New plug-in Prius conversion option - $5,000

[memobug]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(clett @ May 25 2006, 01:52 AM) [snapback]260821[/snapback]</div>

So first we had Edrive at $12,000, then Hymotion at $9,000, now there is Electro Energy using NiMH for a $5,000 conversion. Allows 25 miles EV range.

http://www.technologyreview.com/read_artic...=16922&pg=1

Getting cheaper all the time guys. Told you....
[/b]

Just a rough calculation based on some recent gas rates, e.g., $3.50/gallon :

$5000/$3.50 * 50 mpg = 71,428 petrol miles

actually, many more if you include what additional gas your kilowatt hours could buy.

Regards,

Matt

[mhollis]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(clett @ May 25 2006, 05:52 AM) [snapback]260821[/snapback]</div>

So first we had Edrive at $12,000, then Hymotion at $9,000, now there is Electro Energy using NiMH for a $5,000 conversion. Allows 25 miles EV range.

http://www.technologyreview.com/read_artic...=16922&pg=1

Getting cheaper all the time guys. Told you.... [/b]

The price of the conversion is speculative if you read the article. It's not a $5,000 conversion they're talking about, it is a $5,000 increase in the price of a Prius when purchased all ready kitted-out with the battery upgrade and plug-in option.

I note several in the forum are asking for "real-world" mileage estimates for EV. The folks at CalCars all ready publish them. In fact, they're suggesting that one's hybrid will get 100+ mpg plus electricity, 30-mile range, with lithium-ion batteries using the EDrive/EnergyCS system. Up until last fall, my daily commute was 36 miles each way, much of which was on an Interstate highway. With a conversion kit I would most probably have gotten an average of 50 MPG, maybe 55 if I went back roads and was not in a hurry.

The car I replaced was a Honda Civic. It got around 35 miles per gallon, was small, old and beginning to need major repairs. I'm currently able to achieve a solid 43 miles per gallon and will be doing a tire pressure check to see if I cannot achieve better.

Assuming a 10,000 mile year (though I'm sure I was driving more than that per year in the Honda) and $3.00 per gallon gasoline, my yearly savings with the Prius at current MPG performance is just shy of $160. At $3.25 per gallon, it's about $173. Increase MPG to 50 and you're looking at a $257.00 savings at $3.00 per gallon. At $3.25, you're saving about $279. Increase mileage to 55 and with $3.00 per gallon gasoline, you save $312, $338 if gas is $3.25 per gallon.

But there are other factors.

The Honda had a back seat that an adult could not sit in. It had cloth seats (my daughter dropped an ice cream cone on the back seat about a month before I turned it in). My Prius has leather. My daughter sat cross-legged and made her seat dirty. A damp cloth fixed the problem. The Prius has a back area that can haul stuff almost as well as our SUV (a nice Honda CR-V).

So the Prius is a serious upgrade in terms of mileage, savings at the gas pump and so on. But I'm also being greener, though not by that much as compared to the Honda Civic, which is pretty green for a normal car. Essentially what I did was to upgrade from a 2-door subcompact to a midsized sedan that is easier on gas and the environment.

And that is the direction we probably need to go in—bigger cars need to be more miserly on gas and cleaner as we buy newer. And as the article points out, they need to start coming from the manufacturer.

[clett]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mhollis @ Jun 7 2007, 10:43 AM) [snapback]457315[/snapback]</div>

With a conversion kit I would most probably have gotten an average of 50 MPG, maybe 55 if I went back roads and was not in a hurry.[/b]

The battery still adds power at highway speeds with the conversion too. So long as you keep to reasonable speeds, you can get much better mpgs. When electric-assist is on (ie there is still charge in the second battery), tests show you can get the following mpgs at set speeds:

At 50 mph ~ 180 mpg
At 55 mph ~ 130 mpg
At 60 mph ~ 100 mpg
At 70 mph ~ 80 mpg

There is a big drop in mpgs above 70 mph because the battery can only provide about 21 kW (stock limitation set by Toyota). I think over your 36 mile commute you would probably have averaged about 100 mpg + electricity.

[jstack]

I just got a plig in supply 10 kw lithium plug in conversion.

It's better than the new GM volt and I have it today. I can drive 30-40 miles all electric at the push of a button, or got super hybrid for 100 miles at over 100 mpg. AMAZING

www.greenmotorsinc.com

[jstack]

I can deactivate the ICE on my pluginsupply.com PHEV system. We go 30-35 miles all the time. It's the best I have seen and after I got it I feel it's even better.
10 Kw lithium batteries with a balancer system that also checks temperatures. I call it a Tesla in my Trunk. It beat an esso tiger in your tank anyday. No foreigh oil unless you have to go on a far trip.