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Could this happen with next gen Prius?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by douglas001001, Aug 10, 2007.

  1. douglas001001

    douglas001001 smug doug

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    With the PHEV Prius test currently happening in Japan and Toyota not ready to release Lithium batteries why can't they:

    Offer upgrade which includes PHEV software/hardware (from results of PHEV test), plug in electronics/charger, safety/crash tested and ventilated box for batteries which will accept various types of batteries ready to plug and play.

    Then purchaser gets toyota software management of additional batteries and can add the type of batteries they want based on costs and needed range. Dealers get extra money installing the system, and it creates a market for battery makers to compete in without having to worry about how the batteries integrate into the system.

    Legal issues aside, people are going to convert the prius, why don't they get on the train and offer it done "officially and properly"?
     
    #1 douglas001001, Aug 10, 2007
  2. FL_Prius_Driver

    FL_Prius_Driver Senior Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(douglas001001 @ Aug 10 2007, 12:08 PM) [snapback]493552[/snapback]</div>
    One of Toyotas hard core corporate principals is to be the "owner" of their automobile technology. This is why they manufactures their own custom power transistors, make all their own electric motors, and are a majority owner of the Panasonic operation that makes the Prius Batteries. The Toyota history is to take over the major technologies rather than outsource any major component.

    This of course does not prevent them from planning ahead so that some of the ideas you mention could work, but the Prius history makes it clear that any Toyota is going to be a Toyota from top to bottom.
     
    #2 FL_Prius_Driver, Aug 10, 2007
  3. auricchio

    auricchio Member

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    One major reason is to avoid support headaches. The more configurations there are, the more difficult it is to keep them all running and repair them.

    Consider computer problems: The minute you and I begin using identical computers, they become different. As we upgrade them, install software, and use them, they diverge farther from their original configurations. This is why computer support is so difficult: what works for one person may not work for another.

    Toyota would also want to pass vehicle standards tests for all configurations before shipping any of them. By testing all configurations before release, they'd have the opportunity to correct things. It's probably faster and cheaper to simply build different model lines.
     
    #3 auricchio, Aug 10, 2007
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