107 mpg. 1,100 mile tank. Enginer system back on track.

I find the results above either very hard to believe or very frustrating to me. I had an Enginer 4kwh pack installed in my 2009 Prius about a month and a half ago. The mpg is VERY traffic and road dependent. When driving in rush hour in slightly hilly terrain I have gotten 80mpg. An average for most of my driving (3 - 6 mile trips 30 - 45mph) is about 68mpg.

Interstate driving brings almost no benefit. I have found that it is best to turn the unit off on the highway and then back on about 3 miles before my exit so the Prius battery can fully charge. That is so when I am on local roads again the ICE doesn't kick in to charge the Prius battery.

ericBecky, any advice on what I can tweak?

Anyone else's real world numbers would be appreciated.

 

Hi Rich,
Be assured that this is true. I and one other person that I did an install for have also done this.

First there is a big difference between a 2009 and a 2010. The 2010 regularly gets 10mpg more than a 2009. Also the GenII car limits the input from a system like the Enginer system to 15a. I have run as much as 19a into my 2010.

Finally the mountains and freeway do make a big difference.

Thanks,
Dan

 

Eric,
There is an old saying that says "Trust but verify". I know I would really like to see some pics and I have a feeling others would as well. Would you please ask your customer to take some pics of his MFD for us? I would really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance

 

See attached pictures. The first is the miles driven and the second is the fill-up; 113 miles/gallon.

 

Eric,

Any other ingredients to the secret sauce of your customer? Does he/she take any other measures, especially cold-weather related (grill-blocking, EBH, etc.)? I'm in MN with similar winters and am struggling to get 65 MPG with my 09 Prius + 4 kwh Enginer. And our winter has been very mild this year. With the latest cold snap (weak that it has been), my daily MPG has fallen to more like 55 MPG. My commute is not ideally suited to the PHEV kit in winter, though (short, 45 MPH, hilly route).

 

well that beats my stock 2008 by a long ways...

 

I have a 4kwh Enginer pack. The problem that I am having is it's hard to keep the car in EV mode. I drive back streets a lot, but it seems that once the car drops out of EV mode the first time it won't let me back in. Any suggestions?

On a second note, I'm beginning to think that I shouldn't worry so much about staying in EV mode. Maybe I should just drive conservatively.and let the Engjiner pack do its job.

Any thoughts on this approach?

 

The "107mpg" record by your customer with a Gen 3 Prius 4kw Enginer kit. I assume this was done with some of the following conditions flat roads, high % SOC, and other favorable variables.
However, I am curious did they drive in "EV" mode more or less?How long have they had the install?

 

Additionally, Did they the "107" mpg record use a scanguage? I know the Gen 3 you can drive in "ev" and "eco" modes do they know which mode they used the most on commutes? You did say they had a "charger" failure too? On Gen 2 some owners go with "blend" mode and limited "ev" mode. The 107 mpg is based off the Gen 3 dash board readings with or without scangauge.? I get confused after 99.9 reading mpg

 

On your 2010 with scangauge and 4kw Enginer. How long have you had the install? You also state you go with "19amp" to feed back from additional pack is that correct?

 

Hi NortTex,
I have had this system running for more that 2 years. You Can read about the process of setting it up and upgrading it in...
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...ic-vehicle-installation-in-portland-area.html

I recived a replacement converter set a 19a. I have tuned it down to where acts much better without annomilies.

Thanks,
Dan

 

Awesome!!! Really appreciate the pics.

 

Help me out here (since you are a installer)
I have notice that failure of the DC - DC converter on Enginer kits with several prius chat posters is a common thread issue. The RFE battery some have had failure because low soc and not being balanced and waiting for a new dc-dc converter so they can recharge the RFE battery.I also notice some1 posted a plan B for enginer part replacement. PHV enginer owners also "think" the BMS provided is inadequate sometimes. Lastly I notice Mr big went with a hybrid interface bms $399 plus a liliput mobile flat screen.

I am curious what are some common issues that phv owners overlook on a month to month time frame.? Plus how soon after PHV install should your monitor of mpg reflect an increase?

 

There is a lot that goes on behind closed doors in the Enginer User's forum. You must own a Enginer kit to be in the users forum. If you are really interested you should buy a Enginer kit and find out. Otherwise you are just perpetuating the negativity of the Enginer product.