Adding Diesel motor to prius then taking both motors and in BMW

Yeah... right. What are his qualifications? If it was easy to convert the HSD to diesel, I would think that there'd be diesel hybrids rolling around already.

 

I suspect your friend was pulling your leg. Or perhaps her boyfriend was teasing her.

On the other hand if this is something he seriously is going to attempt, I suppose he can think of the risk of electrocution, or the expense of all that money he'll sink into a doomed project, as simply the cost of an education.

Besides, if he succeeds he'll probably have a lucrative career lined up as an automotive engineer.

I'm guessing that he'll need access to some pretty sophisticated computers to reprogram the circuits that handle the balance between MG1, MG2, and the ICE, as well as the balance between the friction brakes and the regenerative braking. He is aware that there are 2 electric motors/generators right?

 

If he were really going to take on this project I think that it would be a much easier to swap with the larger engine inside the highlander w/ HSD, and take all the components with it. It seems a liitle ambitious if you ask me. And he would also have to transplant the battery and whatever relays that are in place with it.

 

Maybe your friend is just tired of her current boyfriend...?

"sure, honey...you're a part time electrician...you'll do GREAT with the high voltage in the prius...why don't you wait for a rainy day, then work outside, so you can see better...?"

 

Oh come on now.....this is another example of some kid, likely without financial ability, who is just talking to try to impress someone, likely a girl. This guy is probably flipping burgers for the King.
This reminds me of those articles in Hot Rod magazine that all start the same way, I am a twelve year old kid but I will be thirteen next week and I want to build a 1969 Z-28 with matching numbers and 1,000 horsepower because that would be sooooo coooool and then this cool chick at school will let me look down her top.

 

On the surface I think the kid's biting off more than he can chew. Does he have any contact with an EV or alternative fuel auto club? If he has practical experience with a club that has built a car then I'll say he's got a chance but will most likely discover why this hasn't been done already. How much time and money is he budgeting?

How long is she going to put up with various parts in the house and a couple of chassis in the garage?

I don't think the high voltage is the problem. A diesel has to run hot and constant for efficiency. If he's using the diesel to generate electricity then he's building a Volt or a locomotive. If he's trying to get a diesel to run like a gas Prius what advantages does he hope for? The comment that certification is for commercial use and dumbasses bring visions of Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor. With an attitude like that I'd expect a newspaper article about the dumbass that either burned or electrocuted himself with his Prius. Should that happen, please post the link.

 

ooooooooooookay. :blink:

the computer system will be the downfall of this project, technically. it's designed from the ground up to run a gas engine. so many things will cause a complete and total freak-out and computers will just shut everything down. (spark plugs vs glow plugs, vvt, fuel injectors, to name a few)

hybrid training is 99.99999% "how not to kill yourself" training. this is part of the reason a good hybrid tech is hard to find right now. the classes are geared toward people who are used to working on the conventional auto electrical systems that really can't hurt you, and getting them used to the idea that working on this thing, if you're not careful, can kill you. now if this guy is a trained electrician he should know his way around high voltage, so long as he understands how the hybrid system works he should be okay from a safety perspective.

 

Certification is not required to work on a Prius, but common
sense is.
.
_H*

 

I suppose if you left all the sensors in place you could put a prius drivetrain inside of another car, trnsplant everything as one unit, and all the wheel sensors and fuel systems and exhaust, but adding a diesle engine, no way in hell without Toyota directly involved. Maybe I will transplant my prius into my 64 mgb, that would be something!

 

Beyond keeping the computer happy, custom fabrication pieces would need to be made to get the engine and power split device to mate and then to get the Frankestien powertrain to fit in the BMW not to mention many other unknowns. It is simply a waste of time. If he does it he should make the cover of "Hardest Car Project" magazine. What kind of boss/company is this? Unless the company does unique vehicles they should pay someone else to do it. What is the point they are trying to make? They should simply convert a BMW to an all electric car instead.

 

Is her boyfriend named RogerCordia?

 

As long as it's not HER Prius.

Whoever's Prius it is is going to be really, really sorry they let this bozo touch it.

It's not going to work. He might get seriously hurt or dead. And in the end the Prius will be trashed and the BMW won't work either.

I agree with the above poster who suggested they convert the BMW to an EV and leave the Prius alone.

And the kid is a doofus if he really thinks he can do this. He's obviously done NO HOMEWORK on how a Prius works. If he had, he'd know you can't do that.

Roger Cordia...LOL! Yeah, sounds just like him. Only he'd put it in a VW Cabriolet or something small and cheap.

 

The less you know, the easier the job.

For example, MG1 starts the Prius by spinning up the engine and then the engine fuel and ignition system is initiated and the engine startup rpm transient is smoothly handled by the MG1 control so that the Prius acceleration remains smooth. Very impressive engineering to me.

Obviously, the algorithms for handling a diesel startup, which is a lot more uncontrolled than the Prius Engine startup, has been recognized, modeled, and coded for the engine transplant. Please, please, please have him send this to us (or at least me). If I see this I will be a convert. Until then I will think that some other organ is bigger than the brain in this case.

 

Hi. I'm the girl this post is talking about. Now that that's out of the way---time for some clarification.

My boyfriend works as a diesel mechanic for a roofing company. The owner of said roofing company owns a secondary company wherein he produces biodiesel. He uses this (mixed 50/50 with regular diesel) in his roofing vehicles, which all, obviously, use diesel engines. This is where my boyfriend comes in. He was originally employed by the owner of these two companies to work on these engines, by servicing them, fixing problems when they arise, etc. However, my boyfriend has, in the past, installed a 6.2L diesel engine into a 1981 El Camino. This is our daily driver. Because of his experience, he has been employed to convert one of his boss's other trucks to a diesel engine (both conversions required fabricating new mounts, etc).

Now, about this diesel/electric hybrid. The Prius is arguably one of the most advanced cars on the market right now and it deserves its recognition. I get that. However, my boyfriend's employer is very interested in biodiesel and wants to make a future out of it, as roofing can only go so far, even in Florida. He currently owns a BMW that he uses for his company, and it is the only one he owns that still has a gasoline engine in it. He had the brilliant idea of introducing a hybrid into the mix, but hey, he's got all this biodiesel that he's producing, why spend money on gasoline?

Now, to my understanding (please correct me if I'm wrong), the hybrids work as such: the engine acts as a generator, which provides energy for a motor/charges the batteries that the electric motors call upon to work. So in theory, as long as those batteries are charged/the motors are turning, it doesn't matter which fuel was used to get it to that point. I know it's not that simple though.

The slew of computer controlled aspects of the Prius means a lot can and will go wrong, and that has definitely been taken into consideration. I would welcome advice as to what is controlled by a computer, and what is controlled mechanically, to see if using a Prius is even possible. A lot of you were very helpful in letting me know that there are a lot of computer controlled components, but could any of it be controlled mechanically? Could a computer from a newer diesel engine be adapted? I never said it was guaranteed to work; I just thought it would be an awesome idea. Really, all I'm trying to show with this post is that my boyfriend is not a stupid kid who wants to impress a girl. Have I accomplished that?

This is one of the reasons why we considered a Prius first:
"The irony is that diesel hybrids could be far more efficient and clean than anything now on the market, without any leaps in technology. The combination of modern clean diesel engines, Prius-style serial hybrid-electric systems, and biodiesel/vegetable oil fuels could provide amazing mileage, cleaner air, and vastly reduced petroleum dependency. Comfortable, powerful sedans could get upwards of 80 miles per gallon and be carbon-neutral."
(http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/000791.html)



With that said, provided this endeavor actually works, would I be allowed to post because my car is somewhat related to a Prius?

 

I think your boyfriend would be better patterning it after the Honda 'hybrid', as, in fact, it was designed more as a 'gas engine that charges the batteries', and the Prius is a Synergistic drive, which means that the two motors (plus) work in tandem.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rae Vynn @ Jul 11 2007, 05:48 PM) [snapback]477149[/snapback]</div>

That's a really good idea. I have just heard nothing but good things about the Prius and it was the first to come to mind when thinking of hybrids.