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Block heater + charged traction battery!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by BoHenriksson, Aug 21, 2007.

  1. BoHenriksson

    BoHenriksson New Member

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    In most cases when you get in to your car and drive away, however cautiously the ICE will fire up, even for a few seconds to warm up the catalyctic converter and such and maybe add a little to the battery too. Seems often to be a waste for people with many short trips. Has anyone combined a system of engine block heater and a charging system for the traction battery and seen what effect that would give for the over all fuel consumption. I would think that would give many of the "real" plug in projects values at a small fraction of the price and be available right now! Add some aerodynamic improvments such as clean hubcaps and covers over the rear wheel wells and we may well have a winner! Is there anyone out there working along those lines?
     
    #1 BoHenriksson, Aug 21, 2007
  2. brick

    brick Active Member

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    Unfortunately the battery is just too small for a plug-in to be practical without an additional and much larger pack. You might be able to coax most of a mile out of it on dead level ground and very, very, very low speeds. (Single digits.) Which is not to say it isn't a neat idea, because it is! I'm sure there's somebody who would benefit from it.

    As for the aerodynamic improvements, I'm not quite sure what you're getting it. They won't do anything at all below the 34mph EV cutoff, if that's what you mean. If you just mean aero mods as an independent thing then a few people around the boards have done it. Several have installed the pie-pan wheel covers.
     
    #2 brick, Aug 21, 2007
  3. FireEngineer

    FireEngineer Active Member

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    From cold the ICE will always run for 57 seconds for emission warm-up. A block heater will lesson the run time after that to reach full hybrid (stage 4) operation. During the first 57 seconds you run mainly on the Hybrid battery. After that, the ICE will take over the bulk of the duty and recharge the Hybrid battery as necessary.

    Short trips, block heater good, drive furthest distance first good, block grill partially to retain heat good, pump up tire pressure good, limit use of AC good, fool with Hybrid battery bad.

    Wayne
     
    #3 FireEngineer, Aug 22, 2007
  4. BoHenriksson

    BoHenriksson New Member

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    Thanks guys, great help! Is there anywhere to read up on the details of the ICE and electric traction logic somewhere as to better understand the system?
    As for doing a little body work I have been lusting for those really cool wheel covers I've been seeing on this site, I'm sure they'd be good for 1 mpg or so. I was also thinking (probably illegal, still) of covering up the rear wheel wells 'a la the old Honda Hybrid and some old Citroen GS and CX:s I used to have home in Sweden, they certainly had low Cd:s.
    Anyone's input on those solar films on the roof of the Solar Electrical Vehicles Prius?
    And on another subject, did or did not Toyota approve the 0W20 for the Prius 2004 and on models instead of the 5W30 - and is there any point to it?


    Still, must be doing something right, enclosed a screen shot from a road trip Columbus, OH to Greensboro, NC. Mostly at speed limit or slightly above, some with cruise control, through the hills of VW and VA with AC on:=)

    Thanks folks![attachmentid=10821]
     

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    #4 BoHenriksson, Aug 22, 2007
  5. gazz

    gazz Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(FireEngineer @ Aug 21 2007, 11:31 PM) [snapback]500119[/snapback]</div>
    Thanks for clarifying the 57 seconds, I've been using an EBH for a few weeks and get it up to 35C and wondered why it would not glide straight away when it got to 40C. It's great having all this knowledge about the car.

    Gary
     
    #5 gazz, Aug 22, 2007
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