Featured Threads Archive

Some of the earliest Prius FUD was "batteries in landfills." I would reply, 'Where? I have a shovel.' The nickel and copper made those wonderfully valuable ... more concentrated than the ore they were made from. So this hour long video shows how batteries are industrially recycled:


Eventually, old cars are declared to be scrap and then reprocessed into materials for new cars. Compared to extracting a few percent from a ton of ore, these become 90%, extreme high grade ore.

Bob Wilson

Warranty costs increased from expected 8% to 12% in 2024. Cost drivers: more vehicles; EVs are costing 3x more in warranty; new models released, and; more expensive technology. It reminds me of when Toyota ate Detroit's poor quality.

Source:


He also shared "aging out" of the skilled shop workers who used to populate the service centers.

Bob Wilson

This.... is a 2006 Toyota Prius.




Less than 40,000 miles and it's currently up for bidding.

Came across this:

• Blue box - twice the USA density

Somehow this makes sense. Norway is an oil producer but they sell all they can. The others are fighting oil import costs and China, severe air pollution. A country that pays for the healthcare of their citizens is going to save money with less air pollution.

So I see the major drivers for EV adoption:

1. COST - both direct and indict health benefits
2. EFFICIENCY - saving the individual money to drive
3. "climate change" - not so much although it plays for some

Bob Wilson

So, whom are the Trump tariffs punishing? The People and companies of the US, as most people would have guessed. The Ford CEO is normally very Trump-friendly, but he has spoken up about how bad it has become for the US auto industry now. Let’s see how the United Auto Workers will feel about this, who were cheering about the tariffs.

Ford is forced to immediately shut down factories and halt car production as CEO admits “day-to-day” struggle for brand | The US Sun

Source:


Source_2: America’s EV Boom Suddenly Took Its First Hit After 14 Months Of Growth | Carscoops

Electrified Trailblazer: The Toyota Prius Celebrates 25 Years in the U.S. - Toyota USA Newsroom

The 2026 Prius celebrates its 25th anniversary in the US. Expect them to arrive about end of summer at most dealers.

• Four Grades Available: LE, XLE, Nightshade and Limited
• Fifth-Generation Toyota Hybrid System Has Impressive Fuel Economy with Up to a Manufacturer-Estimated 57 MPG Combined Rating on FWD Grades
• Electronic On-Demand All-Wheel Drive Available on Each Grade
• Toyota Audio Multimedia with Available 12.3-inch Touchscreen
• Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 Standard

	Trim	2026 MSRP	2025 MSRP	Difference
1	Prius LE	$28550	$27950	$600
2	Prius XLE	$33995	$31395	$2600
3	Prius Nightshade	$32800
4	Prius Limited	$35565	$34965	$600
5	Prius LE AWD	$29950	$29350	$600
6	Prius XLE AWD	$$33395	$32795	$600
7	Prius Nightshade AWD	$34200
8	Prius Limited...

LIDAR emits a strong laser beam that can damage other cameras in iPhones:



Bob Wilson

Toyota has made major improvements to the Gen 5 PHEV system found in the Gen 5 Prius PHEV. The Gen 6 PHEV system will debut with the all-new RAV4 this fall.

Among the improvements:

• The problematic refrigerant battery cooling in Gen 5 Prius PHEV, which was very hard to repair and necessitated the replacement of the traction battery when there was a leak, has been replaced with a water-cooling system now. A heat exchanger for the coolant is used.
• The new, high-power AC charger has now been put on top of the DC–AC inverter (previously located near the back seats), with the DC–DC converter below them, all sitting on top of the e-transaxle. This has been made possible by miniaturized electronics. The charging port is now in the front.
• The traction battery is now under the car at the center, improving the center of gravity for better, more precise handling.
• The cabin and cargo space has been enlarged by moving the traction battery to the underside of the car.
• The...

All of a sudden, Trump and Musk are trying to terminate each other. While Trump is trying to bring Musk’s companies down, Musk is calling for his impeachment, calling him out on Twitter as a sex trafficker who was involved with Epstein.

Trump threatens Tesla CEO Musk companies’ contracts

Source: AAA: Americans Slow to Adopt Electric Vehicles | AAA Newsroom

• High battery repair costs (62%) and
  • $1k for 5-way thermal bottle replacement
  • $9k for 47 kWh replacement battery
• purchase price (59%) are cited as key barriers to go fully electric. Other top concerns identified in this year’s survey were the perceived
  • $24 k ~= $40 k - $18 k (trade-in)
• unsuitability of EVs for long-distance travel (57%),
  • Huntsville to Las Vegas, Los Angles, Arizona, home
• a lack of convenient public charging stations (56%), and
  • Have peed in the bushes and behind transformers
• fear of running out of charge while driving (55%).
  • Once parasitic load cooling of battery caught me on a hot day.
• Thirty-one percent of those undecided or unlikely to buy an EV have safety concerns, ...

More on the all-new RAV4 SDV (software-defined vehicle) built on the new Arene software platform, also equipped with the new TSS 4.0. Thanks to the Arene software platform, Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) will now constantly evolve through over-the-air (OTA) updates while you own the vehicle, which had been missing on existing Toyota models so far. Therefore, this is the biggest breakthrough by Toyota in decades. It is being offered as an EV only, coming as an HEV and a PHEV (no BEV).

RAV4 world premiere—chief branding officer shares the story behind the new model

More on the all-new RAV4 HEV and RAV4 PHEV:

New RAV4 makes world premiere in Japan | Toyota | Global Newsroom | Toyota Motor Corporation Official Global Website

All-new RAV4 world premiere | Toyota | Global Newsroom |...

https://www.autoblog.com/news/rare-earth-magnet-shortage-threatens-shutdown-of-u-s-car-factories

While electronics such as smartphones matured more than five years ago, cars are still at the infant stage of improvement and modernization, with self-driving and software features still greatly lacking in most models while the BEVs are slowly developing.

This is a ton of information from Toyota on their roadmap, with many exciting developments in software, self-driving, EV, and other areas. The website has many links on details of different areas of their roadmap.

You can automatically translate the captions of the YouTube videos to English under settings.

Toyota unveils new technology that will change the future of cars | Corporate | Global Newsroom | Toyota Motor Corporation Official Global Website

Republicans canceled a waiver in the Clean Air Act for the first time in its history to kill the pending ban on gasoline cars in California.

https://www.autoblog.com/news/californias-ban-on-gas-powered-cars-is-dead

Arene debuts in Toyota’s all-new RAV4—Woven by Toyota

This is probably the biggest breakthrough by Toyota since they have developed the hybrid synergy drive. While some other companies like Tesla have also developed software-centric cars, Toyota, being conservative as it is, has the goal of eventually being the best in the world in this aspect.

Arene will also debut TSS 4.0, which is the first TSS to receive over-the-air updates (OTAs) during the life of the car.

It is possible NVDIA hardware might be used.



More on the all-new RAV4:

The all-new, all-EV (no gas-only models) RAV4 will go on sale in the fall, with several PHEV models. The PHEV models will have a 50-mile BEV range,...

I just saw a new lithium conversion kit for the old NIMH Prius cells the other day and was wondering if anyone here has heard of it before.

They’re only asking $1400 and I’m considering buying it but the lack of BMS makes me a little weary. I don’t know battery technology that well but I’m hoping someone here does.

The company is called MTG
BMW i3 Battery Replacement & Upgrade | Volkswagen E-glof/Renult Zoe/Nissan Leaf |MTG – Upgrade Your BMW i3/E-glof/Renult Zoe/Nissan Leaf Battery – More Power, Longer Range

Source: https://www.tesla.com/support/recall-cybertruck-inverter-replacement#:~:text=Inverter%20Replacement%20Recall-,Tesla%20has%20issued%20a%20voluntary%20recall%20on%20certain%20Model%20Year,MOSFET)%20in%20the%20drive%20inverter.

• Standard All-Wheel Drive with 375 hp combined system output
• Up-to 260 miles of manufacturer-estimated all-electric driving range with DC fast-charging times around 30 minutes* (10-80% charge under ideal conditions)
• Equipped with North American Charging System (NACS) port for access to thousands of DC fast charging stations, will also have the convenience of Plug & Charge capability
• Ample utility with generous rear cargo area, 8.3-inch ground clearance, Panoramic View Monitor with Multi-Terrain Monitor, and 3,500-pound towing capacity
• Well-equipped interior with standard SofTex-trimmed seating, 14-inch Toyota Audio Multimedia touchscreen, dual wireless Qi charging, ambient lighting and more
• Premium Package adds JBL Premium Audio, ventilated front seats with memory driver’s seat, panoramic moonroof, front radiant heaters, and more

US: Toyota Announces Powerful...

• All-new, Toyota C-HR Battery Electric Vehicle with 338 combined system net hp and a manufacturer-estimated all electric driving range rating of up to 290-miles*
• Premium interior and easy access rear cargo area for comfort, convenience and utility
• DC fast-charging capability with access to thousands of Level Three charging stations nationwide for a 10-80% charge in around 30 minutes under ideal conditions
• Coupe-like SUV profile with eye-catching design and a fun-to-drive character with standard All-Wheel Drive (AWD)
• Built on Toyota’s e-TNGA platform, with chassis tuning that compliments its spirited output
• Modern interior with soft touch materials, customizable lighting, and 14-inch touchscreen
• Compact crossover utility with 60/40-fold flat seats and up-to 25.4-cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats
• Expected arrival at U.S. Toyota dealerships in 2026

US:...