Has anyone installed the enginer PHEV?

[linuxpenguin]

Originally Posted by usbseawolf2000

I think it is important for this kit to mature and continue to improve while keeping the same price. Jack can use all the support he can get.

I also think / hope the price come down for the other plugin solution as well and continue improving.

I think we all hope for that =). I'm sure as the demand for this technology increases the cost will come down.

Andrew

[jdev]

Hi, my name is Joel, and I'm a relative newcomer to this forum. I bought a 2009 Prius back in February and since then have gotten so much useful information from these forums (thanks so much!) Anyway, I just got a job offer that's about 70 miles away, and even carpooling a bit I'm still going to have a horrible commute, so I've decided to buy an Enginer 4KWH kit (possibly 6KWH). As I'm only somewhat technical, I don't have the engineering (no pun intended) skills to install the system myself, nor take full advantage of hypermiling by flicking switches at just the right moment or reading various guages (yet). I'm going to start off being more the just charge-up-and-drive kind of guy. However, I had a few questions for anyone who currently has one of these systems:

1) How accessible is the spare tire, REALLY? (Aside from marketing talk, could my wife reasonably get to it if stranded)?
2) Based on folks experience, would 4KWH get me all the way to work, assuming that the drive is about 80% freeway, pretty flat roads, Ohio climate, average speeds of 45-55 mph on surface streets and 65 mph freeway, and moderate to weak usage of pulse and glide techniques or other Prius-maximizing driving styles? In other words, how have folks done in terms of real-world, mostly average long-distance driving? (I have some idea of this, reading the other threads in this forum, but any summaries would be helpful). Should I be realistically looking more at the 6KWH?
3) Once the PHEV batteries are depleted, is anyone noticing a substantial drop in fuel economy (compared to normal Prius operation) due to the added weight of the batteries?
4) Is the consensus that Toyota's warranty will be honored, or is it really a gamble. I've heard that there's legal "precedent," but how does that translate into practice?

I apologize if these have been covered in other threads. As a practical matter, I'm actually most concerned about the spare tire and warranty issues. Other than that, I'm sure I'll be happy with my new PHEV!!

Thanks,

-Joel

[MJFrog]

Originally Posted by jdev

Hi, my name is Joel
-Joel

Welcome Joel.

1. Not very...no.
2. I have a 2kwh unit. My commute is ~38 miles round-trip...about 11 miles of that is Freeway @55-60mph with the rest being surface streets between 30-45 mph. I do extensive, but modified hipermileing when possible. For the Enginer pack, your glide should use as much EV as possible. However, keep an eye on the SOC and try to keep it >55% if you can. The Enginer pack is not designed to power the car in EV mode, rather, it is designed to assist or 'trickle charge' the Prius pack. At the end of my commute I still have a lot of battery left over.
3. I've never actually depleted my pack...don't know.
4. Toyota must PROVE that the added pack caused any failure. You're probably safe (Knock on wood).

Based on my experience, you can expect a 5-10% improvement in mpg using the pack. It is more useful for long-distance trips than short or medium range trips. I would consider my commute a medium range trip. Before getting the Enginer pack, I was getting mid-to-upper 50s mpg. After it was installed I've been getting mid-to-upper 60s mpg. However, cold weather is here and I'm seeing my mpg drop to low 60s.

[krousdb]

Originally Posted by jdev

Hi, my name is Joel, and I'm a relative newcomer to this forum. I bought a 2009 Prius back in February and since then have gotten so much useful information from these forums (thanks so much!) Anyway, I just got a job offer that's about 70 miles away, and even carpooling a bit I'm still going to have a horrible commute, so I've decided to buy an Enginer 4KWH kit (possibly 6KWH). As I'm only somewhat technical, I don't have the engineering (no pun intended) skills to install the system myself, nor take full advantage of hypermiling by flicking switches at just the right moment or reading various guages (yet). I'm going to start off being more the just charge-up-and-drive kind of guy. However, I had a few questions for anyone who currently has one of these systems:

1) How accessible is the spare tire, REALLY? (Aside from marketing talk, could my wife reasonably get to it if stranded)?
2) Based on folks experience, would 4KWH get me all the way to work, assuming that the drive is about 80% freeway, pretty flat roads, Ohio climate, average speeds of 45-55 mph on surface streets and 65 mph freeway, and moderate to weak usage of pulse and glide techniques or other Prius-maximizing driving styles? In other words, how have folks done in terms of real-world, mostly average long-distance driving? (I have some idea of this, reading the other threads in this forum, but any summaries would be helpful). Should I be realistically looking more at the 6KWH?
3) Once the PHEV batteries are depleted, is anyone noticing a substantial drop in fuel economy (compared to normal Prius operation) due to the added weight of the batteries?
4) Is the consensus that Toyota's warranty will be honored, or is it really a gamble. I've heard that there's legal "precedent," but how does that translate into practice?

I apologize if these have been covered in other threads. As a practical matter, I'm actually most concerned about the spare tire and warranty issues. Other than that, I'm sure I'll be happy with my new PHEV!!

Thanks,

-Joel

Joel,

1. No, the spare is not accessible.
2. My workplace is 67 miles from home, about 90 minutes each way. My 8kWh pack lasts for about 130 minutes. 4kwh will last about an hour.
3. The added weight costs about 1 MPG when depleted.
4. No idea.

[jdev]

Interesting...Can you tell me more about why the spare tire is not accessible? Is it just that the battery enclosure is just too heavy to easily lift? I mean, could someone who's relatively strong do it, or are you saying that it's basically just unusable? (I know getting to the spare is a relatively rare need, but it's disappointing if Enginer is marketing this thing inaccurately. They claim on the website that it's no more difficult to change the tire with or without the kit installed. If this claim is not accurate, I'm wondering what else may not be accurate?)

[krousdb]

Originally Posted by jdev

Interesting...Can you tell me more about why the spare tire is not accessible? Is it just that the battery enclosure is just too heavy to easily lift? I mean, could someone who's relatively strong do it, or are you saying that it's basically just unusable? (I know getting to the spare is a relatively rare need, but it's disappointing if Enginer is marketing this thing inaccurately. They claim on the website that it's no more difficult to change the tire with or without the kit installed. If this claim is not accurate, I'm wondering what else may not be accurate?)

The spare tire is accessible, if you can lift the battery box out of the way. 120 lb for 2kwh or 180 lb for 4kwh. So for me, yes it is accessible and the claim is accurate. For my wife, no it is not accessible.

[jdev]

Got it, thanks. Has anyone tried to retrofit a spring or something that might help? (I think I remember reading somewhere that Jack was planning this on a future version?)

[kiettyyyy]

Originally Posted by jdev

Got it, thanks. Has anyone tried to retrofit a spring or something that might help? (I think I remember reading somewhere that Jack was planning this on a future version?)

I had my rear springs replaced for my previous PHEV conversion using the 350 lbs Plug-in Supply PbA kit.. Well, I left it there The kit was replaced with 6kWh worth of batteries..

[mrbigh]

Originally Posted by kiettyyyy

I had my rear springs replaced for my previous PHEV conversion using the 350 lbs Plug-in Supply PbA kit.. Well, I left it there The kit was replaced with 6kWh worth of batteries..

Upon his question, I'm understanding that jdev is referring to hinged hydraulic lifters to support the weight of the battery container in upright position to get access to the spare tire in case of need.

[kiettyyyy]

Originally Posted by mrbigh

Upon his question, I'm understanding that jdev is referring to hinged hydraulic lifters to support the weight of the battery container in upright position to get access to the spare tire in case of need.

Oh, my bad.. Doubt it's going to happen, though...