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Add-on Improves Prius MPG

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by zenMachine, Dec 8, 2008.

  1. zenMachine

    zenMachine Just another Onionhead

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    Willits inventor Howard Letovsky has found a way to increase mileage output in the Toyota Prius by 50 to 100 percent. By inserting a battery booster system devised by Letovsky, mileage output in the Prius can be improved from the standard 45 miles per gallon to 65 miles per gallon (at 65 miles per hour) and to 100 miles per gallon for speeds under 34 miles per hour.

    Although pressed mightily by The Willits News, Letovsky would not divulge full details of how the battery system works. But he did say that it stores five times the power of the conventional, factory-model battery that is standard with the Prius, while weighing twice as much and taking up twice as much space as the standard factory battery.

    Letovsky said he worked with Mendocino County coastal energy expert and inventor Steven Heckeroth on developing the new battery system.

    The two had previously transformed Herckeroth's personally owned Prius into an even more impressive gas-saving behemoth. "You could go mostly all-electric not for 10 miles, not for 40 miles, but for 100 miles," said Letovsky. "But I didn't think it was safe. The battery pack was too heavy and electronically complex, and it wasn't something I wanted to put out there for normal people to use. So I told Heckeroth, if he wanted me to work on another Prius, that I wanted to make a system that would work with the strengths of the car and wouldn't put more stress on the weaknesses of the car."

    Letovsky add-on improves Prius's mileage - The Willits News
     
  2. biff44

    biff44 New Member

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    Sure sport! And exactly WHAT charges this bigger battery? If it is still the gas engine, then you will get pretty much the same gas mileage. If he is charging it by plugging it in, then a mpg figure is totally meaningless.
     
  3. Rokeby

    Rokeby Member

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    Go easy there big fella...

    The article says:

    "With my battery system, you can charge the pack from a regular house AC
    outlet, and drive between 20 and 40 miles in primarily electric-only mode,
    with the gas engine coming on occasionally to keep oil flowing in the
    transmission and to keep the car's fluids up to operating temperature.
     
  4. hobbit

    hobbit Senior Member

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    Sounds like there's nothing different about this one than anything
    we know about already; hymotion, calcars, pluginsupply, etc...
    something to inject a little extra energy but still let the
    hybrid system run normally and just think it's got a high SOC
    all the time.
    .
    Every one of which fails to account for "charging kilowatt-hours"
    in its marketing lit.
    .
    _H*
     
  5. Blegate

    Blegate Prius Gen III 2013

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    I want one
     
  6. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    But that energy is free because you already have it at your house. *






















    * No, I'm not really serious, but I have seen this argument applied to the HHO generator fantasy. :rolleyes:
     
  7. bedrock8x

    bedrock8x Senior Member

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    deleted, I didn't scroll to the bottom

     
  8. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    :madgrin:
     
  9. Rest

    Rest Active Member

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    The energy could be free if your house uses solar.
     
  10. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    Where can I get the free solar panel(s)? How many years are they guaranteed to last? Will someone come out to my house and install them for free too? ; )
     
  11. darelldd

    darelldd Prius is our Gas Guzzler

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    My educated guess is that your question isn't serious. :) But what the hell. I'll play along. I have free solar panels on my house. And that includes installation. And they are guaranteed to last 25 years. They weren't free initially - but since installation, they have paid for themselves more than 100% both financially and in terms of energy produced.

    Solar panels will likely always be free... eventually. You've just got to wait them out.

    So anyway... yeah. My EV is actually free to "fuel" now.
     
  12. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Hold on there big fella, let's just forget that he's playing the part of the 'tard for a moment, and let's just forget that PV panels have a 25 year warranty. Let's even forget that panels pay for their self over time.

    There are NUMEROUS companies that WILL install PV panels for free (but Mr. Smarty will have to do his own homework, as he may not be worthy of an average I.Q. person's research). "How?" you may ask, in a simple minded way? :p

    PV is such a good deal, that there are many companys that will, as investors, pay for panels on your house. They look at your average electric consumption over a couple years. This data lets these companys design your system based on your usage. You simply pay your fixed electric bill, based off what ever it was over the past couple years. Your rates never go up. What does it matter if Edison's passing on costs to everybody else ... 5% ... 10% per year? year after year? Decade after decade? YOU have your fixed lease fee that you pay to the installer/investor. You never had to pay a dime. Next lame question, please? :rolleyes:
     
  13. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    Who are you calling a tard? :madgrin:
     
  14. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Calling someone X, versus someone playing the part of X, are two different things. The latter presumes it's just acting. I'm sure that wasn't presumptuous, right? ;)
     
  15. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    I just want to know who is going to install my free solar panels. :madgrin:
     
  16. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    I have looked and looked and I haven't been able to find a free solar panel or a free installer in Adelaide or Australia. I'll keep looking.

    Cost here for a 1kW system is $4,000 to $12,000AU depending on the level of government subsidies, that is about 15 to 44 years pay back time on that 1kW system. I don't qualify for the government assistance because I earn too much household income.

    No, solar power is not free, well not for me. I should have got in before the income test was introduced.