Plug in cold weather performance

Where's the temperature information?

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Was it stated anywhere just how big this battery was and what type and how many miles one way it would support before a charge was needed?

Was the car modified to go faster than 32 on electric only EV mode or was the configuration left the same?

IN other words, was the only real modification to this car a plugin and bigger battery and/or type?

 

Looks like having a bigger battery affords the luxury of actually using it!

It appears just having a bigger battery alone is a 50% increase in mpg "keeping in mind the energy is not free, but from the grid"

Like everything.. the conversion is not pure, but has losses of course.

If these numbers are real... thats a fair amount of change each year:

I wonder what is the life expectancy of actually "using" the LiOn battery as demonstrated in the chart vs. merely maintaining the NiHh at around 60%?

Lithium can take the charge discharge cycle in stride much better than NiMh.

 

Jack,
I'm located about 2 hours southeast of you. I have been using my Hymotion this winter. I agree that 100MPG+ (with the electrical charge for the battery) is possible at times, but for me I can't maintain an average that high. With the Ambient Temps <0C most days and a few <-20C this January, I'm averaging ~76MPG. Most of this I have found is from the lack of EV mode which is not possible in the Prius if the Traction Battery Temeratures are <0C.
I also read the article and the professor did state his mileage was during the fall semester. And I definitely had 100+ average with Temps >10C (and I didn't grill block for some of that timeframe).
I hope that you have a chance to ride in it. Other than EV mode it's rides like a Prius.
Chris

 

I installed my Hymotion in early October 2008 when the weather was still nice. I easily was able to get 99.9+ mpg after about one week of experience learning the system.

I had some trouble maintaining my 99.9+ mpg average when the weather first turned cold for winter. But after grill blocking and just gaining more experience, my average is easily back to maxing out the system. According to my gasoline calculations, I am still between 110 to 115 mpg for my most recent two tanks of gasoline in December and January.

The most effective tips are just to do grill blocking and know your terrain to maximize your EV time. Also doing opportunity recharging during the day is critical. Know where your electric outlets are in parking garages, at work, at stores you visit, etc. Grabbing that extra hour or two recharging during the day can really increase your Hymotion range. I can regularly get 40 to 50 miles of range per day and never go below 3/8 on my battery.

 

About grill blocking... does there seem to be a magic dimension that seems to work well?

And do you remove it in the summer?