With ever increasing gasoline prices, emissions of harmful gases from fossil-fuel polluting the environment and vigorous campaign by ‘green activists’, electric cars are undoubtedly going to remain popular with public and various institutions.

With Toyota announcing introduction of a completely ‘electric plug-in vehicle’ with zero emissions in addition to their Prius model, many more well-known car manufacturers are expected to follow suit. As of now, Toyota Prius is still the huge success story of the leading Japanese automobile giant, both from technological point of view, garnering large share of the market, besides being in the green vehicle genre.

The Toyota Prius, being already a 3rd generation vehicle at present, countless number of these types of flourishing hybrids would be introduced by other car makers soon. Toyota Prius has already clocked 100,000 miles of running and are being sold at $8000 at present.

It is a fascinating option for people particular about buying a reasonably priced, fuel-efficient and zero or minimal emission car. However the main drawback with Toyota Prius hybrid car, though appealing for people with different lifestyles, is its intricate mechanism that only Toyota-trained technicians are aware of.

It is, therefore, advisable to purchase only a used Toyota Prius car checked thoroughly by an experienced and well-known Toyota dealer, unless the person trying to buy Prius or his close friend are fully aware of its working. A Prius car that has not been looked after well is susceptible to inverter or transaxle failure, both of them are not only critical parts of the car but are also very costly to replace or even repair.

As power transmission of Toyota Prius is primarily a CVT, one should not purchase a used Prius if some jots or jerks are observed in transmission. A new transaxle assembly for the Prius is expected to be around $ 10,000, which is a ridiculous cost for repairs considering that a new car itself will cost only that, much.

Other aspects that require inspection before purchasing a used Toyota Prius comprise the ‘front struts’ and ‘rear shocks’, ‘HID headlights’, the 12V battery, excluding the traction unit, the rear brake lights, the inverter cooling pump and the transaxle fluid.

Another factor that should be checked is about the availability of maintenance records. These records should indicate that the inverter cooling pump ‘recall’ has been carried out and that the transaxle fluid has been changed as per the suggested intervals.

Even before seeking permission of the seller for checking the car, one can make a few preliminary checks. He should switch on the HID headlights and ensure that they still remain lit even after a gap of ten minutes. Similarly, turn on the air conditioner and observe the air coming out of the vents.

One should check after ten minutes to see whether air is still chilly and that there are no leaks underneath the engine’s water pump. The original 12 volt battery is expected to be generally defective and is therefore advisable to have the battery replaced with a battery purchased from aftermarket or secondary market where car parts are sold.

Although it may appear that replacing a brake light switch is a trivial issue, it is still a complicated job as it will also require changing the pedal assembly. The design of Toyota Prius is complicated that in any other traditional car, these small defects can be easily rectified.

If a lot of small defects are noticed in the Prius one intends to buy, it would be advisable to check another car instead of purchasing a used Toyota Prius car with so many defects, as repairs will far exceed the purchase price a new car.

Quite often, Toyota Prius owner gets stranded on the road or are held up at home because the car would not start. When the car does not start, most people normally conclude that the problem is with the dead Prius hybrid battery and proceed to repair the main battery.

However, many times the main battery may not at all be the problem, but the 12 volt battery in the Prius which is the culprit. If the 12 volt accessory battery is dead, the car would not start. It is as simple as that. Luckily, it is much easier to repair a 12 volt battery than work on the hybrid cells.

The following guidelines may be helpful to repair the 12 volt battery:

As a first step, the Prius battery’s cover should be opened. This can be done by pulling the handle situated right at the bottom left of the steering wheel.

After that the plastic protector to the battery located on the right-hand side of the engine should be opened and next, the small red plastic lid covering the positive port of the battery should be opened.

There is a positive cable, which has a white line painted on the rubber. This positive cable should be clipped to the positive port of the car providing the electric current from the Prius hybrid battery.

The negative cable (black in color) should be clipped to the negative port of the car giving electric current, while doing this; it should be ensured that the other end does not touch any other metal before connecting to the Prius main cells as electric current may already be flowing through the cables.

Next step is to start the car to provide the charge and press the accelerator a little so that sufficient current flows to spark the 12 volts battery in the Prius.

After charging the battery, you should start your car and drive for at least 20 minutes without switching off the engine. This will recharge the battery sufficiently and ensure that it will not become dead, when the engine is turned off. Those using a battery charger should start the Prius and leave it charging overnight.

With all the steps, if your Prius battery still does not work, it means that there is a more serious problem with the hybrid cells. It costs around $5000 to buy hybrid cells without warranty from Toyota.

As this option is quite costly, it is much cheaper to repair the dead Prius cells via a Do It Yourself (DIY) approach thereby saving around $4000. The dead Prius battery cells can be replaced with the help of DIY replacement guide.

The repair guide is prepared by experienced mechanics that specialize in reconstructing HB packs. The guide gives step by step instructions with detailed pictures.

Alternatively, those not keen in buying new battery cells from Toyota spending $5000; they can buy rebuilt the battery pack by spending half of that money. However, this still works out costly.

Considering all available options, it is highly recommended to take the help of Prius Hybrid guide and repair it by the user himself.

Toyota Prius Battery Replacement Guide

Is there a cheaper option to replace the battery pack on a Toyota Prius? As a matter of fact, the guys at www.hybridbatteryrebuild.com can get the battery replaced for under $500. Want to know they can get it done so cheap? Click on the link below to learn the answer.

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Every oil dependent country dreams that a time will come when their oil import bill will come down and they themselves will be able to cater to their citizens’ needs, indigenously. However, such a dream looks utopian without the advent of alternative energy and this is happening due to the continued low oil prices.

The oil prices are going to remain low, until and unless the world’s economy revive from the ongoing financial crisis. In the United States; we have the maximum number of trucks, SUVs and other large vehicles than any other country, plying on the roads that consume enormous amount of gasoline.

However, though the recent fall in gasoline prices augurs well for consumers in the upcoming festive season; it is definitely disheartening for the advocates for green energy, fuel economy cars and alternative energy, since the low gasoline prices are going to hinder concerted effort in pursuing fuel efficient technology.

The oil prices are bound to increase as and when the world’s economy recovers and demand for oil increases. This is not only going to harm the environment but the higher energy price will hamper economic growth, too, thus paving the way for the advent of alternative and environmental friendly energy solution.

Once we know the secret of striking a balance between these two; alternate energy is going to be the driving force that can propel forward the world’s economy. The development of green cars like Toyota Prius can successfully lead the energy efficient engineering process.

Other companies, too, are following suit; in fact, back in May 2003 Daimler-Benz, parent company of Mercedes, had developed fuel cell technology on trial basis and had experimented it under the hood of various types of vehicles in USA, Europe, Japan and China.

Till today, these fuel cell cars are running successfully; however, if these cars are to have a bright future and extensive use, then refueling facility with hydrogen has to be made readily available in most, if not all, gasoline pumps.

Daimler-Benz is going to continue with the fuel cell technology, but to make these cars an interesting proposition; multiple easy and cheap refueling facilities have to be built across the country. The Volt from General Motors is a plug-in hybrid vehicle so also the Prius version from Toyota.

Though with the current technology a plug-in electric vehicle can travel only between short distances; however, GM’s Volt uses a plug-in for charging and recharging of the on-board Lithium ion batteries and when these gets exhausted, the car automatically switches to the internal gasoline engine, which not only runs the car but also re-charges the batteries.

The current technology is still not up to the mark to cater to plug-in cars, though these are the best for the environment with zero emission; however, the high demand for electricity acts as a deterrent. The electricity infrastructure grid has to be overhauled to cater to plug-in cars, as and when their usage becomes widespread, over and above catering to industrial and household needs.

Unless the technology is upgraded, the use of fossil fuels cannot be completely eliminated. Still then, this alternative fuel technology can be a good proposition for short distances, as long as sufficient plug-in points for electricity are there across the country.

The current hybrid technology used by Toyota Prius is head and shoulder above its competitors; it covers long distances as well as enhances fuel efficiency by using the internal combustion engine as well as electricity stored in the rechargeable batteries.

Since the initial high cost of such vehicles, due to the high entry cost of the new technology and the lack of economic support system, is a dampener; it is best to stick to the existing hybrid cars available in the market.

Introduced in the American as well as the European markets in the year 2000, after this was commissioned in the year 1997; the Toyota Prius variant has sold over 1.5 million units and has remained, till date, the world’s first mass produced hybrid technology car.