Plug in conversion

[findlj]

I'm curious to what is involved in the plug in conversions currently offered by companies like Edrive, Hybrids-Plus, etc. These conversions are currently very expensive. I understand they are using Lithium Ion batteries, but no tweaking of the control unit or computer governing the power distribution is done. I also understand the smaller battery pack offered by Hybrids-Plus fits into the current battery compartment.
Does anyone have a feel to how much of a job it is to replace the stock battery pack with the higher capacity Lith-Ion packs and fit up a plug in on the back hatch?

[chogan]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(findlj @ Oct 16 2006, 01:04 PM) [snapback]333468[/snapback]</div>

I'm curious to what is involved in the plug in conversions currently offered by companies like Edrive, Hybrids-Plus, etc. These conversions are currently very expensive. I understand they are using Lithium Ion batteries, but no tweaking of the control unit or computer governing the power distribution is done. I also understand the smaller battery pack offered by Hybrids-Plus fits into the current battery compartment.
Does anyone have a feel to how much of a job it is to replace the stock battery pack with the higher capacity Lith-Ion packs and fit up a plug in on the back hatch?
[/b]

A good article on the Hymotion converstion was posted here a few days back. They said (after I convert $Canadian to $US):
2 hours for the job
Roughly $12,500 US this year
Expected cost of rougly $5700 US within a year.
Replacement battery costs about $3500
Battery good for 3500 cycles (which they estimate at 6 years).

Find the reference to the newspaper article in this thread:
http://priuschat.com/Plug-in-Prius-c...re-t25180.html


And recall that all the $ figure are Canadian (current about $1 = $C1.13).

I believe (but am not sure) that everything fits under the existing carpeted trunk floor of the Prius.

If they do drop it to $5700 next year, I've pretty much talked myself into getting my '05 converted. It's a risk, mainly w.r.t. the warranty, but for me, with many short trips, I think that'll pay for itself (or nearly) over the lifetime of the car, in the combination of reduced fuel costs and extended vehicle life (from much lower ICE use). And almost certainly, given Virgina Power's generation mix, the net C02 released over the life of the car will be substantially reduced.

If your travel consists mainly of longer trips (total daily travel substantially in excess of the capacity of the 30 mile PHEV pack), it won't save you much money.

[Cheap!]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(findlj @ Oct 16 2006, 12:04 PM) [snapback]333468[/snapback]</div>

I'm curious to what is involved in the plug in conversions currently offered by companies like Edrive, Hybrids-Plus, etc. These conversions are currently very expensive. I understand they are using Lithium Ion batteries, but no tweaking of the control unit or computer governing the power distribution is done. I also understand the smaller battery pack offered by Hybrids-Plus fits into the current battery compartment.
Does anyone have a feel to how much of a job it is to replace the stock battery pack with the higher capacity Lith-Ion packs and fit up a plug in on the back hatch?
[/b]

If they are able to do this without spoofing circuits, I would love to know how. I have not done any reading on the topic in about two months. It is time to do some more research. Hybrids-plus is a new name on the market.

I wanted to make a system that would disconnect the motor and accelerator from the Prius system so a second rechargeable and removable battery pack could be used without spoofing the computers. You would just drive around in neutral using the second pack’s power until it is gone and then switch back if you needed to. The Prius would take care of lighting, AC, Radio, Navigation, and everything else while the second pack would just power the motor. I know it would have a limitation of 34 mph, but I might be able to build a circuit that could switch between the two at that point. Most of my acceleration would be from the second pack. The only thing then would be to have the second pack power some sort of supplemental heater for the ICE if it is off too long. However that would be very energy expensive. I know one day we will be able to figure out how we can all do this modification without handing over 10K to someone else. I want to be able to start with a smaller number of batteries and expand on that pack in a plug and play system as funds allow.

[hdrygas]

Well you can do it without Li batteries. Take a looks at the Alternative Fuel Fair at my web site below and you will see a CalCars done in Pb Acid batteries.

[ken1784]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hdrygas @ Oct 17 2006, 06:40 AM) [snapback]333713[/snapback]</div>

Well you can do it without Li batteries. Take a looks at the Alternative Fuel Fair at my web site below and you will see a CalCars done in Pb Acid batteries.
[/b]

The Pb Acid version Prius+ project used $700 battery, but it only lasted 2,000 miles (200 cycles) and the battery cost was $0.35/mile.

Ken@Japan

[hdrygas]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ken1784 @ Oct 16 2006, 06:56 PM) [snapback]333800[/snapback]</div>

The Pb Acid version Prius+ project used $700 battery, but it only lasted 2,000 miles (200 cycles) and the battery cost was $0.35/mile.

Ken@Japan
[/b]

Thanks I never heard the follow up on the project. My Prius is now averaging .044 dollars per mile for a life time average. I guess they did better than I, but at a cost of all that PbAcid batteries that had to be recycled.

[ken1784]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hdrygas @ Oct 17 2006, 12:28 PM) [snapback]333815[/snapback]</div>

Thanks I never heard the follow up on the project. My Prius is now averaging .044 dollars per mile for a life time average. I guess they did better than I, but at a cost of all that PbAcid batteries that had to be recycled.
[/b]

You're welcome!
Problem is they always speak out the pros of PHEV but explain very few cons.

Ken@Japan