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2nd Gen Prius full EV/plug-in conversions?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by Trunks, May 4, 2019.

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  1. Trunks

    Trunks Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2015
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    Location:
    Hobart, Tasmania
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Hey gang,

    When I lived back in the states, I had a 2.5Kwh battery pack that I put in the trunk that gave me a range of about 18 miles on a charge, or around 80mpg when used in hybrid mode. Now that I'm living here in Tasmania, I've managed to purchase my second 2nd Gen Prius. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's a retired taxi with just over 428,000km (265946 miles). It's getting 4.9L/100km (48mpg) and is in decent shape mechanically. I've been spending my time replacing or repairing damaged parts or removing anything that would make anyone think it was ever a taxi.

    What I'd like to do down the road is one of two things: either convert it to a plug-in hybrid, or convert it to a total electric.

    Prius are hard to come by in Tasmania. If you go to the mainland, they're available all over the place, but people who have them here in Tasmania don't want to get rid of them. I got very lucky when I got mine, and even luckier to find another identical taxi that blew the engine.

    I've gone back to the place that has this car and have been buying all the parts from it that I need for my own car. Despite the fact that they ran the engine out of oil and locked it up, the electric motor, controller, etc. are all in good working order.

    Now, I know you can go around 75kph (46mph) just on the electric motor using an ICE disable switch (taken from videos I've watched), but what I'm wondering is if it's possible to take the engine out and replace it with another electric motor from the other Prius? I'm thinking of EV conversions where they use two electric motors run in tandem to provide more power. The only reason I'm even asking is because I quite literally have a second identical Prius for parts at my disposal. Would it be easier to just remove the engine and existing electric motor setup and replace it with, say, a NetGain Technologies (Warp 9/10/11) motor and aftermarket controller?

    This is still a good year or so off yet. I'm just wondering if anyone has tried anything along these lines and/or what your thoughts are on it. Thanks for your input!
     
    #1 Trunks, May 4, 2019
    OahuPrius likes this.
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,991
    49,089
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    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    anything is possible, but no one has ever done it. mostly because ev's are readily available in much of the world.

    same with phev conversion, they've all gone out of business.

    there are a couple folks in your part of the world with their own set ups. it might be helpful to add your location to the thread title.

    all the best!(y)
     
    #2 bisco, May 4, 2019
    Trunks and SFO like this.
  3. landspeed

    landspeed Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2007
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    The usual way was to inject power into the HV system and spoof codes on the CAN bus. I am trying to reinvent the wheel on my Prius in the same way. You can’t get kits any more.

    The problem is that the ECUs all communicate with each other complain if things are not to their liking.

    The hybrid computer will get confused if the engine computer gives error codes or if it isn’t there. In theory, an electric motor replacing the engine would work but properly integrating it would be a challenge.

    My idea is to reprogram the battery ECU if I can get the ROM for it, but I am tempted to instead make another battery ECU, connect it to Leaf cells, and charge the leaf cells up, use them as the HV battery, then switch to the NiMH battery once the leaf cells get to 30% SoC. Even that will be a challenge, but possibly easier than other options. It should be possible to use most of a Leaf battery pack to replace the NiMH, but you need a dedicated battery ECU. A reprogrammed Leaf ECU would fit the bill, but again you would need the ROM, but also other Leaf parts (mainly the charging circuitry) to make it work.

    All conversions require messing with communications on the CAN network which is the main issue!
     
    #3 landspeed, Jun 18, 2019
    OahuPrius and Dxta like this.
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