Hooray! Batteries are becoming a theft target!

I guess electric cars have a future after all if thieves like them...

http://arstechnica.com/cars/2015/05/toyota-prius-batteries-being-targeted-by-car-thieves/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's one thing to steal a trunk mounted 1.3 kW battery and quite another to try and walk away with a 640 lb pack the size of the undercarriage of a car. I think they will resort to stealing the entire car instead. I'm sure there are some simple electrical hacks that can be done to disable the car (kill switch) if it becomes a serious problem.

Yeah, I'm not too worried people will be sneakily forklifting the battery away from my LEAF any time soon because of this. One more reason not to get a hybrid

asimba2 said:

It's one thing to steal a trunk mounted 1.3 kW battery and quite another to try and walk away with a 640 lb pack the size of the undercarriage of a car. I think they will resort to stealing the entire car instead. I'm sure there are some simple electrical hacks that can be done to disable the car (kill switch) if it becomes a serious problem.

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I wasn't implying that for a minute, I just thought it was amusing that batteries needing replacement now have a street value now.

It's no different than airbags... And for the article to suggest that EV batteries will become a target is simply silly and shows that the author has no concept of what an EV battery is actually like... No one is going to steal it out of the car without having the entire car first... Then it would be no different than any other chop shop operation...

epirali said:

I wasn't implying that for a minute, I just thought it was amusing that batteries needing replacement now have a street value now.

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TomT said:

It's no different than airbags... And for the article to suggest that EV batteries will become a target is simply silly and shows that the author has no concept of what an EV battery is actually like... No one is going to steal it out of the car without having the entire car first... Then it would be no different than any other chop shop operation...

epirali said:

I wasn't implying that for a minute, I just thought it was amusing that batteries needing replacement now have a street value now.

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Actually if you read the article the author understand perfectly and was talking about Plugin hybrid Prius with a small 150 pound battery that can be easily removed from the "trunk." Curious did you read the link?

epirali said:

TomT said:

It's no different than airbags... And for the article to suggest that EV batteries will become a target is simply silly and shows that the author has no concept of what an EV battery is actually like... No one is going to steal it out of the car without having the entire car first... Then it would be no different than any other chop shop operation...

epirali said:

I wasn't implying that for a minute, I just thought it was amusing that batteries needing replacement now have a street value now.

Click to expand...

Click to expand...

Actually if you read the article the author understand perfectly and was talking about Plugin hybrid Prius with a small 150 pound battery that can be easily removed from the "trunk." Curious did you read the link?

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The article also states that a local Toyota dealer has been replacing a lot and that "luscious garage" advises how to prevent theft. Interesting that the dealer didn't give that advice.... hmmmm who has the most to gain? now where's my tin foil hat gone? LOL Seriously though it wouldn't be the first time that theft happens to fuel the replacement market not to serve one that already exists.