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REVIEW: Hymotion Battery Plug-In Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by TheForce, Aug 12, 2008.

  1. problemchild

    problemchild New Member

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    Dont the hiper milers get between 125-175 with stock cars?

    "200 MPG and Still Trying
    The acknowledged king of hypermiling is Wayne Gerdes, a former nuclear power plant operator who lives in the Chicago suburb of Wadsworth, Illinois, and who founded the Clean MPG Web site.

    Gerdes has posted a lengthy treatise on the hows and whys of hypermiling, and attained more than 200 mpg in his Honda Insight hybrid over a 40-mile drive, and 127 mpg in a Prius on a 30-mile trip."


    Seems if you drive like a blue-hair you dont need a 10 million dollar battery.

    Wonder what happens to the mpg if your drive it normal and dont clog up the highway?
     
  2. TheForce

    TheForce Stop War! Lets Rave! Make Love!

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    Yes they get that much in a stock Insight. The prius however is in the 120 range. But they are alo average speeds of 15-25MPH on level back roads with little to no traffic.

    True but you would be holding up traffic.

    100+MPG at about 55MPH for about 50 miles. Driving the speed limit is not holding up traffic.
     
  3. Zythryn

    Zythryn Senior Member

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    If you really wonder, there is a review of the hymotion battery pack where the reviewing addresses that exact thing...

    (it is this thread, first post if you didn't guess already;))
     
  4. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    Nice video of the work commute. Higher res. would have been nicer, but it's amazing how the tar filled cracks in the roads "take over" the video. ;)

    Oh, and what do you mean "I can't drive 55". That's what you do! :)
     
  5. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    Is there acceleration benefit with the A123 pack? The pack add 200 lbs but does it provide more juice to the electric motor? I am not familiar with Hymotion implementation. Does the OEM HV pack work together with A123 pack to provide juck to the electric motors?
     
  6. boxer93

    boxer93 Psyched for PHEV

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    Jay,
    Your writeup is great. I've had to buy a scangauge and an EV switch since you started this post :rolleyes: I'll be better prepared for my pack. I got my appt. 8/25 0700, P/U 8/26.
    Interesting comments on the hypermiling, I'm almost the opposite. I've put less than 1000 miles in the 40 days I've owned/driving a Prius. Although with tips from all here at PC I'm getting 55mpg. Hoping 100mpg on the L5 will be cake.
    Chris
     
  7. okiebutnotfrommuskogee

    okiebutnotfrommuskogee Senior Member

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    Great write-up. Thanks so much. I watched the install at Hybridfest, but your information and pictures show a lot more than we could see there.

    I do have one question. What is the panel at the front of the trunk area just below the (window shade) cover? Is it part of the hymotion conversion or is it a piece you added? I don't recall seeing it on the car at Hybridfest.

    Thanks again
     
  8. problemchild

    problemchild New Member

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    I like that 100 number. I'm 1st on the list for the 2010 prius with phev. Hopefully it will be the equal of your install.
     
  9. 9G-man

    9G-man Senior Member

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    Very cool mod, very good right-up, impressive results.
    I have to wonder, though, what affect this will have on your stock traction battery, considering your observation that all the Hymotion power in routed through it.

    And, of course, the effect of extended EV operation, on components that, possibly, were originally designed for more brief EV operation?

    I had imagined the possibility of buying a well used Prius and doing this mod to make it more cost effective, but the fact the stock battery condition is going to play a role in all this makes me re-think that plan.
     
  10. TheForce

    TheForce Stop War! Lets Rave! Make Love!

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    Half tank update! Well it would be about a half a tank if I did not have this extra battery. :p

    So I'm 300 miles in on this tank and everything is still running smoothly. I'm still learning how to exploit this pack on my normal commute to get higher numbers. Normally at this point in the summer I would be at about a half a tank and a little over 60MPG. Currently my CAN-view is showing 154MPG and my ScanGauge is showing 138MPG. My CAN-view has always been within 2MPG of my MFD so I will be using it for my tank averages. I'm currently down one pip and the CAN-view is showing %90 of the fuel remaining. So going by the tank percentage numbers I should have about 2700 miles to go on this tank? Or 1240 miles if you go by my current average and a 10 gallon fill up. I hope my numbers are right.

    I might be able to get my tank average above 200MPG seeing how I'm able to get 300+MPG on my way to work and 200+MPG on my way home. I'm going to start bowling this Monday and its a 60 mile round trip to the bowling center and back. I'm hoping it wont effect my average too much. I don't think it will because my friend and I are going to be rotating driving up there.

    My next official update will be at 600 miles.

    I don't have a way of testing that unless I try to go to the local drag strip. I've been meaning to do that ever since I got the car but just never had time. My guess is that it may help a little since you would have %80 SOC through the whole acceleration. I will try to do some 0-60 tests after I get this tank in and see which "feels" faster. Or better yet blindfold someone and see if they can feel a difference.

    I think your referring to my in car PC.
    http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-modifications/27377-my-dash-car-pc-project.html

    I don't think it will effect the stock battery. The Prius still has control over the charge that goes in and out of the battery. When I was doing my EV only test the SOC got below %45 and it kicked me out of EV mode. So the safety is there to keep the battery happy.

    As far as the components go it has yet to be seen. There have been plug-in Prius for a few years now and no reported failures of parts related to EV only that I know of. When parts are designed they are engineered for %100 use but when they actually get used its more like %40. I think the prius will do fine.
     
  11. SVPriusFan

    SVPriusFan Hymotioned and loving it...

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    Hey, thanks for a great review - love the detailed write-up and descriptions! I have a couple of questions for you:

    1. Is an EV-mode switch helpful in maximizing MPG? Or is it even necessary? I had one in my previous Prius (a 2007) and loved it. But I've been putting off getting one for my new 2008 since I'm on the list for the Hymotion mod in about 7 weeks.

    2. Does the L5 installation hack the 42MPH limit on stealth mode? I thought I read somewhere that it ups the limit on turning the engine crank to somewhere in the 50's, but I'm not sure where I saw that...

    Please keep the info coming!
     
  12. TheForce

    TheForce Stop War! Lets Rave! Make Love!

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    Just for the hell of it I added a graph of the reported SOC from my CAN-view. Just go back to my first post and scroll down to the observations area.


    If your driving around town with the Hymotion battery then yes the EV button is a must have.

    No the car still acts normal. You can however draw up to about 50 amps in warp stealth above 42MPH. The engine still spins at about 950RPM but you don't burn any gas. Normally when your SOC is at %60 your lucky if you can draw 20 amps in warp stealth and if you can do that your SOC drops quickly because of the small stock battery.
     
  13. 9G-man

    9G-man Senior Member

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    I get it all now. I couldn't fully understand your review on highway/warp stealth use, and how the Hymotion pack enhanced things, until now.
    Does it allow a broader amp draw during stealth operation, with or without an EV switch, than stock?.
    I want one.
     
  14. TheForce

    TheForce Stop War! Lets Rave! Make Love!

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    I think it does since you have a full SOC. I seen it go as high as about 60 amps or so without using the EV button but the engine will more likely kick on when ever it wants to.
     
  15. Orf

    Orf New Member

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    What a grand thread you have created Force. I like the way you add new info to your original post but I am never sure what is new. Could you post the new text in a different color, say red, and then make it black when more new text is added?
     
  16. TheForce

    TheForce Stop War! Lets Rave! Make Love!

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    I've been thinking how I should handle when I should fill up. Since I can go in EV mode just about anywhere on my normal commute should I just go until I run out of gas and EV it to my preferred gas station or should I fill up when my CAN-view shows about %5 or so fuel remaining? It would be nice to experience running out of gas just once just to see what happens and since I have the extra battery I should be safe from damaging the stock battery on an extended out of gas EV run.

    I also don't know if I would be able to even try that since I don't know when this might happen. If it happens on my normal commute then I will be able to do it but if it looks like I might be taking a longer trip I might have to gas up before that. I do know from past experience that when my CAN-vies shows about %10 fuel remaining I have about 10-15 miles before it reaches %0 and then I still have fuel left to get another 5 miles or so to the gas station.

    Any one have any thoughts or comments on that?


    I though about that but it would get all confusing and and it would be a little too much work. What I would like to do is when I finish my tank I want to clean it up a bit and make some of the pictures smaller or something. If you follow this thread I will try to point you to what was updated and in what section.
     
  17. Orf

    Orf New Member

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    It may be an idea to carry a can of gas if you decide to run out.
    I do not know which browser you use but in mine (Netscape) all you have to do is select "edit" highlight the text and select a new color, be it black or red. That should not be too much work and it would be easier for all readers to go to the colored text to see if they have read it before.
     
  18. lordbah

    lordbah Junior Member

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    If someone with this mod were to go months without adding gas, would that cause a new set of problems? Same as leaving gas in the lawnmower over a long winter?
     
  19. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    It takes about a year, or even longer, to get gasoline to "go bad" in an automobile fuel tank. It happens faster in lawnmowers because they have much smaller fuel tanks, and much dirtier fuel systems.

    I had an RX-7, and I used to store it for 6 months every year with a full fuel tank, no "stabilizer". Never had fuel go "bad".
     
  20. zcat3

    zcat3 New Member

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    As the Hymotion battery allows to draw more amps, does that mean you can accelerate faster in EV mode without triggering the ICE - or does it function the same way as the stock setup - meaning very little pressure on the pedal or the ICE comes on.