Vulnerable under-hood wiring?

Good catch Tom....
As you know, I don't have much stick time with chaff-dispensers. We used alka-seltzer!
I haven't finished my first cup of coffee yet.....please excuse the spelling goof!

 

I believe you are describing the web like wires surrounding the bright orange high voltage connectors. I am not 100% positive of their function, but from other experience in electronics I would guess that they are part of the strain relief for the connectors. It is very common to see this on large, high voltage connectors. The wires may also be some sort of current/EMI sensing to safely detect and shutdown the high voltage in the event the cables are damaged.

As for damage, what are you planning on doing under the hood that would be routinely touching those wires ??

 

Oh...that....
I could start an ugly rumor and state that it's Mu-Metal shielding (see below.)

Electromagnetic shielding is the process of reducing the [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_field"]electromagnetic field[/ame][ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_conductor"]conductive[/ame] and/or magnetic materials. Shielding is typically applied (1) to enclosures to isolate electrical devices from the 'outside world' and (2) to cables to isolate wires from the environment through which the cable runs. Electromagnetic shielding that blocks [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_frequency"]radio frequency[/ame] [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_radiation"]electromagnetic radiation[/ame] is also known as RF shielding.

However (comma) I believe it's just a chafe,strain-relief, as stated in the previous post.

 

This one made me laugh. It's a good thing I didn't have coffee in my mouth, or it would have been on the monitor. That's a good term for decoys.

Not to hijack this thread, but I used to work for Gould.

Tom

 

^^^

 

Actually, I'd be wiilling to bet that the reason for those wires (at least in part, if not entirely) is shielding. It's precisely because the Prius has that and other shielding that EM radiation is not a problem with the car.

Please note, I'm not saying that if there were, it'd be a health problem (more likely a problem for the surrounding electronics), or anything like that. Shielding is part of any electronic design, especially to reduce interference with other electronics or licensed radio applications.

 

I might be way off on this one, but im gonna go ahead and bet those are the secondary (after the inverter) wires going from the variable frequency drive to the electric motors. Im hypothesizing this for 2 reasons:

1: There are six - 3 to each MG, as is the case on multiphase ac motor. If this was the input to the inverter section from the battery it would only have 2 wires I beleive, and would be DC, with no reason to have EMF shielding. Which brings me to...

2: EMF shielding is a good idea on the secondaries of a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD), as what comes out of that device is actually still DC, but it is switched on and off so fast that to the motor it actually looks the same as an AC sine wave. This is called Pulse Width Modulation... and it causes interference!



SO my pont is: There is no voltage present on these wires when the car is in motion... and if your hanging out of the hood poking those wires while the car is moving, you deserve whats comin' to ya!

 

This was one of the first things I noticed when inspecting the 2010 pre-production models. This gave the cars an unfinished appearance and I had expected that production models would have a more robust wiring harness. Certainly, the 2G under-hood wiring harness does not look like that.

Several 2G owners have posted their experience with rodent damage, especially those living in rural areas. I hope that no 3G owners have their engine ECU wires chewed up by a rat. It would not have been very difficult for the engine ECU wiring harness connector to include a rubber shield covering the individual wires.

 

The 1998 Camry had them as well. The headlight wires looked like that too. 12 years of some dust/dirt/oil film on them later, they had finally proven themselves to my slightly paranoid, self-degeneration conducive mind.

 

Does "EMF Shielding" imply that the Prius would operate in the event of a high radiation concentration; i.e. nuclear or other device? Of course, I might be reading too many science fiction books, too!

Happy Motoring,

Tom

 

I don't think anybody really knows for sure how an uncorked thermonuclear device will affect Priuses, airliners, lawnmowers, etc...
However (comma) I personally think we'll have some other things to be worried about rather than trying to get Priuses back on the road.... just sayin!

 

Okay, I understand what you're saying, but I'm just letting it be known now that I want to be buried with my Prius!

P.S. I live about 45 minutes from Fayetteville, NC (Ft. Bragg), we're probably an enemy nuke target, among others.

Happy Motoring,

Tom

 

The shielding only implies that the Prius will generate less RF interference to your radio reception than it otherwise would produce.

I think that we should assume that Prius would be one of the most sensitive vehicles to an EMF pulse produced by a nuclear weapon, due to its unusually high electronics content. If that is your concern then you would probably want to have a 1960's or earlier vintage vehicle ready for use - one with no electronic engine controls. Maybe that vehicle would survive.