Yahoo News

 

Reading between the lines:
Next year Toyota switches to Li-Ion battery technology.
??

 

No reason to read between any lines when a Google search "Toyota battery plant" gives the answer that they are building a third Nickel Metal Hydride (not Lithium Ion) plant. Here's one link:

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...380/1148/rss25

 

Although the news story says that the plant will produce NiMH batteries, it seems likely that they will be able to switch production to new technologies when they are ready. Toyota's core expertise, after all, is in manufacturing: they have been pioneers in efficient and flexible manufacturing processes for decades.

The biggest story here is that Toyota anticipates continued strong demand for hybrids; otherwise why invest in a battery production facility. But that hardly will surprise readers of this forum!

 

I guess that's why I'm still waiting for mine, they say it could be up to 10 more weeks!

 

Yes, i am sure that demand for Toyota's hybrids went way up after i bought mine in August of last year. I waited for 3-4 weeks to get mine. I had already test drove a TCH in Jan of last year. Now that gas has been above $3.50/gal for almost 6 months, demand has gone through the roof. And i can imagine the price cuts are not as severe anymore either.

 

Funny thing happens with supply and demand.
I'd bet that the cost of buying and driving a Suburban is cheaper today, despite gas prices nearly doubling, than it was a year or two ago (GM recently announced a $7,000 price reduction).
Drive a Suburban 12000 miles, 15 miles to the gallon comes out to 800 gallons a year. The increase in gas price $2/gal = $1600 increase in driving cost/year. The price reduction pays for nearly 4 1/2 years of increased fuel costs.
Conversely, the TCH premium (over the gas Camry) used to be around a 3-4 year payback. Now that the demand for the car has grown, the (presumed) cost increase and premium to the gas version negate much, if not all, of the savings from the TCH's efficiency.
It might (just guessing) be cheaper to buy and drive a gas Camry over the long term than to buy and own a TCH.
This will change when there are more hybrids available, but until then, it might be cheaper to own a guzzler???
Yes, there are other considerations than just the cost.

 

Plus, let's not forget that a Hummer is better for the environment than a Prius!

 

Beats 26 weeks it took for my '04 Prius "way back then".

 

I got my TCH the first month they were on the street. The price compared to a comparably equipped non-hybrid V6 (closer in power than the I4) was within $900, but with the reduced "discounts" available (I paid sticker, but could have gotten about $1.5K off list on the XLE). Also, I got the $2.6K of the 2.7K tax rebate then available (after loosing $100 because of the AMT!), so my actual price difference was 900 + 1.5K - 2.6K = -$200.

With a better than 10 MPG average increase in milage for the 12K miles I drive a year, that is over 100 gallons of gas saved a year. So, the payoff period for my TCH was 100 gal/yr * $4/gal / (-$200) = - 2 years. See, my TCH payback for its hybrid cost penalty was 2 years before I bought it! Only half of the 4 years you suggest!

-- Alan