Minneapolis / Rybak's plug-in car doesn't go far

St Paul Pioneer Press ^ | 12/11/2007 | Tim Nelson

[dave k]

Maybe it needs a longer extension cord.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak made headlines this fall when he converted his city car, a Toyota Prius, to plug-in electric hybrid technology. It's the shape of things to come, he's been saying of his new ride.

But he found out this weekend that it's still a work in progress: It ran out of juice, apparently as he was scheduled to help headline a St. Paul fundraiser for former state Sen. Becky Lourey at the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center on the West Side.

[dave k]

HA! ROFLMAO!!

I love it! A liberal mayor from the most liberal city in Minnesota, on his way to a liberal fundraiser at a center renamed for the most liberal senator in Minnesota history, driving his enviro-friendly vehicle....and it runs out of power.

Excuse me while I wipe away the tears of laughter...the irony here is hilarious!!!

[domenad]

Have some Irony. It's good for your blood.

By the way, I can't think of a better representation for liberal politics than some little tin can electric car sitting on the side of the road, out of juice.

[DoughtyOne]

Did you folks hear the one about the guy who was driving his ideology to the promised land, and never got to his destination?

This is a hilarious situation.

[PAR35]

he converted his city car, a Toyota Prius, to plug-in electric hybrid technology.

If it's plug in only, I don't think it's a hybrid. But I wouldn't expect a liberal reporter to know the difference.

[dave k]

...some little tin can electric car sitting on the side of the road, out of juice.

In sub-freezing temperatures, to boot. I'm pretty sure Ryback wasn't equipped with snow boots, ear muffs or any other implements of winter battle...wonder if someone in a gas guzzling SUV with an interior cab temp of 85 degrees cam and picked him up.

[basil]

I wonder who paid for the conversion.

[rocksblues]

Obviously this Mayor needs a 40 gallon generator in his trunk!

[Sender]

Can you call AAA for a quick charge? Oh, wait, they only have gas cans. Ha, ha. If there’s anything more overrated than a Prius, it’s a Prius with no engine.

[CharlesWayneCT]

The story sounds funny. But in fact, he simply ran down the 12-volt battery. The car needs 12 volts to start the computer to run the inverter to get 12 volts from the hybrid battery.

A lot of us original Prius owners had this problem because the 2002 prius had a really small 12-volt battery. Fortunately, you can “jump-start” the car with a 12-volt drill battery, or even a set of 8 1.5-volt double-a batteries. All you need is enough juice to power up the computer.

The car itself is a hybrid, so once it is running so long as it has gasoline it can operate, recharging the main batteries (and of course the 12-volt battery, which also can be recharged off the main batteries once the computer is on).

I’ve never run the 12-volt dead on my new Prius — it’s a more normal size 12-volt battery. On the old Prius you could run the battery dead if you left one of the interior lights on overnight (like if the door didn’t quite shut).

All that said, I can’t believe the Mayor couldn’t bum a ride to an event. Doesn’t he have an Aide or something?

[The Electrician]

Ha ha...

Don't you just love it when mindless symbolism collides head on with reality, and reality shows it who's the boss...

[misterrob]

You own a Prius?

FAG

[6SJ7]

It isn't the first time Rybak has had hybrid-related driving difficulties. He was ticketed in 2004 for leaving his official car unattended and allowing it to roll into a snow bank, a lapse he remembered during a recent video segment on his new ride: "You could sometimes forget that the car was even on," he said of his first hybrid, "which has its consequences."

Nice!

[AlaskaErik]

On the old Prius you could run the battery dead if you left one of the interior lights on overnight (like if the door didn’t quite shut).

My gas guzzling 2001 GMC automatically shuts off any lights after 20 minutes. So if I leave a map light on, it doesn't run down the battery. The dome light automatically shuts off after 20 or 30 seconds, whether the door is closed or not. Strangely enough, I've never had a run down battery problem even though it is over seven years old now.

[Chode]

reality strikes again...

[Secret Agent Man]

“Yeah, I just really wanted to (closes eyes while speaking) do something positive for the environment and be part of the solution. Thanks!” /south park

[quark]

The inspiration for all those flatheads out there driving Prius' must be the Frogs' Deux Chevaux (literally, "Two Horses"). Fitting...a horse's ass driving a Deux Chevaux knockoff.

[tet68]

wonder if someone in a gas guzzling SUV with an interior cab temp of 85 degrees cam and picked him up.

Probably his security detail.

[ButThreeLeftsDo]

Rybak is a bleepin’ idiot, always has been, always will be.

(I guess I don’t need to tell you that, davek!!)

So ashamed of the name his parent(s?) gave him, he goes by a couple of initials. Typical liberal....I’m surprised that he hasn’t figured out a way to add an additional, hyphenated name, fer God’s sake.....

[CharlesWayneCT]

I own two Prius. I replaced my minivan and a sedan. I use the Prius for all our vacationing for our family of four. I goes as fast as I dare to go without getting caught for speeding, it carries everything I need, and I get almost triple the gas mileage on my long trips than I got with my old van.

I pollute less, I use less gas, and I enjoy how the car drives. It has excellent safety features including traction, skid, and anti-lock braking control. It accelerates smoothly from 0-80, with no shifts to worry about.

I would recommend the car to anybody. It’s not for everybody of course, but I think it’s a fine car.

[misterrob]

Just giving you grief....

I have spent many hours behind the wheel of the Mommy Van.....

My 2006 330i is now two years old and has less than 12,000 miles on it. Wife won’t drive in it.