Toyota Prius batteries being targeted by car thieves

[werto165]

"First the thieves came for the car radios, and I did not speak out. Then it was airbags. And now, according to Toyota dealers, battery packs are increasingly becoming the target of smash-and-grab thieves."

 

"The Toyota Prius, as you may know, is a hybrid—it has a small 1.5- or 1.8-litre engine, along with an electric motor that's driven by a battery pack (nickel-metal-hydride, NiMH, in the case of normal Priuses, and lithium-ion for the plug-in hybrid version). Like most batteries, the one in the Prius gradually loses its efficiency over time, eventually necessitating a replacement."

 

 

"The cost for replacing a Prius battery pack is not insignificant—outside of the warranty period, it's about $2,500 in the US. Curiously, it's much cheaper in the UK: just £800 according to Toyota."

 

"The second-gen Prius, released between 2003 and 2009, was a huge sales hit—and now, many of those vehicles are coming up to the point where they need a new battery. Some third-gen Priuses, which went on sale in 2009, may start seeing battery fade as well. That demand for replacement batteries, it would seem, is fuelling a number of battery thefts in California."

 

"Yahoo Auto reports that the thefts seem to be localised to San Francisco at the moment, and also that Prius battery packs aren't marked with a serial number or VIN, which makes them easy to sell. Apparently, according to Luscious Garage in San Fransisco, if you're a Prius owner who wants to mitigate against theft, you should replace the battery's existing 12mm bolts with tamper-proof bolts. Presumably that won't stop the thieves from first smashing your windows and damaging your upholstery, only to find out the battery can't be removed, however"

 

"As electric vehicles become more popular, batteries will increasingly become the target of theft. The good news is that it should be fairly easy for car makers to secure the battery pack to the chassis in some way; and of course, the sheer size and weight of some battery packs should deter petty car thieves. The Tesla Model S battery, for example, comes in at around 1,000 pounds (450kg)."

 

"We looked on Craigslist, the batteries are going around $900 to a $1,000"—a lot of money for a 20-minute smash-and-grab job, and, for a prospective buyer, a good discount over an official replacement battery."

 

So yeah, hybrid owners beware, I would imagine for the most part you will be fine as the job of removing a battery isn't the fastest in the world. Also you can get bolts that counter the theives, but for now it just seems like it's localised to the car dealers themselves, as they obviously wont lock them. Not sure if this is really tech news but I didn't really know where else to put it. Anyway time to use a relevant gif from breaking bad, I can just imagine the battery thieves now:

 

http://arstechnica.co.uk/cars/2015/05/toyota-prius-batteries-being-targeted-by-car-thieves/

[FuzzyYellow]

stealing batteries, who would've thought?

[Trik'Stari]

HAH, not so smug now are you hybrid drivers?

[handymanshandle]

Wonder why Toyota doesn't attatch a VIN to the batteries even if they needed replacing.

[qwertywarrior]

i really hate it when they said

"The cost for replacing a Prius battery pack is not insignificant"

 

just say "is significant"

[techswede]

Wonder why Toyota doesn't attatch a VIN to the batteries even if they needed replacing.

They probably never thought they'd be stolen. If its just a replacement part they are usually not going to put a vin on it.

 

I'm sure this will lead to some kind of identification number being put on the batteries from now on.

[werto165]

i really hate it when they said

"The cost for replacing a Prius battery pack is not insignificant"

 

just say "is significant"

It's like they're just trying to meet a word length goal. School systems have got to them.

[TroubleKlef]

People stole air bags?

[blastedryan]

People steal everything. Haven't you heard of people stealing the rear(easy to remove) seat in vans?

[Diederik_Gr]

People stole air bags?

That happens, always with a certain type of car. It was a year ago that like 4 Renault Twingo's had their airbags stolen in my town. I'm pretty sure there is a black market for car parts, even for cheap cars.

[Aniallation]

I just finished watching Project Almanac and the title lead me to believe other things then for resale lol

[Real_PhillBert]

I had a spare tire stolen from under a vehicle once. People steal weird shit sometimes.

[MrRavens]

Lol, these ppl are savages. About to drive off and your car doesn't start. Turns out you don't have your engine. Could you imagine? Haha!

[Roland]

People will steal off-road lights, anything not tied down and some things that are. This isn't really a new thing. One of the best deterrents though, for not getting your whole car stolen is drive something flashy. See, it attracts attention when you are pulling away in a lifted truck, a tricked out sports car, rare car, etc. Only reason insurance is more expensive on them, is the cost of repair/parts.

[cesrai]

i really hate it when they said

"The cost for replacing a Prius battery pack is not insignificant"

just say "is significant"

Preschool rules ??

[brownninja97]

or do what porsche did and center mount it so that you would have to get real dodgy to rip it off a panamera, macan, cayenne etc.

[werto165]

or do what porsche did and center mount it so that you would have to get real dodgy to rip it off a panamera, macan, cayenne etc.

Porsche do it because they want to make money of the labour cost of replacing it. Probably not, probably just to do with the weight distribution but whatever. Making the battery easily accessible is better for when it comes to replacing it, you get your car back sooner and it costs less. (both of which are assumptions)

 

[Guest]

For about a month someone was walking by where I park my truck and poping the hood every day. Started parking somewhere else.

dafuq?

[Guest]

People stole air bags?

Hey, it's free air you know!.....

Jesus how sad.

[Guest]

Yeah, not all the way, just that first bump. Like if you pull the hood realease in the cab, and it pops up so you can release the latch and get into the engine bay, but only that first bit. They never actually opened the hood all the way.

Still obviously a thief