So called "green" vehicles kill with 1000+ pound b

[Tempus]

Well, my headline is only slightly more dramatic than theirs

I could have put it in News I suppose, but it really isn't.

http://www.pjstar.com/stories/070405/TRI_B...QFJQV.032.shtml

Headline - Hybrids Pose Rescue Risks

Selected quotes

"But these so-called "green" cars, while good for the air and better on gas mileage than traditional cars, pose an additional set of risks for rescuers who respond to car crashes. Among them is electrocution."

"there are also several other challenges that come with hybrid cars. The weight of their batteries can be upwards of 1,000 pounds, so emergency workers respondents must have this in mind when stabilizing the vehicle."

"They must also make sure the vehicle is turned off. "Because they are electric, you can't hear them, and they can move,""

(Where I come from, the first thing any rescuer is trained to do is turn off ANY vehicle).

I do have to sort of give them credit though. Buried down at the bottom they say.

"But with proper training, the risks to rescuers are no more than those posed by a typical car. "These are very safe vehicles," he said, "What we are concerned about is a lack of knowledge.""

I just can't get over how often the "Hybrid Rescue Dangers" meme pops up, seemingly in cycles. Here's another couple from recent days.

http://www.weiu.net/news/archive/newsbuild...ybriddanger.htm

http://www.columbustelegram.com/articles/2.../news/news2.txt

Remember, for sites that require registration there is http://www.bugmenot.com

[priusenvy]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tempus\";p=\"104050)</div>

\"there are also several other challenges that come with hybrid cars. The weight of their batteries can be upwards of 1,000 pounds, so emergency workers respondents must have this in mind when stabilizing the vehicle.\"
[/b]

What hybrid has a 1000lb battery? The one in a 2004 Prius weighs less than 1/8th of that. Where do they get the clowns that write this crap? Common sense should tell them that that figure is way too high.

The only car I can think of with a 1000lb battery was the GM EV-1, and I don't think emergency workers have to worry about running into one of those on the road.

[DanMan32]

Althought the battery may not weigh that much, the entire hybrid system does seem to add about that much to the weight if it were conventional. Our cars weigh 3000 pounds!

If the airbags deployed, car shuts down system main relay immediately, so no high voltage is going to get out of the battery compartment. Also, because of this, the car won't move.
However, if no DTCs were set, then they are right, one could think the car was off when it wasn't. Checking the dashboard should tell though.

[KMO]

Comparing the Prius to the cars above and below it in Toyota's UK range:

Corolla 5-door hatch 1.6 auto = 1250kg
Prius = 1325kg
Avensis hatch 2.0 auto = 1420kg

Not much heavier than you'd expect for its size.

[mehrenst]

\"But these so-called \"green\" cars, while good for the air and better on gas mileage than traditional cars, pose an additional set of risks for rescuers who respond to car crashes. Among them is electrocution.\"

Sounds to me like a press release written by GM. :P