PHEV conversion kits for gen-1 ?

[A-Prius Owner]

I have a 2001 Prius is there any PHEV conversion kits w/EV mode available for it ? Failing the availability of that I might want to convert the car to to all electric but I've never found anything even written on the subject which is strange because it seems like it would be the optimum electric car w/motor-drivetrain base to start from. There's allot of research into traction motors being built into the wheels of electric cars which if at some time in the future becomes available as a kit it might make for the simplest conversion.

[FL_Prius_Driver]

I've thought that would be a great way to "end" the life of a Gen 1, but the real stopping point is that you would need to replace the engine with something that fools the ECUs as if it were an engine. Unfortuately this would end up using the new EV battery to charge the Prius battery, wasting energy. To solve this would require writing and implementing new ECU codes. In this case, the sophisticated engineering of the Prius works against an EV conversion. As you can see, this is far more complicated than taking a Yaris or Scion and doing a wholesale conversion.

[A-Prius Owner]

I think the way to do it is to replace the entire hybrid electrical system with among other things a Siemens AC 3 phase programmable controller for the traction drive motor (OEM Prius motor). After looking at pictures and drawings of the transaxle I could be wrong but I think everything but the planetary ring gear part of the planetary power split device should be removed and as much of the generator-starter you could remove should be taken out since it's not needed in a EV car.

One problem would be physically supporting the transaxle without an engine a simple solution would be to remove everything from the engine block to reduce weight except the front engine mount. In my case because my engine is in good condition I'd first remove the engine-transaxle from the car, unbolt and separate the engine from the transaxle, disassemble the transaxle to remove the parts described above and reassemble it, get another engine from a salvage yard, take everything off that engine and bolt the block onto the old transaxle.

5/16/08 update: I was in error about the Siemens motor controller and it probably wouldn't work with the Prius's traction motor even though it's programmable to work with different motors and is compatible with that kind of motor.

[FL_Prius_Driver]

The good part is that using the MG2 directly makes the most sense. The bad part is that the NHW11 has little additional battery room since the vehicle is so tightly engineered, and retaining the engine block would prevent use of the major space created by removing the engine. Nice to discuss, but risky to execute.

[iLLa Prius]

So Basically 1st Gen Owners Are Screwed And Need To Get 2nd Gen To Make It A Phev?

[bwilson4web]

Converting a G1 Prius into an EV would start by rebuilding the transaxle and welding up the PSD so MG1 and MG2 would turn in parallel. The biggest challenge is mastering the encoder for the power controller.

The engine would be removed and a frame installed to hold the extra batteries and carry torque to the other engine attachment points. Don't forget to replace the gas tank with more batteries.

Bob Wilson

[FL_Prius_Driver]

Originally Posted by iLLa Prius

So Basically 1st Gen Owners Are Screwed And Need To Get 2nd Gen To Make It A Phev?

Only until some pioneer figures out a way to do it. Unlikely to be anything other than a Do It Yourself effort if it is figured out.

[iLLa Prius]

for me, i would want it to be a hybrid. i would primarily drive on in EV mode. I would try to replace the stock batteries with lifepo4 or lion, and place as much as i can in the storage area and maybe some in the trunk. messing with the G1 seems like way more work that it is for G2.

[A-Prius Owner]

Another way is connecting the engine transmission shaft directly to the planetary ring gear to be run 100% by a non Prius traction motor and removing as stated before the hybrid electrical system and additionally the two motors MG1 and MG2.

See the attached picture;
In the upper left is a sideways and cutaway view of the planetary power split device and to it's right is a front view of it. Next upper right is the same planetary power split device with all the planetary parts removed except the outer ring gear and a custom made part. the "custom made part" would be made to fit inside the ring gear so when the engine/EV motor shaft that it's fitted onto is turned by the EV traction motor would also drive the cars wheels through the ring gear. Next in the lower picture the EV motor is bolted onto an adapter plate which is bolted to the transaxle that also connects the EV motor shaft to the transmission's original engine input shaft. The substitute engine transaxle support was my idea of what that would look like.

About EV traction systems like the Siemens, unless you could get it to work with the Prius motor I wouldn't go with that type (AC 3 phase) now because that would lock you into a old battery technology which is probably due to be improved in the semi near future, in addition it's too expensive, for the cost of a new motor and controller of that kind alone you could buy a used Prius.