Will Hybrids Fail Or Succeed In Sri Lanka?

[tglk]

http://www.ebay.com/...-All-CategoriesA couple of points...1) If the battery does eventually need to replaced, it will most likely be when the car is very old and has hundreds of thousands of kms on it. It's not worth buying a new or refurbished battery for such an old car. An relatively inexpensive used battery that still has life in it will do.2) As more and more hybrids are sold, more and more used batteries continue coming onto the market, one would expect the supply to go up and prices to go down.

<p>

Here is one of several ebay sellers that specializes in Prius batteries and related parts. Like most things on ebay, items and prices come and go, and the best strategy is to keep checking and wait till the item you want comes along at a good price. The $500 and lower batteries are out there; they take some digging to find and one may have to wait for one.

http://stores.ebay.c...d=p4634.c0.m409

My apologies for wasting your time with the previous post.

According to above posts you are talking about USED batteries not about new batteries. How do you ensure, the battery you bought at $500 will last few hundred thousand Km's?

We simply can't accept the fact that Hybrid car batteries are available under 50,000 rupees.

[VVTi]

[q]

Detective Hagan: You wanna explain why you were speeding?

Nick Hendricks: I was drag racing.

Detective Hagan: In a Prius?

Nick Hendricks: I don't win a lot.

[q]

From the movie Horrible Bosses...

[VVTi]

[q]

Detective Hagan: You wanna explain why you were speeding?

Nick Hendricks: I was drag racing.

Detective Hagan: In a Prius?

Nick Hendricks: I don't win a lot.

[q]

From the movie Horrible Bosses...

Peri, whats with the new format and the strange posting glitches?...

[Pericles]

<p>

Here is one of several ebay sellers that specializes in Prius batteries and related parts. Like most things on ebay, items and prices come and go, and the best strategy is to keep checking and wait till the item you want comes along at a good price. The $500 and lower batteries are out there; they take some digging to find and one may have to wait for one.

http://stores.ebay.c...d=p4634.c0.m409

My apologies for wasting your time with the previous post.

1 Battery - $449

Shipping and handling - $194.95

Residential address - additional $125

And that is within mainland USA. Add further shipping and insurance for 55kg item and taxes at SL.

You've heard this story about the boy who cried wolf? You keep lying, people aren't gonna believe you even if you do manage to find something.

[Californikan]

According to above posts you are talking about USED batteries not about new batteries. How do you ensure, the battery you bought at $500 will last few hundred thousand Km's?

We simply can't accept the fact that Hybrid car batteries are available under 50,000 rupees.

Well, firstly, the scenario you are suggesting is highly unlikely. The Prius battery failure rate is less than 1%, and in the article I posted, the vast majority of Prii have not needed battery replacements even after 10+ years on the road and hundreds of thousands of kms.

Secondly, a battery failure, if it were to happen, is most likely to happen when the car is very old (10+) years and has several hundred thousand kms already on it. It's not worth putting a new battery into such an old car therefore a cheaper used battery makes much more sense. If the car already has, say, 400,000kms on it and the battery needs replacing, you don't need a new battery that will go another 400,000+kms. A used one will do.

[Ripper]

just accept it Cali...you were wrong in your assumption that the battery can be replaced for as cheap as 50k and the price is dropping. you were wrong. just lke with the hub caps.

just accept in move along.

[Californikan]

1 Battery - $449

Shipping and handling - $194.95

Residential address - additional $125

And that is within mainland USA. Add further shipping and insurance for 55kg item and taxes at SL.

Correct. The battery itself can start at less than $500. Shipping and taxes are another matter entirely.</p>

[Californikan]

just accept it Cali...you were wrong in your assumption that the battery can be replaced for as cheap as 50k and the price is dropping. you were wrong. just lke with the hub caps.

just accept in move along.

The total cost of a battery through ebay is likely to be over Rs100,000.

[MasterDon]

hahahaha...Cali getting pwnd!...can't even do the Google thing right.

Edited October 26, 2011 by MasterDon

[terrabytetango]

sigh

[arjunal]

I do not know about Prius but Honda insight is a very simple car.You can forget about its electric part an use as an conventional car.No extra cost for electric part , its platform is identical to Honda city so the mechanical parts are cheaper than the civics. Other thing is, if some thing happens to the electric part you can switch it off then it will work as a 1300cc conventional car. However it has become the most reliable car in US market in 2010 as there was no retorted problems

[xlr8r]

I do not know about Prius but Honda insight is a very simple car.You can forget about its electric part an use as an conventional car.No extra cost for electric part , its platform is identical to Honda city so the mechanical parts are cheaper than the civics. Other thing is, if some thing happens to the electric part you can switch it off then it will work as a 1300cc conventional car. However it has become the most reliable car in US market in 2010 as there was no retorted problems

Have u really tried it? i tried in the civic it does't start. The switch is there to off the electrical system for any repairs. Not sure about the insight though...

[xlr8r]

The total cost of a battery through ebay is likely to be over Rs100,000.

Statistically speaking.... the chances of a battery failure is far less than u getting to a accident on the road. In other words u rather not drive than worry about your battery...

[Californikan]

<p>

Statistically speaking.... the chances of a battery failure is far less than u getting to a accident on the road. In other words u rather not drive than worry about your battery...

Lol...good point

[Pericles]

Statistically speaking.... the chances of a battery failure is far less than u getting to a accident on the road. In other words u rather not drive than worry about your battery...

I'm sure the statistic is even higher among those who try to play video games about saving trees while driving.

[arjunal]

Have u really tried it? i tried in the civic it does't start. The switch is there to off the electrical system for any repairs. Not sure about the insight though...

Yes I tried, it works well. Car drives as conventional car but acceleration gets sluggish (similar to fit area).Remember, to start the car you should have a good 12v battery.Please check your 12v battery .

[Pericles]

I'm not a big fan of the standard of reporting in Sri Lanka these days. Not blaming them, it is a bit hazardous these days. So I'm not gonna just accept this as totally proving my point of view, but it does have some interesting paragraphs.

http://sundaytimes.l...Times/bt05.html

Maybe the reporter has been following my conspiracy theories

[terrabytetango]

Do we lump in the Toyota SAI, Harrier and Crown Hybrid drivers into the same category or what?

[Californikan]

This brake issue is old news - almost two years old now. Toyota issued the software update back in February 2010.

It's comical how the reporter uses the word "defective" to describe this issue. Probably 90% of the vehicles on local roads have many more and much worse "defects" than a 2010 Prius with the ver 1.0 abs software.

[CARBON B4]

I am not sure exactly when this was started but my answer to the question is " YES " , Hybrids have succeeded in Sri Lanka.

There is ample proof of that on our roads as almost 1 out of 10 cars you see is a Hybrid. ( My guess only). And still people continue to keep on importing and selling these in a large way. There are so many Harriers, lexus, insights, Prius on the roads all Hybrid, I think there is also now a hybrid vitz.

This is the future and its only a matter of time when electric/hybrid sports cars will be doing 0-100Km in less than 3 seconds or less. Sad as it maybe the gas guzzling hot rods will become dinosaurs. The game is about transfer of energy.

[ShintaroX]

I am not sure exactly when this was started but my answer to the question is " YES " , Hybrids have succeeded in Sri Lanka.

There is ample proof of that on our roads as almost 1 out of 10 cars you see is a Hybrid. ( My guess only). And still people continue to keep on importing and selling these in a large way. There are so many Harriers, lexus, insights, Prius on the roads all Hybrid, I think there is also now a hybrid vitz.

This is the future and its only a matter of time when electric/hybrid sports cars will be doing 0-100Km in less than 3 seconds or less. Sad as it maybe the gas guzzling hot rods will become dinosaurs. The game is about transfer of energy.

The fact that people buy them makes it a success in your eyes? lol "A fool and his money are easily parted" my friend.

If I had a hybrid, for it to be successful I would have to be confident that I'm not going to get screwed in any way. So far I love my gas-guzzler and he loves me. Success!

[The Stig]

There is ample proof of that on our roads as almost 1 out of 10 cars you see is a Hybrid. ( My guess only). And still people continue to keep on importing and selling these in a large way. There are so many Harriers, lexus, insights, Prius on the roads all Hybrid, I think there is also now a hybrid vitz.

Just cause people buy them doesn't make it a success, in the same sense that just cause people listen to Justin Beiber doesnt make him any good

[Pericles]

This brake issue is old news - almost two years old now. Toyota issued the software update back in February 2010.

It's comical how the reporter uses the word "defective" to describe this issue. Probably 90% of the vehicles on local roads have many more and much worse "defects" than a 2010 Prius with the ver 1.0 abs software.

Ummm.... "Toyota issued the software update back in February 2010" isn't the same as "All the cars were fixed". Could be some people thought it was a non-issue like you do and didn't fix it.

And your opinions are quite comical too. Coz I'm sure everyone should line up to listen to the opinions of how serious the loss of brakes is from a chap who didn't even know his car didn't have alloys. Don't really care for your stats either. Seems very pulled outta your backside, specially since you don't even live in the country.

[Californikan]

Ummm.... "Toyota issued the software update back in February 2010" isn't the same as "All the cars were fixed". Could be some people thought it was a non-issue like you do and didn't fix it.

And your opinions are quite comical too. Coz I'm sure everyone should line up to listen to the opinions of how serious the loss of brakes is from a chap who didn't even know his car didn't have alloys. Don't really care for your stats either. Seems very pulled outta your backside, specially since you don't even live in the country.

1) You're giving (half assed) opinions about something you know little about and I presume have no actual experience with. My Prius did eventually get the update so I speak from experience about the braking before and after the update. Also, reading a Sunday Times article written by a journalist who knows nothing about cars and using that to argue with a Prius owner about the Prius is not a smart idea.

2a) The issue was NOT "a serious loss of brakes" that you stated it was. Saying the Prius has "a serious loss of brakes" is going beyond exaggeration to telling an untruth. The issue was an "inconsistent brake feel" that some drivers might feel in a very specific and rare combination of conditions.

2b) Here is an article on the issue: http://www.hybridcar...feel-26604.html .

A big part of this story is that it's not so much a huge safety issue, but perhaps more so an issue of people not being used to the different "feel" of hybrid regenerative brakes compared to conventional brakes.

3) Five SL hybrid drivers reporting inconsistent brake feel out of 5000+ hybrids on local roads is .001%.

4) Incorrect about the alloys. I never said the Prius doesn't have alloys. I said I did not notice the alloy looking wheel cover was a separate piece from the alloy wheel itself. And I did learn my lesson from that fiasco: no more posts about things I'm not certain about.

5a) The "90%" number was used only to illustrate the point (that there are many more vehicles with all kinds of much worse 'defects' on local roads than a few 3rd gen Prii with v1.0 ABS software), which is why I prefaced the idea with "probably".

5b) A 3rd gen Prii with v1.0 ABS software will still brake better then many if not most vehicles on local roads.

6) How much are you being paid by Hybrid Motors to keep pushing this story so they get more business? Just teasing.

Edited November 12, 2011 by Californikan

[Kavvz]

There is ample proof of that on our roads as almost 1 out of 10 cars you see is a Hybrid. ( My guess only).

That's a pretty weak premiss if you ask me... I'm guessing you're wrong.

Edited November 11, 2011 by Kavvz