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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sorry about the spreadsheet - it came through just
fine on my computer. With regard to the battery - quoted from Road & Track
Magazine:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=rt_tc_answer><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=rt_tc_answer><FONT face=Arial size=2><EM>"Bob, your
straightforward question turned out to have a surprisingly complex answer.
Toyota warranties the Prius battery pack for eight years, “but the expectation
is it will last much longer than that.” How much longer no one is willing to
speculate, so we’ll guestimate a 10-year lifespan from the nickel/metal-hydride
unit.</EM></FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2><EM>Even more confusing to our Casio 10-key
calculator is that the Prius battery pack is priced at $4000 by Toyota public
relations, $3420 by our local dealer and is expected to cost only $1000 in eight
years (Toyota’s estimate) due to greater economies of scale as more vehicles
require battery replacement. While that may sound too good to be true, Toyota is
insistent on this point. They also expect the batteries to get lighter and more
efficient. What’s more, it’s forecast that reconditioned battery packs will be
part of the picture. (You’d likely replace your conventional 10-year-old car’s
engine with a rebuilt one, right?)</EM></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2><EM>So, which is more financially sound, gasoline or
battery power? At $1000 for the battery and a lifespan of eight years or longer,
the battery clearly wins any contest of the calculators. At a worst case of
$3500 for a new battery pack, installed, along with $1.65 per gallon of
gasoline, we find the battery pack is worth 2121 gallons of gasoline. Our Road
Test Summary rates the (first-generation) Prius at 40.3 mpg, which would yield
85,476 miles of driving. That would be a bit over 4 cents a mile for the
battery, and a financial dead heat given 10,684 miles per year of driving in
eight years. Adding even a little to battery life or subtracting from its cost
makes the battery a winner; and that’s not to mention any change in the price of
gasoline, which is only going to go up.</EM></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2><EM>Installation costs are not an issue; the battery
pack is easily accessible by removing the back seat, à la VW Beetles and Piper
Cherokees."</EM></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2>Terry Farrell</FONT></P></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>----- Original Message ----- </FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>From: "Don" <</FONT><A
href="mailto:pianotuna@yahoo.com"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>pianotuna@yahoo.com</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>To: "Pianotech List" <</FONT><A
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>pianotech@ptg.org</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sent: Monday, April 10, 2006 8:18 AM</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Subject: Re: Cargo to Go</FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><BR><FONT size=2></FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT face=Arial
size=2>> Hi Terry,<BR>> <BR>> Your spreadsheets don't post very well.
Thanks. How much to replace the<BR>> battery in 7 years? Or will you flip the
vehicle then?<BR>> <BR>> At 12:43 PM 4/10/2006 -0400, you
wrote:<BR>>> had zero
traffic and I could drive as silly as I wanted - I
was<BR>>>averaging about 85 mpg until I ran into a bit of traffic
that made my<BR>>>average plummet to 75 mpg! that
first tank of gas, I have been<BR>>>recording our fuel purchases and
mileage. Below is a spreadsheet of our<BR>>>data so
far:
Date
Price Gallons
<BR>>>
Miles Computer
MPG Actual
MPG
<BR>>>Cumulative Computer
MPG Cumulative
Actual MPG
Total<BR>>>Miles
Total Fuel
Cost
01/21/06
2.349 <BR>>>
8.978
434
55.0
48.3
<BR>>>
48.30
434
21.09
02/04/06 <BR>>>
2.299
8.269
474
55.8
57.3 <BR>>>
55.80
57.32
908
40.10
<BR>>>
02/17/06
2.199
9.408
498
57.1<BR>>>
52.9
56.45
54.99
1406 <BR>>>
60.79
03/04/06
2.259
8.463
<BR>>>460
56.8
54.4
56.57
54.78 <BR>>>
1866
79.91
03/14/06
2.439 <BR>>>
9.167
498
56.6
54.3
56.58 <BR>>>
54.66
2364
102.26
03/26/06 <BR>>>
2.509
7.968
439
53.8 55.1
<BR>>>
56.02
54.74
2803
122.26
<BR>>>
04/09/06
2.739
7.415
381
<BR>>>55.4
51.4
55.92
54.25
3184 <BR>>>
142.57 As you can see, our cumulative mileage is 54.25 so far
-<BR>>>and that includes a lot of rush-hour driving when traffic does not
let you <BR>>>drive the way you might like. Terry
Farrell <BR>>>
Original message<BR>>> improvement
over my Lincoln)! Terry
Farrell<BR>> <BR>> Regards,<BR>> Don Rose, B.Mus., A.M.U.S., A.MUS.,
R.P.T.<BR>> Non calor sed umor est qui nobis incommodat<BR>> <BR>>
</FONT><A href="mailto:pianotuna@yahoo.com"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>mailto:pianotuna@yahoo.com</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT><A
href="http://us.geocities.com/drpt1948/"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>http://us.geocities.com/drpt1948/</FONT></A><BR><FONT face=Arial
size=2>> <BR>> 3004 Grant Rd. REGINA, SK, S4S 5G7<BR>> 306-539-0716 or
1-888-29t-uner<BR>></FONT></BODY></HTML>