Prius is the Villain, Not a Benefit
Prius was a Distraction Used to Kill the Electric Car
The Prius, like all hybrids that cannot plug in, is not an Electric car. It gets all its energy, ultimately, from the gasoline pump, unlike a plug-in EV, which can run on electric power from the grid.
The Prius was used to kill the Electric car program, to substitute a "parallel" hybrid for the successful plug-in Toyota RAV4-EV. The parallel hybrid installs the electric motor as secondary to the gas engine, which is needed to turn the wheels at high speed. The parallel hybrid often confuses people who think it is an 'electric car', and often obscures the "serial" plug-in hybrid which can run at full speed without gas, without clutch, and without transmission gearing.
Toyota RAV4-EV plug-in Electric cars are on the streets of America, running strong. Last produced in 2003, they are still in the hands of about 328 loving owners, just the number that was sold by Toyota. All other Electric cars were only leased, were seized by the auto companies, and were crushed..
Most RAV4-EV owners have installed solar PV electric systems on their roof, which often provides more electric credits than they use for daily driving. This enables us to avoid use of petroleum and move personal transportation requirements to the clean solar electric energy stream, pointing the way to a more sustainable energy future.
Without the ability to plug-in, hybrids like the Prius are just one more feel-good, false solution to our oil dependence problem. Only a plug-in car is feared by the oil companies, and only a plug-in is unavailable for sale.
The Prius, and all such cars, are nothing more than slightly more efficient gasoline cars.
The major flaw in this article is not pointing out that the battery is available. The Toyota RAV4-EV uses the NiMH EV-95 battery, which lasts longer than the life of the car, even a Toyota car. These batteries went into production in 1997, and were removed from production shortly after Chevron inherited control of the worldwide patent rights to the technology (which had been sold to GM, and then to Texaco, which merged with Chevron).
It's simply false to claim that the batteries for a plug-in hybrid don't exist; we are currently driving a Toyota RAV4-EV every single day, reliable, strong, and without using a drop of gasoline. If you add a small gas genset to this battery car, it becomes a plug-in serial hybrid.
The serial configuration means that, like a diesel-electric locomotive, all traction power comes from the electric motor; the gas engine is only for generating power to charge the batteries. The connection between the gas engine/generator and the drive motor is entirely by wire, no mechanical linkage, clutch or transmission.
The issue is not that complicated; GM's recent phony announcement of a real plug-in hybrid is easy to expose, because their "dual-mode" system violates this serial configuration and once again makes the car dependent on the gasoline engine for high-speed driving via a mechanical link.
Notably, GM is unable to use the proven NiMH EV-95 batteries, and is forced to do "research" on Lithium, perhaps because Chevron's lawsuit makes these proven batteries unavailable even to GM.
The technology is here, and articles like this just obscure and cloud the facts.
Published by doug korthof
Technically trained in mathematics, history and philosophy, formerly in the recycling business, IT teacher, contract programmer and freelance environmental campaigner. View profile
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8 Comments
Post a CommentIt doesn't matter if you buy a Prius or an electric car. YOU ARE NOT SAVING THE WORLD. You do not have the ability. When you go home at night from a nice drive in you eco-friendly tinfoil car, what do you do? You plug it in to charge. You use electricity, which is powered by coal. You are not saving anyone or anything, but it puts a smile on your face and makes your environmental ego increase just a bit more.
I'm afraid I don't much go for all these conspiracy theories about oil companies buying up all the patents to anything that looks promising. Sure they may hold a couple but you can't tell me that with all the billions of people on the planet that there is only every one person who comes up with an idea that is then bought and kept quiet. Time and time again we have seen companies in all fields that have patented and idea only to have another company put a slightly different slant to it and producing it. The US is the worst for this with Tamiflu being a perfect example in the medical field. Not to mention the dearth of published theories on the internet.
I hope that I am proved wrong but I would raise the argument that hybrid cars are actually adding to the global warming. Everything we make or produce has a green house gas cost. From mining the raw materials, refining them, casting, machining and transporting the components, etc. When you think that a hybrid car is pretty much just a normal car with a whole lot of extra components such as a large electric motor, large battery, large cabling, inverters, etc, etc. one has to ask the question whether the cost of gasses in producing all these extra components are worth it. Cars in a similar class to the hybrids don't get that much worse fuel economy, hence green house emissions, and if any of these extra components break down and need replacing during the life of the vehicle then I would suggest the green house gas cost would be well in the negative. Like I said, I hope that I'm proved wrong and that hybrid cars are worth it and are not just a clever marketing ploy by the car companies.
(corrected comment 3, this is complicated issue: I've written another article on it, read from the bottom up) taking another generation. From a global warming standpoint, not to mention oil supply and oil war standpoint, we many not have another generation of profligate oil use. Scholium: The Toyota RAV4-EV only holds 28 kWh of electric (equivalent to .8 gallon of gas). At 80 mph, it goes at least 80 MILES, for an energy draw of 28 kW at most (28 kWh per hour, OR 28 KW). Thus, this non-aerodynamic small SUV draws at most 28 kW to run indefinitely at 80 mph, IF RUN AS AN EV, USING A MOTOR FOR ALL TRACTION POWER. The problem with the Prius is that the engine is embedded in the power train; it's very clever, but much too complicated, and does not allow driving at 80 mph in EV-only mode. The Prius always burns gas, even if fitted with the plug-in kit, because it still is built around the concept that the gas engine is prior to the electric motor -- just bass ackwards. 28 kW is equivalent t
and long-distance diesel-electric mode, means that 90% of our fleet driving can be OIL-FREE.
The problem with the Prius is that it's a gas car, albeit more efficient; the good thing about the Prius is that its EV-MODE driving intrigues Prius drivers, who like the taste of EV driving, and want more of it. But because, we think, Chevron, controller of the patent rights, won't let Toyota use more than a 10 amp-hour (5 kWh at 500v) battery pack, you only get a few miles, at most, of EV driving, and only below 33 mph (the engine kicks in at that speed, or if the catalytic converter is cold).
Hence, the Prius, in the wise Toyota view, is a heuristic device, to teach slow-learning Americans (me too) about energy efficiency and waste.
In that sense, the Prius is a big success: it's hooking a lot of people on sensible cars! But from our standpoint, of what could be done with a PHEX-x if the batteries were freed from Chevron's evil control, it's a painfully long learning process, taki
The EV "program" was forced on hostile auto companies by Calfornia regulators, and attacked by Chevron and other oil companies, joined by the Bush administration.
The PHEV-x answers all concerns about the EV: It's an EV, that drives up to 80 mph for up to 100 miles (depending on battery option chosen), so that most of your driving is done OIL-FREE.
On occasional long trips, or if you forgot to charge the batteries, a small generator-engine (just runs at constant RPM, to generate electric, like a diesel-electric locomotive) starts up to charge the batteries or run the car directly.
An EV is so efficient a small SUV like the RAV4-EV can run at 80 mph on only 28 kW -- equivalent to a 40 hp genset -- indefinitely.
So if you hook up a genset trailer to a RAV4-EV (Alan C. and Tom D. have done this, for years, on EVs) and plug it into an on-board charger (we hook it into the PEU regen shunt), the 40 hp genset can run the EV on long trips.
This concept, local OIL-FREE driving a
I am not car savvy, so I need a little help here. If the Prius doesn't plug in, what's recharging it? What I think I'm getting at here is - is there a solar panel juicing the electric side of it, or is that aspect short lived? I think I zoned out somewhere along this article, or I just don't get it. What I do know is, I plan on getting a hybrid I can plug in one day. I just can't afford a new car, so I will have to cry at the pump like many other people. Good article, even if I didn't get it.
Gee, what a short sighted article. We recently completed a 1100 mile road trip in our 2006 Prius. Try that in your EV. I don't think anyone thinks the Prius technology is anything but a stepping stone to some other technology, but it is an important stepping stone. The EV program had failed to capture the public imagination because of its short range. After all, who wants to risk being stranded when the batts run down? The Prius technology has shown us one way of extending the range in a fuel more fuel efficient manner. Technology cannot take us where the public does not want to go. So, let's give the Prius a little credit.
BTW, I'll be first in line to buy a Plug-in Electric Hybrid Vehicle. In fact, as soon as my Prius warranty expires, I'll probably convert my Prius to a PEHV so I can have the very best of both worlds.