Interesting article on "deadly" keyless ignition

Huh? That is a very insensitive remark to someone who is deaf or hard of hearing! Even in jest, it is insensitive.

 

The hazard is not the keyless ignition, it is burning a volatile liquid that produces poison as a result.

Rather than banning keyless ignitions, ban gasoline

As for the auto shut down other cars already do this. Well, I know of at least one, but I suspect there are more.
It works quite well and I don't see why other companies wouldn't move in that direction over the next few years.

 

i could see this as a real problem for all the non hybrids who copied toyota's keyless ignition. for a prius? i agree with jimbo, you could probably sleep in the garage with it running.

 

If I'm correct, the issue doesn't apply to the Prius, but it's an interesting observation. I suppose the makers of ICE cars with keyless ignitions should consider a "time out" shutdown of the motor if the fob isn't detected in the vehicle for more than X minutes. Maybe an override command for fob battery failure (since you're there to trigger it, the car knows it's not abandoned).

Something they figured just wouldn't come up. The Prius was different because it can be 100% ON and not be obvious to the owner as he/she walks away.

Don't ICE cars now have "monoxide detectors" in some models that cut the engine if the CO/CO2 levels get too high to prevent people using the car as way to kill themselves?

 

The fob not detected might be good, except another common scenario is:

Just you or your partner has a fob. The one with the fob gets off somewhere, and without shutting down the other drives off, fob less. I believe this has been happening.

Not a good situation, but could get worse if the car then shuts down while you're underway.

 

This from wikipedia....

" Modern automobiles, even with electronically controlled combustion and catalytic converters, can still produce levels of carbon monoxide which will kill if enclosed within a garage ".

My bottom line, first line, middle line is that ANY VEHICLE, Prius included, with a internal combustion engine should absolutely NOT be running in an enclosed area.

Carbon Monoxide is just too deadly.

I think any suggestion otherwise is unsafe and stupid, potentially deadly.

 

Has anyone put a CO sensor in their garage?
Any issues with nuisance alarms?

 

i would, but the cars are never running in the garage. have one in the master bedroom tough, which is right behind it and also has a propane fireplace.

 

My personal answer to this is tort reform. Stupid is supposed to hurt and you shouldn't be able to sue for it!

 

Law makers are nearly always......lawyers, and getting them to pass tort reform would be like getting politicians to get really serious about tax reform.

Ain't.
Gonna.
Happen.

It would be like asking a bunch of drunks to bring back Prohibition.

 

Interlocks can fail, so it is critically important to balance the dangers of a failed interlock with the dangers of not having an interlock. Having this interlock fail on a draw bridge, railroad crossing, or intersection would eventually happen. What looks to be a simple solution here may be an impossible solution once all the variations of what can happen are factored in.

 

Nah! Tax reform only indirectly affects them in a major way.

Campaign financing or real responsibility for their actions. That would be hard!

 

The Prius will only beep at you (three times) when you exit the vehicle in ready mode IF you close the door WHILE taking the keys with you (ie the fob is not detected inside the vehicle). Leave the keys inside or leave the door open, no beeps in ready mode. Unless of course, you are not in park, then you get a solid tone with the door open.

It would not be a good idea to have auto-shutoff in case of losing the keys out the window while driving or doing something that requires the ignition on but not a driver (using the tire inflator kit for example). Another example would be module programming at the dealer. If it shuts off part way through, sometimes you have to start over and sometimes the module is junk.


iPhone ?

 

Hey, I know: go back to traditional key in the ignition.

On a similar retro vein: go back to a traditional lead-acid battery in the engine bay, cuts the price more-or-less in half.

 

it is impossible to make a 100% safe automobile. manufacturers take this stuff in stride.

 

Yeah....like Tesla!
No drama there......

 

Your first retro suggestion there would have several obvious advantages. The biggest disadvantage I can see, besides their being probably easier to copy or bypass, is that traditional keys and locks are so susceptible to mechanical wear.

The main reason the lead-acid battery in the rear of your Prius is so expensive is that it's deliberately "special," with its JIS terminals and vent connection, neither of which add significantly to manufacturing cost. Being AGM type does add some cost, but you can buy safe, near-equivalent generic AGM batteries for $70 or so. Having it in the rear helps its life expectancy, because it doesn't have to endure engine-bay temperatures.

 

I know, had a sticky ignition toast a starter, my procrastination didn't help. The keys are just a leetle cheaper tho.

Right now a couple of local dealerships are telling me $273 for the Yuasa battery.

 

Family of mine did. It would give false alarms, well false as in not required. They would open the garage door, start car and drive off, but a cold engine running even for a couple seconds would load up CO inside the garage. The alarm they had had a variety of warnings with a slow beep if lowish levels were detected. At first they thought the CO alarm was faulty or the battery was low, though worked out it only beeped if they'd used the car that day.

The problems stopped when they got a new car. Even though the old one had a cat and was within limits, it must still have been on the high side.

I'm really anal about CO and smoke alarms and ensure mine are all upto date.