Hi, I found a blog that describes what I meant...800 cycles. Inside the quotes are the borrowed thoughts: "
Plug-In Supply, Inc has just unveiled the “PbA10″ Conversion System last week at the Plug-in 2008 conference in San Jose. Their system is based on the CalCars’ Open Source design, and it turns a standard 2004-2008 Toyota Prius into a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (
PHEV) with an all-electric range of 10-15 miles and improved average mileage of up to 100 miles per gallon (plus 1 cent/mile of electricity).
The conversion system uses a 5 kWh lead acid battery pack. The lead acid batteries are not old-fashioned, as you may think: they have a new extended lifespan of more than 800 cycles. The system is also very flexible, because it allows the user to upgrade to lithium-ion phosphate batteries which give your electric vehicle a range of 15-20 miles and a maximum speed in all-electric mode of 52 mph. The costs for these longer range Li-Ion batteries get lower every month.
The Pba
PHEV battery pack is ready for commercialization. It contains 20 PbA20-12 lead acid batteries. It also contains the high voltage control systems closed in a steel box. They are built to last about 2 years, which is kinda short for a system that costs about $5000. The weight of the PbA system is 360 lb (163 kg), compared to 150 lb (68 kg) for the lithium-ion system."
This is my understanding. I don't mind the stealth button being high. I can reach it but I don't think my wife can.