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The FD had to actually cut into the car while it was on fire, in order to suppress the burning batteries, using special chemicals. Water was of no use. Had an occupant been trapped in there, putting out the fire would have taken a long, long, time.
There is in fact an investigation going on, to be completed in 2014, to determine the dangers of lithium-ion batteries as a potentially serious fire hazard due to overcharging, faulty manufacture or collision.
Apparently the nickel-metal hydride batteries used in most hybrid electric cars (non plug-in) are not as susceptible to fire and explosion.
That may be a major reason why Toyota stays with nickel based batteries (as far as I know) for the Prius. They also happen to be cheaper, but that's probably of lesser importance, considering the financial damage, and damage to the brand, that fires could cause.
We get NiMH, which are pretty harmless, you could bury them with soil to make a raised bed garden and grow fruit right on top of them.
The Prius V in the US uses a bigger battery pack and loses the 3rd row option. In Europe it offers a 3rd row, allowed by the smaller Li-ion pack.
Here we have more lawyers than sense, I imagine that's Toyota's thinking.
If you think about it, though, a lead-acid battery is far more harmful than either. You have a li-ion battery in your phone, in your pocket.
You shouldn't get near a lead-acid battery without gloves and eye protection.
Toyota’s 2015 model fuel cell car will have more than 500 kilometers (311 miles) of range per fueling, according to the company, a level matched only by Tesla’s $70,000 Model S among alternative-powered vehicles. Pricing hasn’t been announced, although U.S. Toyota executives have previously said it may cost about $50,000."
Toyota shows hydrogen prototype in race toward fuel cells (Detroit News)
I don't think gasoline cars are going away anytime soon, though, and I see a long hard road for EVs.
When you factor in the concerns on gas fracking, IS Natural Gas used to produce CNG, electricity or Hydrogen better overall than refining oil into gas or diesel?
That's looking (very) long term, though.
My question would be how many miles can you drive a vehicle powered with hydrogen vs battery per KWH used. Of course we know that as expensive as Li-ion batteries are to produce, Hydrogen cells are far more expensive. Both used very expensive elements neither of which we produce in the USA.
Fuel tanks do have the advantage of taking whatever shape fits under the car, while hydrogen tanks need to take a certain form.
You could have built a bridge to Tokyo with all the wood-head experts who predicted Prius battery failures would cost consumers thousands. Battery failure rates in Prius turned out to be practically nil.
The Prius became politicized along the way, a dog-whistle phrase that meant liberal, lefty. But are we talking artsy-fartsy? Because there is no more rational car on Earth than the Prius. The Prius is an utter rebuke to emotionalisms such as performance and style. Doesn't that rather speak to an owner with practical cast of mind?
...Toyota long ago exhausted its manufacturers' allotment. That hasn't seemed to slow down sales.
The enduring mystery of the Prius is how a car with quite modest driving satisfactions—in terms of acceleration, handling, cornering, ride compliance—can be such a winning automotive experience. These cars are, still, strangely fun to drive."
Toyota's Prius: Performance Is All That Matters (Wall St. Journal)
It's the same "mystery" as to why BMW is so successful. Nobody does it better.
I get to make the most of my hybrid's performance every day. Nothing I could do with, say, a Mustang GT.
"We are seeing sluggish sales of some plug-in hybrids such as the Ford C-Max — down 21 percent — and Chevy Volt — down 32 percent. The most likely culprit responsible for the decline is gas prices and enticing traditional gas-powered vehicles that achieve 40 mpg plus. With fuel prices expected to fall further, the auto industry will be watching carefully to see if the pattern continues,” said Edmunds.com senior analyst Michelle Krebs.
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20131101/AUTO01/311010108/1361/Volt-sales-dow- n-32--in-October
My friend with a C won't be buying another C. It's fine in town, a pain on the highway. Oh, and the ICE has started intermittently crapping out. The price paid for mpgs I guess.
My target is the 2015 revised flavor, assuming Fukushima Daiichi doesn't shut down the whole country before then.
Revised flavor - wintergreen or imitation vanilla?
I may not know what a "fun car is, but I do know what an "un-fun" one is.
Having recently gone through two “fire incidents” after an accident in the past 5 weeks, a third fire Model S has caught fire under potentially a similar condition.
And while the first two fires happened after the Tesla plug-in sedan had taken some serious damage, this Model S looks to have suffered less damage before the occurrence – although we would stress patience in jumping to any conclusions before an official investigation report has been released as this is BREAKING NEWS - that we will update as new information becomes available.
UPDATE (Nov 7th 10:39 EST): The Tesla Model S in question reportedly struck a tow hitch on the road, and ”hit the undercarriage of the vehicle causing an electrical fire.”
http://insideevs.com/third-tesla-model-s-fire-in-past-5-weeks-breaks-out-after-a- ccident/
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/11/3rd-tesla-model-s-fire/
The only time I ever saw a modern car gets its floor punched, was by a driveshaft breaking--that's not just impact, that's horsepower driving it into the floor.
I'm also sure that insurance companies are going to take note of all this. If your Tesla ends up costing you 2X as much for insurance as a comparable Lexus, don't you think that pretty much negates the rationale for buying the Tesla?
I know one might counter with "well, that doesn't stop Ferrari or Porsche owners"--but they are a different breed of buyer entirely. They are in for the total visceral experience---not for listening to the car go EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE all day long.
I heard that Jay Leno bought a CD of engine sounds to play whenever he drives his Tesla.
I've thought about these events and if they could have an insurance impact, too. Maybe the gubbamint will issue an insurance subsidy so people buying a 90K toy can get another gift?
Quiet and elegant: ‘E-Power’
When the vehicle is started up, ‘E-Power’ mode is selected as the default operating mode, provided that the battery is sufficiently charged. Depending on load, the 918 Spyder can cover between 10 and 20 miles purely on electric power. Even in pure electric mode, the 918 Spyder accelerates from 0 – 62 mph in under seven seconds and can reach speeds of up to 93 mph. In this mode, the combustion engine is used only when needed. If the battery charging condition drops below a set minimum level, the vehicle automatically switches to hybrid mode.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlBUB9RqY_I
How about a MILLION BUCKS!!!
Leno can afford it.
PS
I would buy the 918 over a Veyron. Better looking.
Some testers have rated the Cadillac ATS above the 3-Series, and the new CTS above the 5-Series, in terms of driving experience.
Maybe the 2015 Mustang will surpass the BMW 3 and 4-Series in driving dynamics. With the next 1-Series going to FWD we'll see how it compares with the mass market Mazdas and Fords.
Business wise, BMW is doing great, repeatedly setting new sales records, which is at odds with their trending toward average, in terms of product. Maybe most luxury vehicle buyers assign more importance to the brand's prestige value than to the driving experience. Or, maybe long-standing perceptions are lagging behind reality.
Kinda funny, kinda true.
Maybe BMW has become "The Ultimate Marketing Machine." Hmm, wasn't that what GM was from Alfred Sloan's time through the 1970s?
"A decade ago, 33 gas stations were listed as in business in Manhattan south of 96th Street, according to city records. Today, 11 remain, with two of those scheduled to close next year and one on the market.
Drivers say the reduced competition has led to occasional long lines to fill up." (There's about 220,000 cars registered in Manhattan).
Filling Up Is Hard to Do (WSJ)
But that's just another benefit that people miss - "While much has been written about the existing federal consumer tax credits of as much as $7,500, subsidized installation of recharging stations, and numerous state and local financial incentives, along with favored access to high-occupancy vehicle lanes and city parking, consumers are in the dark."
Consumers Blind to Electric Vehicles' Cost Savings, Study Reveals
I don't disagree with subsidizing EVs to an extent, but IMO their should be an MSRP and/or income limit.
A couple of weeks ago, I strapped into the seat of a $100,000 green roller coaster streaking for the future. It was not a bad way to spend a workday.
Actually, videographer Brian Elledge and I had climbed into a Tesla Model S, a low, long, slinky electric sedan striving to forever change the perception of alternative-fuel cars.
We wanted to test the high-tech Tesla’s range claims, always a concern with electric cars, and see whether the company’s new supercharger stations worked as advertised.
Tesla says it can get more range from its array of lithium-ion batteries beneath the floor of the S than any other electric vehicle — an impressive 265 miles with the optional battery pack.
Moreover, in a costly effort to expand the ways in which electric cars can be used, Tesla is building a network of supercharging stations throughout the U.S. to allow its electric cars to make long road trips.
Three of the $150,000 stations are already in place in Texas — in Waco, San Marcos and Columbus.
Tesla owners can get a full, free recharge in an hour at one of the stations or 150 miles of additional range in about 30 minutes. The stations are open 24 hours but only to Tesla owners.
We pulled out of downtown Dallas with 231 miles of range showing on the high-tech instrument panel, bound for the nearest supercharger station at the Collin Street Bakery in Waco, 100 or so miles away.
My heavy foot cut deeply into our reserve of power, as did the time we spent shooting video: drive-bys in which Brian stood along a road and shot video of the car and me flying by.
We also lost 10 miles of range stuck in a maddening two-hour traffic jam south of Waxahachie, apparently caused by some Texas Department of Transportation project. Thanks, TxDOT.
By the time we got to Waco, we had 66 miles of range on the meter, having burned through 165 miles of electricity to go roughly 100 miles.
Ready for a recharge
We pulled into the Collin Street Bakery parking lot on the east side of I-35, where eight Tesla supercharging stations awaited us on the north side of the lot.
Once I got the electric lifeline from the supercharger hooked into the Tesla’s charging port, we were free to go inside the bakery for a sandwich or coffee or whatever to kill an hour.
“Most of us don’t even like to stop for gas, so I don’t know how many people would accept a 30-minute or one-hour delay,” he said.
After an hour, we left Waco with 255 miles of range crackling in the batteries. This time, I somehow managed to stay under 80.
As a result, we arrived at the newspaper in downtown Dallas with 144 miles left on the range meter.
That’s pretty impressive for an electric car. But Tesla will need to do more, Nerad believes.
http://res.dallasnews.com/interactives/2013_November/teslatest/
I see the Tesla relegated to an Urban Look at ME car.