So, I had an idea. Many of us would really prefer to have a plug-in Prius, but can't (or don't want) to afford the aftermarket kits. How about a bunch of us put some money in a pool, and then have a drawing (or vote) to see who actually gets converted? I'm in for $50. The point would not actually be to hold a lottery, but to get plug-ins on the road, and to get people around the country to become aware of them. So, the "winner" of the kit need not even be someone who donates, simply someone who is willing to make the conversion, drive around a lot, and is generally charismatic. (Maybe even a dealership employee who could park out front?) It would be cool to have the converted cars "wrapped" with "This is a plug-in" etc. http://www.autowrapped.com How many out there would be in for this? Nate
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(naterprius @ Jul 13 2006, 10:19 PM) [snapback]286096[/snapback]</div> Sounds great...but wouldn't we have to find a bunch of people out of warranty? Otherwise we may as well wrap the car in "I have violated my warranty" We would have to get a Toyota approval for this...or I think it would be tough to convince anyone to do it (except maybe darelldd...you know how crazy he gets about his EV's!)
I don't think there are even any plugins avaliable at the moment. If there were i'd probably get one right now. When you decide to modify a car you have to just forget the warranty. The whole car won't loose warranty, but the parts that toyota can prove will be negatively effected by the modifications will not be covered.
Not until the plug-in kits are designed right, e.g. removable by the owner when it's not needed like for a long trip. . Not until *much* more information is forthcoming on how exactly they interface to the car, which the major players are keeping close to the chest. . Not until someone thinks about how people *without* garages will benefit from these things. . Not until the ramifications of transaxle lubrication under extended EV mode are *solidly* known and proven, without guesswork. . Not until a lot of things, but maybe this will give the right people a few design hints. . _H*
