Most of our driving these days is in short trips close to home. Maybe 20 miles round trip, tops. This would be perfect for an EV, but there are no cheap "local" EVs other than some golf cart like vehicles. There are old EVs, but they are only cheap if the battery has gone, and replacing those large capacity packs is really expensive. Volt's are close (for range) but it is $7-$8k for a battery, plus labor. BMW i3's are nice - and $18k for a new battery. So, today I noticed this: 2012 - 2015 Toyota Prius plug-in Lithium battery pack– NexPower Energy which is supposed to increase the EV mode range to around 30 miles, and it is only $4.5k, and I suspect I can install this myself (assuming it isn't very different from a 2nd Generation pack install.) The original pack range is a little short for our intended purposes, but 30 miles would be fine. So my thinking is, find a Gen 3 plugin/prime, 2012 or later (to avoid the head gasket and oil burning issue) with a bad pack. $10K, maybe less? This would be a car that starts but has only a pack related error code. Put another $4.5k into it for the LFP pack, and have a "local EV" for around $15k, which can also be driven on long trips if needed, and if the pack fails down the road, it would only be another $4.5k to get it moving again, vs. much more for all the "real" EVs. This car probably wouldn't qualify for most EV tax credits, but we can't really use most of the Federal one anyway since we are in a gap between retiring and starting Social Security, so our income isn't enough to max out that credit. Thoughts?
if you want to be a beta tester, jack might give you one for free. if it works and lasts, it sounds great. have you looked around for bolts? some people at bolt.org are saying you can find low mile 2 year old bolts in socal for 12-12k after tax rebates.
I'll get more info on the delivery schedule for these packs for you and report back to this thread. And yes, if I found a Gen3 Plugin Prius for sale for a low price because of loss of EV range I'd be the first one in line to buy it so I could put this particular Project Lithium pack in it. But early Plug-in Prius are hard to find and people who own them don't want to sell them. In terms of reliability, it's one the best Prius ever made, that is if you don't count the Gen3 engine problems... And if you're driving local, you'll improve your odds of not having that become a problem anytime soon.
Ah, my mistake. I thought it was in the generally available stage, just sold out. Bolt prices are a PITA. The dealers are sometimes already subtracting off the $4K used rebate, so one has to read the fine print to see which price they put in the headline. Anyway, I have not seen anything that low, and very very few from private sellers. $17K (ish) seems to be the base for dealer prices. That's also roughly the list price for a replacement pack. Since the first set of bolt batteries were all defective (and recalled) and nobody knows yet what the replacements are going to be like, that is a pretty big set of question marks. Also I have read of bolts losing packs to road debris, and I'm pretty sure with the pack and car prices so close together, the insurance company would total the car. Never heard of a Prius losing a pack to a big rock in the road. (Other damage, sure.)
Auctions? Owners don't want to sell them while they work. Find one with a pack that failed they might not want to pay enough to fix it. These have 3 packs in them, as I recall. Do they work OK if one is replaced, or would you normally replace all 3 parts in case of a failure? If the latter, that would be what, $8K at the dealer? Easy to imagine people trading them in at that point, and then off the car goes to auction.
I think you’ve gotten some misinformation about bolts. Up until the pack problem, they were very reliable, and many have well over 100,000 miles on them. The pack fires while dramatic, were extremely limited, and the issue was identified quickly. Some owners got new packs, and some got software updates and compensation. Road debris damage is internet hype, and you’ll never have a problem with the kind of driving you are talking about
I personally wouldn't buy a BEV because of it's limitations and pre-planning required to take a long trip. I love the Hybrid concept, If you don't have time to charge, just keep driving on gas. If you want to wrench on a car, that's a good option, but you may end up with a very expensive driveway statue / money pit. Not the way I'd like to spend my retirement (IMHO). Check out Hertz car sales, Your not going to steal a car there - but they do offer good warranties with newer safer cars for sales. They are even offering fairly decent deals on the BEV fleet they're trying to dispose of. Good Luck..
Speaking of "dispose", Longo Toyota currently has 42 used Mirais for sale (but only 31 new). The couple I looked at online come with "free $15k fuel card". I guess that would be $5K in free money if one drove a lot of miles entirely within LA or the SF Bay Area, where hydrogen stations are "plentiful". That hydrogen is all from natural gas though, so in terms of carbon emissions it is on par with a CNG vehicle.
I toyed with the idea of a CNG car, over two decades ago, but ruled it out - due to the same limitations and smaller radius it can travel. Though CNG filling stations are more plentiful than hydrogen stations in my area. There's only one hydrogen station within a 60 mile radius of me. I could've refueled a CNG car at home, again limited range.
