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2006 iTech, let the mods / upgrading commence

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by Jason in OZ, Apr 22, 2014.

  1. lopezjm2001

    lopezjm2001 Senior Member

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    Hi Jason,

    What do you reckon. 403km range. Is it worth it?

    zoe.JPG
     
  2. Jason in OZ

    Jason in OZ Active Member

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    Will be cheaper than the elusive model 3 if we ever actually get them.

    430km is really useful range too. Wouldn’t be many places you couldn’t go in one day.

    I’m still saving for the Ioniq when they are released later this year.

    Jason.
     
  3. lopezjm2001

    lopezjm2001 Senior Member

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    I am also eyeing the BMW i3 2015/16 for around 40k. It looks pretty cool. It has active cruise control where the car speeds and slows down automatically using radar. It uses a 9 litre tank capacity, 2 cylinder scooter engine as a range extender just to charge the HV battery. The whole concept looks pretty cool. 120km ev only range. 320km range using the range extender. I'm tending to go for this option instead of the Zoe as I don't really do that many long trips and I could just get by on refilling the 9L ULP tank any way.
    i3.JPG
     
  4. Jason in OZ

    Jason in OZ Active Member

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    I too was thinking about the i3, but was looking at the 94ah range extender. 200km range in ev. And then another 120 on the extender.

    Trouble is the pricing. New around 80k.

    That second hand pricing is starting to get tempting.
     
  5. lopezjm2001

    lopezjm2001 Senior Member

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    I just found out it only has standard cruise control. Looks like it is the later model that has adaptive cruise control. It is worth paying extra for it.
     
  6. Jason in OZ

    Jason in OZ Active Member

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    I think I’m gonna pass on the i3. The tyres alone make it not a good option. (For me)

    They are like $300 each and there is only one supplier. Plus they have a reputation for easily puncturing. And not so good life span either.

    I’m still aiming for the ioniq when it arrives.
     
  7. lopezjm2001

    lopezjm2001 Senior Member

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    Just found out from dealer that the Zoe does not have adaptive cruise control. Just stanfard. Sounds like they are waiting for the Australian Government to legislate for it. But it does use a camera for emergency braking.
     
  8. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    You realize our expert @bwilson4web has an i3 with the range extender. He has a thread or 2 describing his experiences and testing.

    Here is one thread. Why the BMW i3-REx | PriusChat
     
  9. Jason in OZ

    Jason in OZ Active Member

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    Hi all.

    The time has come to sell my Prius plug in.

    Here are all the details I can remember in one place, but there are bound to be some that I miss.

    Prius NHW20R itech 2006.
    Silver.

    258k km

    November 20th rego


    Ready for sale as soon as I take delivery of the new car in 3 or 4 weeks.


    10kwh plug-in system

    Better than 2.0L / 100km in city

    Plug in system cost over $16k (have documentation for costings)

    Batteries still showing near full capacity have not been over charged or discharged.

    Batteries are GBS 40ah LiFeP04.

    Approximately 1.5 years old. Should have many years service left.

    Never been below 2.75v per cell and never above 3.55v per cell.

    76 cells in series.

    Has onboard BMS and charger.

    Charger is 1.5kw and will run from a standard Australian 10A wall plug.

    Will come with 2 cables and a Converter box for 15A to 10A with RCD.

    One cable for home use and the other kept in the car for on the road use.

    Car side socket is 15A even though the charger never draws more than 7A.

    Upgraded front and rear sway bars.

    (Progress 24mm rear, Toyota Matrix 27mm front)

    Heavy duty king spring rear springs

    Tanabe front Strut brace

    Tanabe lower subframe brace

    Juiced hybrid center brace

    Heated front seats (2 stage)

    Scanguage 2

    Vais multi media linq mp3

    Rain sensing wipers

    Front and rear parking sensors with distance display

    Factory leather interior in good condition.

    Factory sat nav

    Factory reverse camera

    Climate control A/C still gets nice and cold.

    Tinted windows (darkest legal tint)

    Smart key with keyless entry and ignition.

    TSHRCA (turn signal activated rear camera) for better rear view when changing lanes.

    Programable Tapturn flasher relay

    Hella LED daytime running lights

    All led interior lighting

    Mostly led exterior lighting (all except the headlights)

    Receiver type tow bar

    (For carrying bike racks etc)


    Will need new tyres for rego


    Also needs a new clock spring in the wheel.


    Some minor scuffs and scrapes to bodywork as should be expected for a car this age.


    Asking $8,000 or best offer.
    That’s a bargain for someone, considering all of the time money and effort that’s gone into it.

    I’m open to sensible offers.

    Jason.
     
  10. will36

    will36 New Member

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    Hi Jason,
    I am interested in the Prius. Can please PM me. I can't pm people yet as I haven't posted enough!
     
  11. Jason in OZ

    Jason in OZ Active Member

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    It looks likely that the car has been sold.

    I have someone flying in next week to come look at and test drive it.

    If that falls through, I will update.

    Jason.
     
  12. Jason in OZ

    Jason in OZ Active Member

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    Hello all.

    The car has been sold today. I’ll miss it, but it was time to move on.

    Jason.
     
    Raytheeagle and Prodigyplace like this.
  13. T1 Terry

    T1 Terry Active Member

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    I'm the proud new owner of this great vehicle, I've put roughly 5,000km on it since I took possession and love it.
    I'm in the midst of replacing the traction battery at the moment because the original has dropped it's bundle and won't hold a charge.
    I'm planning to replace it with a $400 unit from a local auto wreckers(vehicle dismantler) and after removing the covers from both battery packs, the replacement has clean module connection where the original is very corroded and the replacement has an even 7.6v +/- 0.02v across all 28 cells where the original ranges from 6.0v to 7.6v. I'll load test the replacement and check that all cells hold voltage under load and fit it if it passes muster.

    T1 Terry
     
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  14. Jason in OZ

    Jason in OZ Active Member

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    Wow. Kinda knew the original HV was a bit weak, but didn’t think it was quite that bad.

    Will be interesting to see how the better condition HV pack changes / improves things.

    Jason.
     
  15. T1 Terry

    T1 Terry Active Member

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    Tested the new pack by making an adapter cable so I could plug the battery output into an old ceramic jug with the exposed wound element. The load was around 7.5 amps and all the cells held their voltage well and rebounded to the same voltage after a min when the load was removed, so good enough for me at the moment. I could go down the path of putting the hobby charger on each cell and doing the 3 cycles to get a more accurate reading on its capacity, but I don't want to wait the mth or more it would take me to do all 28 cells, so that isn't going to happen any time soon :lol:

    I battled for 3 1/2 hrs to get the charger out because one of the rivetnuts in the mounting plate decided to spin rather than let me remove the bolt. That caused sufficient frustration to decide it wasn't going back there, so all the 240vac cabling and gear has come out as well. I'll make up a J1772 socket/plug so I can plug in the 5 amp mains charger at home or any of the charging station when we travel with an adapter cable to suit. Then I'll look at a faster charger to mount in the Prius, probably a 20 amp or 40 amp so it doesn't take 8 hrs or more to recharge the battery at a shopping centre. I'll need to make up a plug to go from the EV Works BMS to the charger that suits both the 5 amp TC charger and what ever higher rate charger I choose to fit later.
    I'm also looking at a 50 amp Anderson plug set up to direct charge from solar, probably around 10 amps @275v to get all the cells up to 3.6v from fully discharged in roughly 4 to 5 hrs.

    The original traction battery shows clear signs the electrolyte has been escaping around the terminals on every module and actually splattering onto the metal cover plate, so they have really been coping a hammering by the look of it. I'm now thinking the smell might have been the traction battery and not the PHEV battery. It will also be interesting to see if the traction battery cooling fan settles down as well, it ran flat out when ever the PHEV pack started recharging the traction pack or if we went up a hill.

    T1 Terry
     
  16. Jason in OZ

    Jason in OZ Active Member

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    I will be very interested to see your mods.

    And the results too.

    As for the traction fan, it is driven by the plugin system. So once that is on, the fan is basically driven to near full speed.

    With the system off, it runs as usual from the Toyota ecu.

    Still will be interested to see what you do to it long term.

    My main consideration when I chose the 5A charger was that it needed to be able to run on a household circuit that has other appliances on it. So it couldn’t take the full 10A available. Or I would risk tripping fuses.

    If I was in a position to have a dedicated 15A or more socket, I would have went with a much more powerful charger.

    Another thing. At the time I built the system, I wasn’t aware that there was a J1772 capable solution that wasn’t that much more costly. Or I would have likley went that way too.

    Jason.
     
  17. T1 Terry

    T1 Terry Active Member

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    Hi Jason, can anything be done to this 5 amp charger to up its output? Or am I looking a new charger for the fast charging option?
    I thought a bit more last night over a beer or 3 and realised I could mix and match any of the charging options by using the 50 amp Anderson plug that is already part of the system now. Maybe I'll just add the J1772 socket and wire that to a bigger charger as well as a 50 amp Anderson plug near the towbar so I can charge from solar as well ...... and maybe have the 10kWh battery available as a back up power supply if needed.

    T1 Terry
     
  18. Jason in OZ

    Jason in OZ Active Member

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    Supposedly there is someone in WA that can re program the TCCH chargers outputs and algorithms.

    I never looked into it much as I had no need at the time though.

    I have no idea if the person exists or even if it can be done.

    One of the various forums had a reference to someone in WA that could re program the TCCH series of chargers. I think you could also send it to elcon in the USA and have them do it. Though that would be somewhat cost prohibitive. Along with the down time too.

    I think the forum I read it on might have been endless sphere. Though I can’t be sure.

    You might also try contacting Geoff at GT tooling. He might have info. He was very helpful for me during the commissioning of the system.

    Jason.
     
  19. T1 Terry

    T1 Terry Active Member

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    Well, I've finally sorted the bugs out and very happy with the replacement traction battery. It appears I managed to score a relatively new battery because it was branded Primearth EV Energy Primearth EV Energy - WikiVisually and looking at the article it appears they didn't start supplying Toyota under that name until 2011.
    The electric only speed is now better than 86km/h where it would top out at 80km/h before unless it was a down hill run. With the 10kW pack switched off and all the bars green in the touch panel display I can get around 4.5kms @ 80km/h and a bit of hill climbing included. The contactors remain on for a much longer period when charging from the 10kW battery to the traction battery and the current flow is less. Once the contactor clicks out the traction battery seems to hold its voltage for a lot longer now and charges to 75% SOC according to the scan gauge.
    The trip from the workshop home and return to the workshop would pull the 10kW battery down to 83% SOC or less before, today it was still 95%.
    Al round, very happy with the result, the charger and associated cabling is now set up so it can be removed and only needed in the vehicle when I plan to be some where that I can get a recharge rather than being in the vehicle full time. This allows me to access the contactor box much easier and gives me somewhere to put the jack and wheel brace. I changed the charger fans from parallel to series wired and that quietened them down a lot. I might add a thermostat later so they don't run constantly as they are now powered by the 12v aux battery.

    T1 Terry
     
  20. Jason in OZ

    Jason in OZ Active Member

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    Thermostat idea is a good one. I did consider one also, but as the car was always not near me when charging I didn’t care too much about noise.

    Good to see your continued tinkerings