Greetings from Michigan!

I'm really glad to have found Priuschat. I spent a few days just surfing, then joined a few days ago. So far I'm very impressed -- I do wish the message listings took up less screen space and had more messages in each page. VBulletin can do this, check out BikeForums.net.

My wife and I are in our 50s. She's a high school choral music teacher (and is not into chattering on-line) and I'm an electrical engineer in the automotive industry, working for a Tier 1 supplier. Tier 1 is the class of suppliers that sell parts directly to OEMs for assembly into new cars. For example, our lighting division will provide complete headlamps in bolt-in condition to a body and assembly plant. We would buy raw materials, bolts, screws, nuts et cetera from Tier 2s in the industrial base. I design advanced systems based on remote detection of other cars, cycles, pedestrians, road features, and other potential obstacles, to be able to help the driver avoid potential collisions. So I have a lot of background in automotive electronics. I also have a lot of experience in high-power electrical systems, with 11 years designing space vehicle power systems and systems for high energy physics. So I'm in a playground with the Prius!

We have two 2007 Touring Package 5's (i think that's the number!). They differ only in odometer and color. My wife got hers new late summer '06, it's light silver and now (12/08) has about 20k miles. Mine is magnetic gray (gotta find that Magnetic Gray Club) and around 31k miles now; I have a long commute. Both have the 16 inch wheels, suspension, HID headlights (love those!), premium audio, and all the security/convenience package options. I bought mine used. Her Prius replaced a 1999 Saab 9-5 wagon, and mine replaced a 1998 BMW 328i 4-door 5-speed. I'm surprised to find I don't miss the performance of either European car. I do miss the handling and resistance to cross-winds.

We are also avid cyclists and own 7 road bikes between us. Mine is sort of a collection, with four double-butted steel frames, and hers are all aluminum except for her old college 3-speed.

We've lived in a number of places: Chicago (natives of the area), St. Louis, Denver, Winter Park (Colorado), Dallas, and now Ann Arbor, MI. Who knows what's next?

No kids, but a cat. We both love choral singing, and are in a phenomenal choir based here in Ann Arbor.

Road Fan and Mrs. Road Fan

 

neighbor! Last year my wife had excellent results with her '07 through the winter. Mine has only 3 mm treads on the fronts, so it is not working quite so well. The traction control kicks in to prevent wheelspin, and because of the poor tire grip there is minimal power transfer. Today there's a snow day, and I'm on my last vacation day of the year. We ordered winter tires for both cars yesterday (205/55/16 Mich XI2), and should have them Monday or Tuesday. Today all I need to drive is a snow blower!

Engineering-wise, the Prius is especially fun for me, because the battery management principles are the same ones I used to size battery/photovoltaic power systems for orbiting spacecraft, back in the cold war days. As someone who has seen the effort it takes to really test batteries and vehicle electronics, I am awed by what Toyota is manufacturing.

 

A. Why would you assume I don't have the same freedom of choice anyone else has?

B. Why would my value system be defined by my employer? I've worked in several industries other than automotive. Plus, many in the automotive industry have generation history of working for the same company, so have a built-in loyalty. I have no family history in the auto industry, it's just a job. A really good one, while it lasts. When it ends, I get to try to change industries again. Single-job careers are a thing of the past, especially if you are a technology developer.

C. The available discounts for suppliers are no longer a significant incentive in most cases.

D. The American Tier 1s are not captive to any OEM, unlike Japanese ones, in their keiretsu system. The company I work for supplies to the global car market, including Toyota.

Trollish question, indeed! No offense taken, these are all worthwhile topics for debate. I don't have yet a good sense of how off-topic rambling is tolerated, here. I expect I'll find out!

 

:rockon: