I am planning on buying a new Prius but really want a PHEV. The two options are a long way off. One company does a complete conversion for around $12000 but they have done ten prototypes and will not get to the East coast for years. The other company, in Canada, does a two-hour battery addition but they are also not yet selling to consumers. Is there any interest in this topic on this forum? I am a retired EE professor and would like information on the computer hack that biases the power choice toward electrical. (The European/Japan electric mode switch) I would then add NiMH batteries and have a ball. Yes I know that will void the warranty. That will affect my timing but will not keep me from experimenting.

 

At www.hybridfest.com, there was a PHEV company called www.hymotion.com that makes lithium PHEV-30 packs for the Prius.

Claims 100mpg city/hwy

Did not see a price on their site....

 

Hymotion is the Canadian company. Their price is $9500 for a 5kWh lithium pack installed. But it is not yet available to consumers.

 

I thought they were Canadian...

Hope you can find a better deal...

 

Hi,
Let me suggest a couple of approaches:
1) get the maintenance manuals - these will give you the schematics so you'll be able to make a better plan.
2) get a car past warrantee - why pay for something you're planning to void anyway. In Ebay there are 'salvage' and higher mileage vehicles around for reasonable prices.
3) visit hybrid meetings - the mostly likly places to run into and see what others have done.

There is a company called Coastal Electronics that sells an EV mode kit.

GOOD LUCK!

Bob Wilson

 

It sounds like Toyota will offer a plug-in hybrid in 2-3 years. This will drive down the price.

Maybe get a Prius now, then wait a little bit to convert to plug-in, maybe save a few thousand dollars?

 

There are a lot of hobbyists (with a lot of electrical savvy) who are trying to copy the hacks made by Calcars and the rest.

When they sort out the details, they are going to make the plans available. The early Calcars Prius+ was lead-acid, so you could DIY a much cheaper PHEV-Prius conversion using, say 3 kWh of lead-acid? Would give you 10 miles EV each day, but cost only $1,000 for the batteries, some extra for the charger and controller etc.

You can read about the lead-acid version here:

http://www.calcars.org/priusplus.html (Detailed tech messages and info at yahoo group priusplus)

Alternatively, you can follow the DIYers here:

http://www.eaa-phev.org/wiki/Main_Page

Very early days for PHEV right now. Don't worry though, it's going to get real cheap, real soon.

 

Thank you, Clett. That is very much what I want to do. I think I can assemble NiMH and get just a little more charge density than lead/acid. NiMH is not as touchy as the lithium series. Thanks again for the help from all. Julian

 

Some great news and ideas.


One caution. I read somewhere (I think privatenrg.com) that there are possible lubrication issues with EV modes on Gen II Prius extending into the 8-10 minute ranges , and especially above that.

 

Anyone doing this on their own should buy the maintenance manuals, at a minimium, as well as read some of the more technical, vehicle specific groups. In the case of the Prius, the transaxle oil pump is powered by the ICE and the MGs are 'sling oil' cooled.

Although my experiments are not over, my data suggests that the NHW11 03 Prius transaxle runs about 50F warmer than the ambient, even in +90F weather. Although not impossible, it looks to be difficult to overheat the transaxle. But you do need a lubrication film and that requires the engine run at least every so often.

However, I think it makes sense to provide auxillary electrical power above 42 mph to iimprove highway performance. The ICE continues to run a lower power, offset by the auxillary electrical power. More about this someday in the future.

Bob Wilson