Driver James Sikes talks about his experiences in his Toyota Prius during a news conferenceDenis Poroy
Today, Toyota's engineers will examine a Prius in suburban New York State that crashed into a stone wall after its driver claims the hybrid sped up on its own.
The 2005 Prius is being stored with local police following last week's accident. Toyota types in the U.S. say they won't share the results of their work with the ink-stained wretches of the press. But they will give the material to the police; expect the police to go public.
More than likely, Toyota will not find anything wrong with the car. That leaves the driver at fault. But don't expect Toyota to call its owners incompetent drivers.
This is a fine line Toyota is toeing. Earlier, Toyota dismissed the account of James Sikes, the driver of the so-called runaway Prius in California. Toyota said the car's gas pedal and backup safety system were working just fine.
And, in fact, Sikes' story flies in the face of the technology at play in the Prius.
First, the braking system is more than capable of overcoming all the combined power of the hybrid drive system. I've tested this myself by planting my right foot on the floor of a Prius at 80 km/h, while at the same time braking with my left. The car came to an almost immediate halt.
On top of that, consider the other technology at play here. The Prius is powered by two electric motor-generators and a small gasoline engine, all connected by transmission gears. A computer determines what combination of motors is needed and which would be most efficient.
As part of that system, the Prius is equipped with what's called "regenerative braking." That is, when the brakes are applied, the electric drive system essentially goes into reverse to charge the batteries.
Thus, the electric motor-generators are slowing the car. That's why taxi drivers using the Prius can go 125,000 kilometres between brake jobs; their cars are primarily being stopped by the electric drive.
Finally, the Prius comes with an emergency brake. If you apply it, even with the powertrain roaring away, the Prius will come to a stop. It works even better if the driver slips the car into neutral.
Everyone at Toyota knows this, but officials still went through the process of a full investigation into Sikes' claims. Toyota officials acknowledged the front brakes were damaged from overheating. They also found the accelerator pedal was working normally without mechanical binding or friction.
The bottom line: Toyota said it had found no evidence that Sikes had been applying the brakes forcefully throughout the episode, as he had described. Toyota said Sikes' Prius showed signs that the car was being driven with the brakes lightly and repeatedly applied - some 250 times over a 50-kilometre stretch of highway. As a result, the front brakes showed signs of "severe wear and damage from overheating," Toyota said.
So did Sikes stage this event? Did he, as the evidence suggest, drive with the accelerator depressed while applying only light pressure on the brake pedal? Did he fake an out-of-control event in his Prius?
Personally, I don't believe that Sikes fully and forcefully applied his brakes. I can't prove this; it's just my opinion, based on what I know about the technology in the car.
If he failed to use his brakes forcefully without ill intent, he would appear to be an incompetent driver and his driver's licence should revoked. If he failed to use his brakes properly in order to stage and falsify an out-of-control event, then he's a mendacious schemer with suspicious motives.
Either way, don't expect Toyota to comment so directly on Sikes' account of the events. At least not yet. But if this sort of thing continues, look for Toyota to remove the gloves.