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PHV better than a kit mod?

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by gwmort, Dec 9, 2011.

  1. gwmort

    gwmort Active Member

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    I am curious whether anyone currently with an after market mod to make their prius a plug-in is planning to move to a PHV prius or sticking with the kits.

    It appears many of the kits have more range and capacity than what Toyota is offering.

    Adding a kit to the PHV itself in the future seems quite promising.
     
    #1 gwmort, Dec 9, 2011
  2. dan2l

    dan2l 2014 Prius v wagon

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    Hi Gwmort,
    I would recommend the Toyota PHV to most people.

    I run 2 kit PHEV successfully and they require technical competence and continued attention.

    The Toyota PHV will be plug and play.

    But to answer your question, No, I am not planning to move to the Toyota PHV Prius.

    Thanks,
    Dan
     
    #2 dan2l, Dec 9, 2011
  3. gwmort

    gwmort Active Member

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    Thank you for the response.

    It was always my lack of confidence in my own technical competence that stopped me from going with a kit when I very much wanted to drive electrically.

    I was just curious if people who had already taken that step were seeing this as a personal move forward or are going to try to stay ahead of the curve on their own.
     
    #3 gwmort, Dec 9, 2011
  4. iRun26.2

    iRun26.2 New Member

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    I don't think I'd trust a kit to convert a standard Prius to a EV. I think Toyota probably has to pass more rigorous safety tests (with the large battery) than a kit does. I'm sure you could get more EV miles from a kit but I am happy to get my PiP directly from Toyota. They have a lot riding on the success of these cars.
     
    #4 iRun26.2, Dec 9, 2011
  5. evfinder

    evfinder Member

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    A lot depends on what you want out of the Prius. The Kits usually provide more range but they work by faking the Prius into thinking it has a full battery and so it keeps the car in EV mode trying to bleed the battery down. The biggest issue is that the ICE is going to kick in over about 38mph instead of over 62mph like the PIP.

    Noel
     
    #5 evfinder, Dec 9, 2011
  6. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    Look at the PHV mods section. Looks like a couple Hymotion kits are failing around 3 yrs or so.
     
    #6 cycledrum, Dec 9, 2011
  7. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    No aftermarket plugin kits are AT-PZEV. That means no SULEV emission and 10 years 150k miles warranty.

    Telematic (smart phone) charge integration is also only available from OEM.
     
    #7 usbseawolf2000, Dec 9, 2011
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