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juicedhybrid electric only option

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by lovebug, Jun 2, 2008.

  1. lovebug

    lovebug New Member

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    Prius electric mode mode only.


    Well, tried to do a search of priuschat for this and found nothing.
    Sounds too good to be true, so it must be. Well, I don't even really
    understand it, so...
    But, has anyone gotten this or evaluted it?
    Thanks!
     
  2. douglas001001

    douglas001001 smug doug

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    This is a resell or a copy of the coastal tech switch, somewhere on the site is a posted video of the installation process.
     
  3. JuicedHybrid

    JuicedHybrid Junior Member

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    Yes - It is a good option and it works really.
    I might be a bit biased because am with Juicedhybrid. But with that said - We are allowing a Prius owner to access a Toyota Option that holds off the ICE engine as long as possible. This is good for about 2 to 4 miles in some cases. The engine kicks in when your battery reaches 3 bars. But the EVMODE can be reactivated once you get back up to 4 bars or higher. The product works best if you are in town/city driving. Typically I will drive for a bit and then the ICE will start to recharge the battery. Then at my next stop sign or red light I will reactivate. Thus maximizing the EVMODE use and minimizing MPG.
     
  4. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    Keep in mind that driving in EV mode for "extended" distances is NOT good for fuel economy. In some cases it can be helpful if you jnow you will be in a high recharge mode in the near future but in most cases it can decrease fuel economy.

    It is; however, nice for sneaking around your neihborhood or the local gas station and showing off to friends. :)

    I have the original CoastalTech unit and it works fine but I do not rely on it for obtaining max MPG. I parked the car with 59.2mpg and 428miles on the MDF this morning. :)
     
  5. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Wow, you love the marketing stuff don't you!
    You're "allowing" Prius owners to access the EV mode. Bit of a stretch.
    You've copied Prius Accessories 's design for the EV mod that Wayne Brown figured out how to implement and that I first published over 4 1/2 years ago.

    Let's evaluate your ad on the linked site shall we?

    • Easy Installation - In a few minutes this OEM option replication will activate the electric only feature from Toyota to drive for short distances such as around town or in parking lots to save fuel.
    • Ok, we're pretty good here though driving around town is a pretty huge stretch unless you live in a VERY small town.
    • Increase Fuel Efficiency- By limiting the use of the gas motor your Prius will have improved MPG.
    • Flat out wrong. While FE may be improved with very judicious use by experienced users when S4 is not yet available it's the rare individual that can legitimately make any claim to improved FE.
    • Increase Performance- Operating the high horsepower and powerful torque of the electric motor in your Prius you will notice an increase in acceleration.
    • Again, wrong. With normal operation you get the full torque of the electric PLUS the torque of the ICE.
    • Environmentally Friendly - No gas engine means better for the environment.
    • Where did that electricity come from that's in the battery?? Oh yea, gas...only now you've converted it from gas, to electricity, to potential energy in the battery back to kinetic energy at the wheel...conversion losses lead to REDUCED efficiency, higher gas use and is actually slighly less environmentally friendly.
    • Step By Step Instructions - The EV Mode kit is designed for ease of installation and includes the step by step instructions. No cutting of wires.
    • Yea, ok. Just like coastal's, I never had to cut any wires with the original install either since you just tap one pin and ground it to a momentary switch.
    • Runs Seamlessly - The electric only feature can be turned on and used up to a speed of around 34 mph at which time it will automatically turn off and the car will operate as usual.
    • Quickly and easily activate and/or turn off the electric mode when desired.
    • No problem with either of the above
    • Maintains battery Life - Toyota includes the “Electric Only†software in all Hybrids and the Juiced Hybrid chip activates this option.
    • Yipes...that's a real stretch. Did you provide a link to the Toyota site where they don't recommend EV mods and suggest it may void the warranty if you do so? Look, I've had an EV mode as long as anyone in North America. I wrote the book on it's use here. But claims like this are just flat out lies and lead to confusion. Misuse of the EV mode (basicly using it to drive around town or in a lame effort to get more torque) could potentially expand the SOC range used and lead to an early demise of the battery.
    • Engine automatically restarts when the battery needs to be recharged or if you need to accelerate quickly.
    • yea, ok.

    Look, if you wanna rip off someone else's design and sell it on the internet and claim you're taking $30 off the "List price" ...who's list anyway? That's fine. But if you're going to come to Priuschat and try to promote your product you're not going to be happy with the response such false claims and exagerations will get.

    If you're smart you'll e-mail the Priuschat site owner [email protected] and see if he's interested in a partnership to sell your product through the Priuschatshop. I think that if you make your ad more honest and do a little cooperative marketing with Priuschat you'll sell a lot more of your product, provide an alternative to coastaletech and their lousy customer service and you might even find some support from this community. But you're not off on a very good foot with me anyway.
     
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  6. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Oh, and I notice you illegally used the copyrighted photo from coastaletech in your own ad. You rip off their design, show a video of their product being installed on your site, and then use their photos (you couldn't take your own?) in the ad. Very very bad.
    [​IMG]
     
  7. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Oh, and Coastal sells theirs for just $45 compared to the "$30 off list price" of $60 for yours. I'm guessing that maybe you're just trying to resell coastal's for a profit?
     
  8. JuicedHybrid

    JuicedHybrid Junior Member

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    Not sure were to start here……. You have given me a lot to think about.

    I am new to PriusChat and I definitely know I really want be on your GOOD side.

    The feedback is great! Ultimately I want to do the best job we can with clarity. I may not agree with everything you said, but it helps us improve. We are working hard to bring more to Hybrid owners and I understand we will make mistakes all the time.

    • Increase Fuel Efficiency- By limiting the use of the gas motor your Prius will have improved MPG.
    I have to flat out say…… You are wrong! More battery use and less engine get a better MPG result. I will admit that there are a great many factors affecting the result….. (Such as geography, driving styles and attentiveness to the EVMODE)

    But I can not think of any situation were a driver would not benefit from installing the EVMODE. Just holding off the gas engine a little bit is a good thing. Thousands of EVMODE users will agree.
    • Increase Performance- Operating the high horsepower and powerful torque of the electric motor in your Prius you will notice an increase in acceleration.
    OK – I will look into this and eliminate unless Toyota says differently. We have been told that the transmission system governs differently under EVMODE. I will get back to you on this.
    • Environmentally Friendly - No gas engine means better for the environment.
    When we run on 100% battery we see zero (0) emissions. The charge from the battery does come from the gas engine. But also some of it comes under braking and coasting. Holding off the gas engine from running when it is cold and warming up under moving conditions is much better. By allowing the engine not to be under a load conditions a more efficient and less polluting was to warm the engine and the catalytic converter.

    Maintains battery Life - Toyota includes the “Electric Only” software in all Hybrids and the Juiced Hybrid chip activates this option.
    With regard to warranty – I have to side with the attorneys who say it is against federal law for a manufacturer to void a warranty due to an aftermarket part installation. If this was not the case I think we would all know. Thousands of these have been sold. It would be a big deal if it there was defect or a warranty issue.
    “Federal law sets forth requirements for warranties and contains a number of provisions to prevent vehicle manufacturers, dealers and others from unjustly denying warranty coverage. With regard to aftermarket parts, the spirit of the law is that warranty coverage cannot be denied simply because such parts are present on the vehicle, or have been used. “

    http://www.sema.org/Main/SemaOrgHome.aspx?ID=50100


    Coastal - They are an excellent company and have done a great job with their all products. There really is no copying involved. If anything we are all copying the idea from Toyota. Just executing it a bit differently.

    Thanks again for your feedback. I really want to get to know this community better. It really is the best way for us to succeed.

    I hope what I have said above help you at least give us a chance. I feel very strongly that the auto aftermarket ignores the Hybrid owner. We are working right know to develop some products and work with manufacturers to change this. I want more for my car!
     
  9. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    We'd like that too.
    Show me just one way that this makes sense staying within the laws of physics. While you may momentarily see an increase in the MPG readout on the display the energy used from the battery must be replaced...guess where that comes from? That's right, gas. You can't deny conversion losses. You can't deny all the energy comes from gas.
    As I stated, there are rare situations that using EV mode can result in improved FE, but nothing you've described is included in those situations or methods.
    You can call me wrong, but physics, facts, almost 5 years of experience and the experts are all on my side. There's no free energy and there's nothing about using the battery that is more energy efficient than letting the car determine what to do.

    When you brake and coast you're simply recapturing a fraction of the energy that came from gas...all of the energy still, originally, comes from gas...100$ of it unless you're physically pushing the car to the top of hills.
    And your catalytic converter reference is also wrong. Indeed if the Cat gets cool while you're driving around under EV mode it is less efficient and the HV ECU forces the ICE into a lower power and lower efficiency mode while reheating the Cat so it operates properly. Further the ICE can get quite cool and will be forced to go through it's warm-up cycle again...more emissions.

    Again, you seem to be mixing up momentary benefit (higher MPG, zero emissions) of EV mode use from the net impact of EV use (lower MPG, higher emissions). It's really too bad you didn't come here for a little research before producing and marketing your product.

    Yea yea, we're all familiar with Magneson-Moss. The thing is this device may, potentially, violate EPA emission standards by altering the design performance characteristics of the vehicle as tested and approved for the US market. Further, if an installed device directly impacts/damages a component the warranty is void. For instance...if I install a super-duper super-charger to my car and it causes damage to the ICE the ICE is not covered by the OEM warranty any more. Now, if I install an XM radio then the engine dies it's certainly covered. In this case if Toyota claims that the EV mod caused the early death of the battery and refuse to cover it you really won't have a case even with M-M act in your corner.
    FWIW we have precedent:
    http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-m...ery-toyota-denies-warranty-due-ev-button.html
    You'd do well to read that.


    You illegally are using a copyrighted photo from the Coastal site. Did you independently design a unique product? If so what is unique about your product and different from Coastal's design. What about your product warrants a price $15 more than Coastal's?

    I look forward to seeing your new products, but I hope that in the future you'll solicit facts and advice from people who are active in the community and products and mods and conduct your business in an honest and ethical manner. Frankly this first introduction to your site is not promising. But your response here is a positive sign that you want to serve the community and I appreciate that as do, I'm certain, the 40k+ members of the Priuschat site.
     
  10. 9G-man

    9G-man Senior Member

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    Someone has some serious mis-conceptions.
    Extensive use of EV mode leads to LOWER gas mileage. Intentionally depleting your battery state-of-charge, with extensive and long periods of forced EV, will rob you of many miles of glide and warp stealth opportunities. And that's where the real economy and high MPG returns are.
     
  11. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    P&G baby! Well, until people come up behind you and make you drive like normal again :(
     

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  12. Hybrid Effects

    Hybrid Effects Junior Member

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    Or when a cop pulls you over for being to old.

    Batteries get hot when cycled fast do not they? Will not that lower there life expectancies?


    just put some batteries in the trunk and hook up the jumper cables.:roll:

    OOPS I am lost again.

    Why not a 1 way diode connected to a bunch of batteries just as long as the batteries make the new regulator charge them. Then use Ev mode sounds like to me the battery in the Prius might be to small.
    Also the wiring and drive motor is not designed to take long hard draws.

    WAIT
     
  13. JHSmith

    JHSmith 2020 Avalon Hybrid Owner

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    OK,

    You've sold me.

    Since "Toyota includes the 'Electric Only' software in all Hybrids and the Juiced Hybrid chip activates this option", I want one for my 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid (TCH).

    Coastal says their unit doesn't work on the Camry Hybrid, but you say yours does, then it is obvious that your option is superior. Your system MUST work on on the TCH since it is a Toyota Hybrid.
     
  14. JuicedHybrid

    JuicedHybrid Junior Member

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    Made only for the Prius now. See the product description form the site:
    Prius - Electric Only Mode Option for (Prius 2004-2008)

    Prius electric mode only and Prius Accessory

    I will keep you updated as we may have one for the Camry later this year.
     
  15. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Let us know when you've developed one for the '07 Highlander Hybrid too.
     
  16. JuicedHybrid

    JuicedHybrid Junior Member

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    I have an 08 highlander and the facory EV works pretty well. Or even better if the engine is already warm. The car overall gets pretty avarage MPG. So I use the EV whenever I can.
     
  17. Bob64

    Bob64 Sapphire of the Blue Sky

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    Someone pull up the term used for decreased efficiency when drawing/charging high amounts of current from/into the battery. I can't, for the life of me, remember that term right now.
     
  18. JHSmith

    JHSmith 2020 Avalon Hybrid Owner

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    Ahh,

    So your website data is wrong when you say:
    "Maintains battery Life - Toyota includes the “Electric Only†software in all Hybrids and the Juiced Hybrid chip activates this option."

    Granted the page is for Prius, however, under large type/font in the features section, you say that the software is in "all hybrids" (relating to Toyota).


    Earlier you stated that you wanted to stay on the GOOD side of PriusChat. Hopefully, you have learned that one one to do that is to ensure that you don't play fast and loose with your claims.
     
  19. JuicedHybrid

    JuicedHybrid Junior Member

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    Made a quick site change that probably is clearer.

    Maintains battery Life - Toyota includes the “Electric Only†software in the Prius and the EVMODE chip activates this option.