.

Yeah, that class is basically: "Watch for that 500 volt yellow cable."

 

[mhughes165]

u may feel 100% safe about talking about driving a hybrid into a water crossing, but if u are then u my friend are the only person on the planet with that line of thought, would a hybrid perhaps make a good rock crawler, ya, but mud would kill it in a hurry