The approach seems to be to spend $10,000+ to replace the entire battery system.

The article includes this quote:

Plug-in hybrids "are not viable with today's battery technology," Hermance said. He said the Prius' power-management system keeps the batteries charged at 60 percent, plus or minus 15 percent to extend their life. Running solely on electricity would discharge the batteries beyond their optimal range and burn them out after approximately 2,500 cycles, or about six years of use, he said.

Does this mean that we could charge the existing battery to 100%, and discarge it to a lower charge. Just take the hit on battery life. A $4000 battery after six years might be cheaper than $10K.

As far at the question - would I welcome mods - the answer is: Not while my Prius is in warranty. It would be nice if Toyota provided provisions for user customization, such as an external charger, and different battery operating modes. Assuming you used "approved" mods, then the warranty would be retained.

i think what we need to understand is that a demostrated need brought on by a demand for the product will provide more than enough incentive to improve the batteries issues we now have.

think about it... before the Prius, hybrids sucked, no one wanted one and there was no demand... obviously that has changed and the current hybrid traction battery technology has actually already been greatly improved although we have yet to see those improvements.

introducing AER hybrids WILL create a demand for them i can garantee that. also i've seen studies where a Prius can be retrofitted for less after the technology becomes mainstream.

i will make this prediction that the 2007 year, the year in which another major upgrade is planned that the plug in hybrid straight from the factory will be a reality. Toyota is way too smart to let this opportunity go. by then, people will be convinced that the addtional 5-7k will be worth it

**edit**
this is only a prediction...

Oh no. We're holding you to it Dave. BTW, what is an AER Hybrid? :huh:

Again ... 100+ miles per *which* gallon? One you buy, sure, maybe,
but where did the grid energy come from? Where was *that* gallon
burned? Out of sight/out of mind is just too convenient, and almost
EVERY GODDAMN news article about this stuff keeps blindly parroting
the same misleading babble.
.
Don't get me wrong, I agree that pluggable is one good methodology
[esp. if from green power to begin with] but the approach MUST
remain realistic.
.
_H*

AER = All Electric Range Vehicle. designates how far a vehicle can go before it needs to run the ICE to maintain charge on the traction battery. studies show that a 100 km AER vehicle would satisfy 95% of all personal transportation needs.

also the vehicle would recharge on the electric grid mostly at night when the grid is typically at less than 20% of capacity

also we have to remember when replacing an energy source with another, we need to look at logistics. it is not realistic to drill for oil in your backyard, but its easily conceivable to generate your own electricity. obviously the best way to go on this is to use solar and wind to contribute to the grid and take from the grid at night. different areas will be able to contribute in different ways at different times.

now i know solar is not financially feasible for most but that is because its replacing the wrong thing. i wont do solar because i get cheap hydroelectric power at 6 cents a kilowatt. even if i was a high home consumer, it will take 25-45 years to make back my solar investment... but generating solar to replace a $3 gallon gas, now i make my money back in 6-10 years. so going plug in hybrids opens up a lot of different scenarios, all possible, all environmentally much better than what we are doing now and unlike hydrogen, none involves smoke, mirrors of sleights of mouth

I like the prediction. And despite all the "education" the car companies have made with the hybrid, the "do you have to plug it in" is the most consistent question I have fielded. I would have still bought it if I had to plug it in and now that I love driving in electric I wish it would stay in that mode longer!

It is not "Do you HAVE to plug it in?" but rather "CAN you plug it in?" I look forward to a plug-in hybrid. With photovoltaic panels that run the meter backwards during the day (pushing excess electricity into the grid) I can recharge from the grid at night. With a weekday commute of 30 miles each way (60 mi total) I could run on sunlight and eliminate (for the most part) use of gasoline.

As battery technology improves, battery life and quality will increase, thereby further helping air quality, making vehicles quieter and electricity is derived from a "local" source (sunlight).

I WANT to be able to plug-in. Less use of the ICE means the ICE will last longer and require less maintenance (same 5k interval for oil changes).

It amazes me that people still ask "Do you have to plug it in?" What I also find amazing is the primary argument against the PHEV is that people don't want to plug it in, as proven by the EV failure. I heard a lot of concern about the range of EVs, not that you had to plug it in. People imagined themselves stuck on the side of the road after going 101 miles in their 100mi EV. People look at their ICE vehicles as unlimited range vehicles. HEV are that too and in time people will stop asking do you have to plug it in (I hope). I agree with Dave, Toyota will not ignore the PHEV option. The Prius's success caught everyone by suprise -- even Toyota. It proved that Americans can analyse a car's value without uttering the phrase "Oooo shiny" which is all that Detroit thinks us capable of.