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Additional battery pack, GenII

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by chuckknight, Nov 6, 2009.

  1. chuckknight

    chuckknight New Member

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    I've been reading a lot on this forum, and found that "in-between" a regular Gen2 Prius and a PHEV, a third option can exist.

    Basically you install a second battery pack which gives you more storage capacity, at the expense of more weight.

    Well, I went to eBay and found the GenII battery packs...and they're not particularly expensive. Remarkable!

    Since I can't remember the name of this type of modification, I can't do a search...what's it called, and what does it gain its user? I believe one of the claims was increased fuel economy, and a longer EV range. Don't think it's a true PHEV, though.

    (I live in a small town. Everything is either <3 miles, or >30 miles away, so a usable EV mode would actually serve me very well.)

    Can anyone point me in the right direction? This type of mod would be right up my alley.

    Chuck
     
    #1 chuckknight, Nov 6, 2009
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Hi Chuck,

    Yes, salvage 2G traction batteries are pretty cheap because most 2G are still covered under the hybrid warranty, and the supply (from the # of totaled vehicles) exceeds the demand (from failures experienced by 2G vehicles with more than 100K miles - or 150K miles in CA and other PZEV states.) I would expect this to change as the population continues to age.

    However, I do not think there is a very easy way to add a second battery assembly.
     
    #2 Patrick Wong, Nov 6, 2009
  3. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    There will be a problem trying to charge the 2nd battery. There are posts somewhere on this site discussing this. I remember reading them a couple of years ago.
     
    #3 firepa63, Nov 6, 2009
  4. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    #4 patsparks, Nov 6, 2009
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