 Prius Gen 1 |  Prius Gen 2 |  Prius Gen 3 |
Even after 600,000 kms a Prius can still run smoothly with very little deterioration in fuel economy. With the Power Jockey installed the battery can be made to last longer and perform better. The hybrid battery should last at least 15 years or more. There will hardly be any signs of it burning oil and fuel efficiency should be just as good as new.
A standard petrol or diesel car will be expected to last 300,000 Kms before it needs a major overhaul. By this time the engine performance would have deteriorated and the engine would most probably be burning some oil.
Future Of Hybrid Cars
A 15 year old hybrid car that has done 300,000 Kms will still have the same economy and drives just as smoothly as when new if the hybrid battery pack and engine works efficiently. When this fact is widely known hybrid vehicles will dominate our vehicle fleet.
Only two factors hold back mass adoption of this new technology. Lack of competent service centers offering support for these vehicles and poor trade in values due to high replacement cost of the hybrid battery pack.
With our hybrid battery reconditioning technology and our Power Jockey both these shortcomings are overcome. What is needed now is a wide roll-out of the hybrid and electric franchise and better publicity for the Power Jockey.
Pure Hybrids and Assist Hybrids
A) Pure Hybrids – Hybrids that can run in pure electric mode ( Toyota Prius, Ford Escape Hybrid. )
B) Assist Hybrids – Hybrids that cannot run in pure electric mode ( Chevy Malibu Hybrid and the Honda Insight. ).
Pure hybrids have many advantages over Assist hybrids
Firstly, the ability to run a vehicle in pure electric mode means that it is really an electric car albeit one with a very limited range in pure electric operation. As a result there have been many attempted to increase the EV range by retro fitting plug in systems.
Secondly a pure hybrid vehicle that has done 100,000 Kilometers, the wear and tear on the engine would only be similar to a standard vehicle that has done a 50,000 Kilometers.
Thirdly many of the vulnerable mechanical parts such as starter motors and alternators, cam belts, transmissions have been made redundant. There are less mechanical parts to repair or replace. Service and maintenance cost is less in a pure hybrid.
An assist hybrid is basically a petrol vehicle that uses the electric drive to assist. It must have all the essential parts of a standard engine and yet it would be very inefficient if the electric drive does not work properly or if the Hybrid battery pack fails.
The longevity of service and pure indestructibility of the pure hybrid motor is due to the minimalist design of the petrol engine. So for this exercise ( saving money ) we will limit our comparison to the pure hybrid.
A new hybrid cost about a third more than it’s equivalent non hybrid variant. This premium must be recoup from fuel savings over the life of the vehicle. In countries where petrol prices are high this cost can be recovered very quickly as a hybrid will cost about 60% less per Kilometer in fuel alone. So if fuel cost $2.00 a litre, and you use $200 a week you can save $120 a week or $6000 a year. If you keep the car for 5 years you would have saved yourself $30,000. You could pay off the loan on your car just from the fuel savings alone!! Add to that the savings on maintenance of about $1000 a year and the savings mount up.
As an example regenerative braking, reduces the wear on the brake pads. Rather than replacing a vehicle’s brake pads every 20,000 Kms, owners can replace them at 100,000 Kms intervals. ( I have seen vehicle go for more than 150,000 Kms without replacing the brake pads ). Reduce engine wear means engine oil spark plugs can be changed over longer intervals as well.
You also get the knowledge that you are doing your bit for the environment and there are perks like preferential parking in public places where the government tries to encourage the move to fuel efficient and less polluting forms of transportation.
In some countries there are cash and tax incentives in purchasing a hybrid vehicle.
What if you bought a use hybrid instead. After 5 years the cost of a hybrid would be about a third of it’s cost when new. After 10 years about a tenth of it’s price. Buying a 10 year old vehicle would normally mean buying a rust bucket in need of extensive and continuing repairs. However a 10 year old hybrid will drive just as well as it would when new. Maintenance cost is also very low with one proviso – The NIMH hybrid battery pack.
Without a working battery pack the vehicle is effectively scrap. However with our battery reconditioning process and the Power Jockey the battery pack can be made to last the remaining life of the vehicle which could easily be for another 10 years or more.
So buying a good used hybrid, getting the battery reconditioned by experts and getting a Power Jockey installed is just good economics. With a 10 year old vehicle costing about $6000 you recoup the cost of the vehicle in 1 year. Driving a well maintain used hybrid is just pure pleasure especially if you have always been on a tight budget and could only afford noisy, bone shaking, rust buckets.
So make the move and take the plunge. Drive one of the vehicles we built up for sale. You will fall in love with it on first drive.
Preserving the value of hybrid cars
Those who are able to afford a new or near new hybrid, will most probably have a positive experience in owning and driving a hybrid vehicle. Hybrids first appeared in 1997 as the Toyota Prius NHW10 series. Over the decade hybrid technology have improved and been incorporated in the latest models.
Much of the developments have centered around improvement of battery technology and battery management systems. As a result hybrid batteries can now last for as much as 10 years or more before failure. Manufacturers now claim that the battery will last the life of the vehicle without specifying “life of the vehicle” which can mean anywhere from 7 to 9 years depending on the laws of each country and the battery warranty usually cover this period.
For those of you who wants the experience and benefits of a hybrid but can only afford an older 5 – 7 years used vehicle it will be a matter of luck as to when you will experience vehicle problems including the hybrid battery. For the rest of you unless there is a way to keep these vehicles running without huge battery replacement costs hybrid technology will be out of reach.
Fortunately The Battery Clinic have over the years quietly pioneered the repair and reconditioning of the hybrid battery and inventing the Power Jockey to support and extend the operational life of hybrid batteries. We have also open up a new business focusing on the sales service and repair of hybrid vehicles.
Repair and Reconditioning Hybrid Battery
Rather than replace the hybrid battery we repair and recondition the faulty aging hybrid battery. The real skill comes in identifying which sub packs to replace and to replace them with similar sub packs of similar capacity.
The Power Jockey
A rebuilt and reconditioned hybrid battery pack is still an older battery with lower capacity and will still be close to failure. This is where the Power Jockey comes into play as it enables a lower capacity battery pack to be used with the vehicle, and still performs normally if not better.
Vehicle Servicing and Maintenance
A good vehicle maintenance regime will keep the engine side of the vehicle working efficiently and in turn reduces the stress on the hybrid battery. This will increase the operational life of the hybrid battery. Checking and replacing the serviceable parts of the internal combustion engine is important for any vehicle but is crucial in a hybrid vehicle.
Hybrid Driving Techniques
To get the best fuel economy out of the vehicle a technique called feathering is employed. This is basically being very light on the accelerator pedal applying just enough pressure to keep the vehicle at required speeds. Some people even go to the extent of driving barefooted to get a better feel.
Another habit to develop is not to accelerate the vehicle in 1 go as this places maximum stress on the hybrid battery. It is best to do it in stages backing off the accelerator to allow the battery to recover before the next burst. This method is actually a quicker way to get you up to speed.
Buying a battery pack from a wrecker
This is seems like a good alternative as a new Nimh battery could cost more than the car is worth. However you do not know the condition of the battery. You will get at most 3 months warranty but as the battery is already 8 years old or more, problems are just around the corner. It is a sure bet that the capacity of the battery is not optimum as memory effects would have set in.
Comparison of Toyota Hybrid Models
Toyota Prius Plug In Model
