Maybe I would be better off waiting for the 2008 highlander to come out and trade up,The $12,000 for the hymotion battery should cover it, What would you highlander owners do??

 

Phoenix Motorcars Takes SEMA Show by Storm: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance -Amazing battery news

 

"Often goes electric at speeds of 60+MPH"????? What you talk'n 'bout Willis? Mine only does that "every RARE once in a while" and even that is VERY, VERY rarely and requires things like "going downhill" to engage. In fact, although I had heard others say theirs would do it, mine took nearly a month before ANYTHING over 40MPH got electric.... "Often"?

 

What does this mean(What you talk'n 'bout Willis) The hilander is capable of running on batterys at speeds higher than other hybrids ie. My camry keeps the engine on at all times above 42 mph. My point is that with a greater battery pack it might go electric without going down hill. Mine goes elect on even a slight down hill, but not very long.

 

The phrase is from a 1980's TV show.... You must be younger (under 40). I do realize that it comes on at highway speeds but that is VERY in-frequent. In your original post you stated that it "often" came on. That is mis-leading. The fact is that it "can" come on fairly infrequently. In-frequent is the opposite of "often". Was just saying that your intial post was mis-leading. You probably did not intend that but so many people now-a-days simply don't read what they write. Case in point...

 

(so many people now-a-days simply don't read what they write.) Or write about what they read. I would like your opinion on the part where I wounder if the all elect mode would come on more often with a bigger battery pack.I want the hymotion kit but I'am not sure if it will be worth it..Thanks JOE P.S. If you drove to las vegas from MN. when you hit the mountains you find that often is a apt description of the all elect mode kicking in. case in point

 

Buying something "just because" it represents an "ideal" needs to be measured based on one's ability to finance that endevor paired with the likelyhood of benefit. If you want it and can afford it, I'd say go for it. Every industry needs "early adopters". The guys who cut their teeth on the razorblades of innovation are the ones who make it possible for the prices to come down in the future. Personally, I'd rather put $12K into a stock like AES and see what my return is after 3 years than to invest that same amount into a battery system that may or may not benefit this "particular" vehicle that much.

 

Good reply. I can afford the $12000. My concern is if it would be a better Idea to wait and buy a 2008 hihy If it gets a lot better mpg. Or have some fun trying to get some crazy hi milage with the kit. I recently quit raceing a 8 sec. drag car and I wasted a lot more than $12,000 on that for fun

 

Well, personally, if I were willing to fork out $12K for a modest gain in mpg, I'd wait for the 2008 HiHy and compare my options. By the time the 2008 HiHy comes out, the price for this HyMotion battery kit should also drop => win-win. With the 2008 HiHy, I would expect a few more bells & whistles along with better FE with the 2008, like Bluetooth (?).

But, I understand from a technology-play, the HyMotion battery sounds pretty cool. I just hope it doesn't noticeably degrade the vehicle's handling with the additional weight of the batteries...

 

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Hymotion Delivers PHEV to Fairfax County, Virginia

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