I was in a meeting recently with a guy who I think is a know-it-all and he stated that on the transport ship from Japan to the US, Prii traction batteries are hooked up to trickle chargers. I know NiMH batteries self discharge at a high rate, but I find this to be difficult to believe. Does anyone know anything about this "trickle charge during transport" claim?
I take that as a BS call then? BTW - The guy who claimed it is a PITA to even be around because he's a self-proclaimed genius on all topics. Basically, no one can stand the guy but he remains clueless about that. Anyway, I doubted the statement when he made it; but I didn't really know for sure, so I kept mum.
Ask Mr. Genius In His Own Mind how they hook up the trickle charger while the car is in transit. I bet that he doesn't have a plasible method. He will probably make something up on the spot, and you can have fun asking him to clarify / explain exactly how it works. It could be quite amusing.
How about a simple..."No, that's not accurate." The Prius traction battery can sit, unused, for 6 months or longer without requiring a charge or dramatic droop in the charge. There are actually only a relative handful of chargers built for charging the Prius HV battery, basically one per region in the US, I suspect not a whole lot more in Japan or elsewhere. Certainly not enough for every car on a transport ship. The 12v is disconnected via unplugging the dome fuse during transport, but even it doesn't require charging during transport.
Yes, I call BS. Such know-it-alls are usually stuck in a dead-end job, particularly a menial one. They may spout off about things, but never back up what they are saying If I don't know something, I readily admit so. Otherwise, I'm more than willing to go into painful detail of how something works, including many pictures and scary math It's fun to wait for somebody to claim they know something, let them put on their noose, and then hang them with it. Sinister, but fun
While we are on this 'transit' topic, does anyone (non-self-proclaimed genius) know how long does it usually take the Toyota transport ship to deliver from Japan to USA? And my guess is the Toyota ship will only travel port to port from Japan to US West Coast, and the goods are then deliveried by trucking to Mid-States and East Coast, correct?
It takes ~4 days for freighter traffic from Honolulu to Long Beach, CA. Based upon that, I'll venture a guess that it takes 8-9 days to travel from Japan to Long Beach.
Last travel show I watched had them on the water for 10 days. That's to LA or Seattle. They do go through the Panama canal and dock at Miami and a port farther north. Somewhere around Boston, I think I read. These trips will be few and far between right now, as the ports are currently plugged with unsold Toyotas, Nissans, etc., etc. I guess there will be a sailing or two for the new 2010 model. There are now two kinds of NiMH cells, the one we are familiar with, and a newer one that doesn't self discharge as fast, currently being sold with a Sony label on AA size. Neither self discharge very rapidly. It takes 6 months to notice the drop. Usually around 12 months to be a problem. Twice that for the new ones. The Prius battery is optimized for high current in and out with low losses, not for really long charge retention. Even so, it does quite well.
