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Plug-in Prius Battery Upgrade

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by Ben@Boston, Jul 3, 2014.

  1. Ben@Boston

    Ben@Boston Junior Member

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    I just got my 2013 Plug in Prius a few weeks ago and I have been getting 69 mpg. Which is a respectable number, but I want to do better. I have searched the internet and there are a couple of shops, mostly in CA or MI for obvious reasons that convert older Prius' into Plug-in or 100% electric. I am not going to go that far. I already have a Plug-In, I just want to add additional battery support to get more than 12 miles on a charge. Anyone ever try upgrading a Plug-in Prius or regular Prius? I have not found a good support site yet, but I would think because the foundation is already there I might be able to just switch out the battery. Obviously, Ill want some guidance before I shell out $$$ and needlessly set my car on fire. What are your thoughts? What battery type (KW) did you use? Was it a kit? Where did you get it from? Price? Other suggestions? Or links to tutorials. I have found a lot online but from one website to another it says the other shops are in litigation or bankrupt because they used inferior or unsafe products. And most site only deal with converting a Prius to a Plug in.

    After this project, my next is creating a solar charging station just for my car.
     
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  2. GenSao

    GenSao Junior Member

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    I do not think you'll need an additional battery unless you are willing to give up some benefits.

    By adding more batteries you have to add more weight to the vehicle that can reduce your MPG on regular hybrid mode or effective MPGe in all electric mode. You would also be losing more cargo space and potentially void Toyota's warranty. The capital cost would probably outweigh any MPG/range benefit.

    The solar charging station is an intriguing idea.
     
  3. Ben@Boston

    Ben@Boston Junior Member

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    I have seen large batteries online and they dont appear to be that heavy, just large. You can find a lot of people lifting them single handedly, so my guess is no more than 80lbs. That won't tranlate to a significant reduction in mpg.

    The other reason I am thinking of doing this is I get free charging at work, but my trips are long so I have to charge daily. A battery 5 times the size might get me though the weekend possibly without charging.
     
  4. GregP507

    GregP507 Senior Member

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    I can't remember the details, but there are a number of add-on battery packs available for the Prius, all of which compromise some of the interior space.

    I proposed solar charging a while back, but that idea got shot down fairly quickly, mainly due to the large amount of power needed, and the relatively small amount of power that solar panels produce. Rough numbers, but it would take many thousands of dollars to build a solar array large enough to practically charge the Prius, which is off-set by the fact that an equivalent investment would buy many years worth of electricity from a utility.

    I still think that if solar panels are used to supplement plugging-in, they can be useful.
     
  5. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

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    Ben,
    I'll save you a lot of time and research.... Those of us that have been here a while have seen requests like yours over and over again. The standard response is- if it was easy and economical to do- Toyota would have done it from the getgo! Currently there is no reputable company that can do what you want at a reasonable price without voiding your warranty.

    You have have some choices at your disposal though:
    1) Use your PIP as it is, learn to drive more efficiently or take different routes to maximize mpg.
    2) Sell your PIP and get a car that gets more EV miles right from the factory- you have a lot of choices nowadays.
    3) Wait and see what the next gen PIP and Volt bring, then trade in your PIP.


    Lets assume that the PIP gets 11-12 EV miles... what kind or EV range would you like to get?
     
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  6. mrbigh

    mrbigh Prius Absolutum Dominium

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    The best concept idea would be to acquire a secondary OEM PiP battery from a dismantling outfit. It will come with everything necessary to parallel both batteries and extend your electrical range to above 20 electrical miles.
    But, if this is your concern about more range, let me tell you that you bought the wrong vehicle.
    The next best thing would be be a Ford "Energy" for about the same electric range.
     
  7. GregP507

    GregP507 Senior Member

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    For mostly electric commuting, I'd have to recommend the Volt.

    But for all-around best fuel economy, power and cargo capacity, the Prius is the best of all worlds.
     
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    search the skies if you want to minister, i think i'll have a large brandy.
     
    #8 bisco, Jul 3, 2014
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2014
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  9. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

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    Is this the one you're looking for?:
    Aminorjourney.com | Life is one little trip… | Page 5
     
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  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    thank you.(y)
     
  11. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

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    Welcome!
    It's kind of scary, it could have burned down his house...
     
  12. GregP507

    GregP507 Senior Member

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    It's not the fire we were looking for, but it's more than enough to make the point!
     
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    was there another fire?
     
  14. GregP507

    GregP507 Senior Member

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    The thought occurs to me that had they been lithium cells instead of nickel, it could have been a fireball instead. It's a bit scary actually, knowing that batteries have been known to catch fire or explode, and in a hybrid, you are sitting on a very big pile of them (no pun intended. -well, I actually it was).

    Here's one: Famous Toyota Prius Plug-In Conversion Catches Fire, Then Explodes | Inside EVs
     
    #14 GregP507, Jul 3, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 3, 2014
  15. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

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    One of the guys I work with is a volunteer Fire Fighter- they just came back from a car fire...
    The guy had 18 deep cycle 12 volt marine batts in the back of his modded Suburban.
    It went boom! in the mid 90deg afternoon temps today- it also took out the Monte Carlo sitting next to it :eek:
     
  16. 3PriusMike

    3PriusMike Prius owner since 2000, Tesla M3 2018

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    You need to set your expectations properly. The current 4.4 KWh battery weighs, IIRC about 175 lbs. Note that the regular Prius has a battery that weighs about 100 lbs. Even if you could double the battery size, where would you put it? It is roughly the size of the spare tire that is missing plus the size of the regular Prius battery (probably minus some space for the charging circuits).

    Battery technology is improving at roughly 5% per year, on average, so its not like this 2-3 year old technology has improved so much that you could find a battery the same size with lots more capacity to "replace" the battery you have. And even if you could find a battery that was better, as a replacement, what would you do with the old one -- which is actually new and perfectly usable?

    Mike
     
  17. GregP507

    GregP507 Senior Member

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    If there is a trend for a 5% increase every year in capacity, there also seems to be a trend towards increasing risk. Lithium cells are unquestionably more risky than nickel-cadmium, which were more risky than lead-acid batteries.

    If we eventually get to fuel cells, we need to remember that it's a bad scenario when one of them explodes in a spacecraft, but quite a bit worse when thousands of cars use them, traveling the roadways and carrying passengers.
     
  18. CharlesH

    CharlesH CA HOV Decal #5 on former PiP

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    If you are referring to Apollo 13, what exploded there was an oxygen tank, due to an electrical short in a stirrer required in the zero-G environment. For terrestrial use, we fortunately don't need oxygen tanks. :)
     
  19. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    What is it with your focus on fear? Geez!

    The simple matter of warranty & longevity is a great incentive for the industry to continue to advance their usage (hardware & software)... which can directly relate to safety. You don't want to stress cells, since that will shorten their life.

    As for NiCd batteries, why bring up such an ancient chemistry? They were abandoned ages ago in favor of NiMH.
     
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  20. GregP507

    GregP507 Senior Member

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    Part of the history of battery technology.

    Not ignoring risk isn't the same as being fearful.