Enginer PHEV kit Rebuilt with quality components and new batteries

i have an update.

Finally got around to installing a proper plug in socket for it. No more hanging cords out of the windows !

Drilling that first hole in the sheet metal is difficult. It just seems so wrong

But the end result is great.
I had a local panel shop colour code the socket.
We ran beads of silicone sealant behind the socket ( both inside and outside the body) to make sure no water can get in.

also painted the metal with a rust inhibiting paint where we cut it for the hole. thats not shown, but it was done.
















And we also relocated the SOC meter up front so I can now see it while driving.
Attached it to the back of the SG2. Perfect place for it.




And an update after filling up the tank for the first time since getting the kit running again.


First tank with kit running. Almost a full month. 28 days.
Still had 10L left (2 bars showing) when I filled up.

1263km (this includes a 360 km highway trip at 100kmh)

35L used @ $1.75/L = $61.25
102 kWh @ 0.25c / kwh = $25.50
Total cost for the 1263km was $86.75

Averaged 2.77L / 100km + 12.38 kWH / 100km.


Without the kit, the same amount of money ($86.75) in fuel alone would have worked out as below.

$86.75 @ $1.75L = 49.71L @ 5.54L / 100km (my average without the kit running)

49.71L @ 5.54 L / 100km = 895km

all of the above calculations were done from the pump (actual fuel filled),
not off the car's screen, though in my car it seems remarkably accurate.
for example when i filled at the 1263km point, the screen was displaying 2.7L/100,
the actual number calculated at the pump was 2.77L / 100km

Kit running = 1263km
Not running = 895km.

Effectively 368 free km.

Fuel prices here today are $5.96US per us gallon. This will only go higher too.

To say I'm happy with the kit is an understatement.

i will do a final update when i manage to do a full tank entirely in town,
as the hwy run ruined the numbers i was seeing. before entering the on ramp to the highway,
i was seeing 2.4L / 100 on the screen.

Jason.

 

Thanks.

The pins on the socket are not live unless the charger is plugged in. And then they are protected by the design of the cable.

Also, the socket type that I used is designed for use in this kind of environment so water shouldn't be an issue.

Jason.

 

The socket is from powerrun. It's designed for use on RV's and caravans. It was white when I got it. Bought it from eBay. I'll post a link later.

I had a local panel shop paint it to match the car. It does look like its meant to be there.

Jason.

 

the BMS master unit is inside the blue box.
it is a distributed style BMS and uses cell mounted modules to keep the cell voltages in check.

the cell modules top balance the pack. they start bleeding off any excess current at 3.6V and have an 800MA bleed current rating per cell. these modules also communicate to the BMS master unit inside the blue box.
if any one cell (or cell group in my case) goes over 3.7V or under 2.9V it triggers the BMS to either stop charging, or stop discharging, as the case may require.

there is a 30 second alarm if a LVC or HVC event is detected. during this time, you can shut off the DC-DC manually, and not have to reset the BMS. if you ignore (or don't hear) the alarm, it will trip and this requires a human intervention or no further charging or discharging will be allowed.

there is also a 10 segment bar-graph SOC meter which has a red and a green LED on it for status. the bar-graph has 8x green , 1x amber and 1x red, each one represents aprox 10% SOC.

this BMS uses the coulomb counting method (matched to voltage) to accurately determine SOC.
it also has a learning algorithm in that each time a LVC event is detected, it learns the new LVC point and uses this as the next LVC for the red led on the bar-graph.

the BMS system i used is a commercially available unit.
i got the unit + cell modules and batteries from ev-power.com.au in western Australia.
i believe it's an in house designed unit.

hope this is somewhat helpful.

Jason

 

i finally got around to making a video that shows the installation and operation of the system.

hope this is helpful for others...

Jason.

 

so i finally got a tank in full city conditions.

here are the final numbers.





1564km
33.74L
164.5kwh (0.28c per kwh)
2.16L / 100km (liters pumped vs km traveled)

108.89 MPG us
130.76 MPG imp

$49.90 fuel
$46.06 electricity (@0.28c
$95.96 total cost.

over the 7 weeks (roughly) between fill ups, that works out at $13.70 per week.
still had 12L in the tank when i filled up. still showing 2 pips left. so theoretically i could have gotten over
2000km on this tank, assuming i wanted to run till right near empty.

this has been a stunning success in my books, and i am so glad i took the plunge to rebuild the PHEV kit.

unless there is anything else to report, this will be the final post in this thread from myself.

Edit:

i forgot to mention that the conditions for the above were 24c to 32c temperatures, all in city conditions in 50 - 70kmh zones. average speed was probably closer to 65kmh most of the time.
i tried as much as possible to keep speed below 67kmh (when conditions and traffic allowed) to keep the ice from running as much as possible.

im about to start a whole bunch of other upgrades on the car.
i will start a new thread once those start.

suffice to say my living room currently looks like a spare parts department
i have boxes upon boxes of parts waiting to be installed. and yet more on the way....

stay tuned.

Jason.

 

So, it's been a while since I posted anything here, and I thought I would give an update.

The kit is still functioning perfectly.
Over the last 15,000km that the kit has been running since the new batteries and charger went in,
The following stats can be seen.

294 cycles.
1,105.04 kWh used from the wall
Average 3.75kwh per charge.

The current tank in the car is showing as 2.0L per 100km.
That's just gone onto half a tank at 925km.

In summer and in the city, I can get 2.3L per 100km with ridiculous ease.
My best until this tank is 2.16L per 100km. Confirmed at the pump.

Combined city and highway the avg is 3.24L per 100km. (Over the last 15,000km)
That includes a 2000km round trip from sydney to Brisbane.
And many many 350km high way trips to see my parents.

I have also made some changes to the install.
I picked up a 5mm sheet of clear acrylic to use as a replacement lid for the PHEV system.
I've had quite a few people ask me about the system, and I couldn't really show them much.
Till now that it. Now if someone wants to see how I'm getting such good fuel numbers, I can show them.



I am also working on a secondary cooling system to the stock HV battery.
I will post about that once I'm happy with it. What I have now isn't something I'm completely happy with.
It is working, but it's a bit loud and it's not very aestheticaly pleasing.

Jason.

 

Hi again guys.

I have some bad news....

Looks like my DC-DC converter has failed.
Two days ago I arrived at work and noticed that there was no current output from the DC-DC.

The green light on the switch still comes on, but no current from the converter.
With my somewhat limited budget right now, I will have to see if I can find someone to diagnose and repair it locally hopefully.

If anyone here has a DC-DC converter that they want to sell, if the price is manageable I may be interested.

I check the cost for a replacement on plughybrid.de at over $950 AU not inc shipping.
That's a bit beyond my means right now.

So, my hope is that I can find someone that might be able to repair it.
I'm hoping that it's not something major. There was no smells, noises or magic smoke (none that I saw anyway)
So it could be a simple fuse internally somewhere. Though I suspect it's probably an output fet or similar that will need to be replaced.

If anyone knows someone that repairs electronic stuff or has a Converter that they want to sell,
Please let me know.

I will keep this updated with my progress.

Thanks again.

Jason.

 

What does the supposed price of a leaf battery have to do with this ?

I can't afford a leaf in the first place.
They are over 40K here.

So like many, I do what I can with what I can afford to spend.

If I could have afforded to buy the Nissan, I likely would have.
But that's not possible any time soon for me.

Jason.