0 to 60 in 5 seconds ...

I doubt a streetable Prius can be made to do 0 to 60 in 5 seconds.
I have found articles that discuss Supercharging a (Gen I) Prius and Turbocharging the same Prius, but the owner found that he got more duration of full power, not more instianious power.

As I understand it, the amount of torque the electric motor (MG2) can produce can endanger the drivetrain, so the computers limit the torque artifically. Trying to add more torque will also be so limited. As speed increases, the motor produces less torque, so you can add horsepower, but by then you are already not going to get 5 seconds.

I have a great deal of respect for the Power Split Device, but it was not designed for more torque than the Prius produces stock. (Adding high end horsepower will not risk the PSD, but that would help top speed, not 0 to 60)

 

You would need to make some major changes to the hybrid motor in the Prius to achieve this. The amount of engineering changes from motor, suspension, steering and tires, would make this a stupid costly project. If you were able to hot rod the engine, and amp up the electrical motor, both would likely fail quickly to heat or to much compression.

Your idea of high-current battery might work, but I think your talking about the addition of capacitance to the system. With some reprogramming of the electric motor controls, disabling the traction control, enough tires, and making the ECE full time, you might be able to get that kind of acceleration. But like I said the electric motor or the transmission would likely fail quickly. A Tesla might be a cheaper way to get it.

 

Sounds to me that if the drive-train can't handle any more torque without damage, then one option might be to add wheel-hub motors to the rear wheels and an additional motor controller and larger battery pack. (or separate battery pack) You'd be looking at a cost of around $10,000 for such a mod, and I somehow doubt you'd be able to get down to that 5-second figure.. but you might get 6 or 7 seconds..

 

Some cars should not be tinkered with for speed as it is both very costly, possibly damaging, very little reutn in HP/TQ and defeats the purposeful design of the car in the first place......

 

Hi All,

A stock Prius drive-train configuration will never accellerate zero-60 in 5 seconds. The only way to embaras Mustangs and Camaros is to hypermile into a light at 30 mph as it goes green, while they are dead stopped after red-light-racing to it. This rarely happens, but it does on occaision.

If you want to reconfigure the Prius drive train to have quicker accelleration, one way might be to put in 4 wheel motors in place of MG2. Of course this requires a total redesign of the transmission. But this way, the PSD would not be a torque bottleneck, and drive shafts will only be used for regeneration and engine torque.

One possible reconfiguration with 4 wheel motors would be to change the transmission to make the present 60 hp MG2 into a 60 HP MG1 and get rid of the present MG1. Then with more engine power, and the ability for the engine to scream at low speed, the 4 MG2's would deliver allot of accelleration.

Following on with this concept, the MG1 inverter could be used for an electric super charger.

Of course the hybrid batteries for this concept would need to be allot bigger than a stock Prius.


The disadvantage of this is a very rough ride, and possible poor road holding on rough pavement. As the wheel motors will be very heavy compared to brakes and a wheel. Bigger dampers will most likely be needed. But of course this reduces the time constant of the wheel motion, and gives it less ability to follow variations in the road.

 

Wow. Might bring a whole new meaning to the PWR button on my console if I could get this kind of PHEV conversion!!!