A Prius that drives 100 km / 60 miles in EV (Belgium, Europe).

My name is Walter and I am from Brussels, Belgium. Frustrated by the short electric range of my Pius-II, I decided to transform my 2008 Prius into a plug-in hybrid with 100 km / 60 miles electric range with all Hybrid functionalities unaltered.
Therefore I used 2040 18650-type batteries in following configuration:
30 clusters of 3.6 V, 2.2 Ah in parallel (= 66 Ah) from these: 68 in series to arrive at 244.8 V. ► 244.8 V x 68 Ah = 16156 Wh = 16.15 kWh ◄
In order to install the battery pack, I got help from an electro-mechanic, Nico de Visser, from Eindhoven in the Netherlands. The Prius was finished with a plug under the rear bumper in order to be able to charge easily from the grid (you can see that in the pictures-link). The battery pack is nicely put under the trunk-panel so the cargo space remains unaltered. The cooling of the battery pack is taken care of by the existing blower that sucks air from the cabin. adjusted at a higher speed.Its speed is monitored by a thermostat.
So, my Prius doesn’t use any gasoline during normal day-by-day usage, since it is never more than 60 miles. This means I can go for several weeks without using a drop of gasoline. Still, I do 15.000 km / 10.000 miles/year.
To see a lot of pictures:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/cbfr9gbmu5wwuds/AAC9FXrN6NAHoaVSLvTyr9y_a
also:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/cbfr9gbmu5wwuds/AACanaxKcPr9rDT5gQdeNqIpa/Artikel
Kindest regards,
Walter

 

Yes Grumpie, I did change the springs. You can see it on one of the pictures: the blue springs. They came with a CEE certificate, so I am safe for the technical control (a state-obligation here in Belgium). I had this control once and had no remarks (10/10).
BTW, the weight is not so much with these batteries: 85 kg (x2 for lbs, I think). The whole system is enclosed in a very strong steel case. The total weight is about 100 kg (x2 for lbs).
Kind regards,
Walter

 

Uart,
Well, 2040 x $ 2.5 = $ 5100 + charger $ 800 + steel case $ 500 + $ controller + Battery Management System Orion + software many, many small parts = must be over $ 10.000 in parts alone. If you want all the details, I can add a scan of the invoice.
Plus many week-ends and evening work, plus angry wife. ...But now she is not complaining anymore as the gas is no part of the houshold budget anymore... And we enjoy a silent car.
Kind regards,
Walter

 

Uart,
No soldering involved. That would have been too much work manually. The nipple type was used. Alongside of the cells there are endless-screw-bars (sorry, there must be a name in English) used and the batteries are staying in place by sheer pressure. You can see that very clearly on picture # 20 in the first link. In spite of the Belgian roads they stay firmly in place. Simple solutions are sometimes the best.
Best regards | Walter

@Britprius: The Original battery had to be removed. All the Original functions, like regen are working well. In fact, better: the 16.5 kWh battery is regened to a much higher level and therefore for long distances - above 60 miles - the consumption is only 1/3th of the original MpG.
Regards to you too.

 

See my answer to Uart. Thanks.

Walter

 

Possible. I do not know the Prius I well. I know one in Holland.

 

John,
My max speed is 118 km/h (plaese calculate - must be about 73 m/h., as from 119 it jumps to mixed mode with very low consumption. As soon that I slow down it reverts to EV. I do not expect trouble. If corrosion would come, it will be around the contact - not in-between. I hope.

 

B.,
A full charge, good for 62 miles in EV cost $ 4.00 when charging during the day. Usually, when at home, I charge overnight – cost half = $ 2.00.
The same distance at normal Prius petrol consumption = $ 13.
Note that the ICE requires much less maintenance and less oil replacements.
And my Prius is as quiet as a flying carpet...
Regards | W.

 

Hello guys,

I do have some difficulties to deal with miles and gallons, but I understand enough from your calculations too agree fully with a ROI of 5+ years – even more than that. Particularly with the European price of fuel that is almost double of yours.

However, ROI has never been much of a concern for me - as I had other reasons to keep myself busy with this project. If I may, I would like to make you understand why: I had a very active professional life in a high-tech business. I am now retired since five years or so, and in order not to end up in a ‘black hole’, I had to compensate for the sudden stop of being busy. Therefore, I joined a small group running a computer help-site for people with problems on their Pc (we do this free of charge – as a hobby). And at the same time I spent – almost obsessively - a lot of my free days on the internet looking for information on electrifying my Prius. O nce knowing how to deal with it, I looked for proper help as I did not have a good workshop and all the necessary tools to end up with a decent product. Another six months of so went by until we had a working system. In doing so, I am sure that I avoided a depression or at least an uncomfortable time.

As I said before, I now enjoy driving a quiet car and also (almost) never have to make a stop at a service station. I make a middle finger to the gas-stations and the sheiks, while I treat my car like my cellphone by connecting it practically every evening to the grid and have it ready in the morning for 62 miles in EV for $ 2.00. On longer trips my fuel consumption is only 1/3th of that before, due to a more efficient use by having 16.3 kWh of battery capacity.

All the best and kind regards from the old world.

Walter