Best Plug-in Conversion System - Please Weigh In

[zcat3]

Originally Posted by Creekside

Finally, when comparing conversions I think one of the most important factors is regen. Let's not forget that the stock Prius gets all of its electricity (and hence efficiency) from regen. The PICC allows full regen just like the original Prius battery. This "free fill up" can be quite significant. A few nights ago I traveled 8 miles to my friend's house almost all uphill. When I left his house to head back home my battery was at 65% state of charge. Eight miles later at home at the bottom of the hill I was at 73% state of charge. Essentially, I drove 8 EV miles and recharged my battery 8% at the same time for free.

Good luck in your research. Happy driving!

In this type of situation I would just toggle the Hymotion to off and let the car regen the main battery over those 8 miles. I do this all the time. If the drive is truly all downhill or flat (maybe some mild incline), I too could get home without using any of the Hymotion charge and ending up with a full Prius battery. Not as nice as full regen for the Hymotion pack, but a way to conserve stored energy.

[linuxpenguin]

Originally Posted by zcat3

In this type of situation I would just toggle the Hymotion to off and let the car regen the main battery over those 8 miles. I do this all the time. If the drive is truly all downhill or flat (maybe some mild incline), I too could get home without using any of the Hymotion charge and ending up with a full Prius battery. Not as nice as full regen for the Hymotion pack, but a way to conserve stored energy.

True, but a replaced OEM battery allows for more regen energy to be captured because of the larger capacity. The OEM battery starts reducing the amount of regen it can take once it gets full (if you live in a hilly or mountainous area this happens frequently) and you end up wasting a lot of energy to prevent it from overcharging. The lower internal resistance of a properly replaced OEM battery also results in greater regen captured because less energy is burned off as heat while the battery charges.

Andrew

[zcat3]

Originally Posted by linuxpenguin

True, but a replaced OEM battery allows for more regen energy to be captured because of the larger capacity. The OEM battery starts reducing the amount of regen it can take once it gets full (if you live in a hilly or mountainous area this happens frequently) and you end up wasting a lot of energy to prevent it from overcharging. The lower internal resistance of a properly replaced OEM battery also results in greater regen captured because less energy is burned off as heat while the battery charges.

Andrew

Absolutely - I would definitely prefer that the Hymotion accept regen. That is its biggest weakness IMO. My method is merely a work-around. I usually turn the Hymotion off a quarter of a mile or so before the crest of a large hill so that I can try to burn off some of the built up energy in the Prius battery - this allows me to capture more regen on the downhill side. If I were buying a PHEV kit now it would be a tough call between the PICC kit and the Hymotion kit - the extra $3500 is definitely a consideration, but the PICC setup is more integrated to the car.

[hill]

You never know ... it may be that the best phev 'kit' is the one that comes as oem ... hopefully not too far down the road. ya never know


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[zcat3]

Originally Posted by hill

You never know ... it may be that the best phev 'kit' is the one that comes as oem ... hopefully not too far down the road. ya never know


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Not unless the stated price tag of almost 50K comes down....