Prius plug-in displays battery of good points

While more battery would be capable of delivering more power, the entire design of the car includes the assumption of the present size of battery. Given cheaper battery capacity, it would be trivial for Toyota to re-design the system to make use of the extra available power. But a retro-fit would not be trivial at all. Note that the plug-in Prius by CalCars and others is capable of injecting battery power into the mix for an extended time, reducing gas consumption in favor of grid power, but is not capable of accelerating any harder under pure EV mode than is the stock Prius, and it has the same speed limitations in EV mode.

And it's not in Toyota's interest to offer a retro-fit once better batteries become available. They'd rather sell you the next generation car. Companies like eDrive Systems may some day offer after-market retro-fits. Toyota will not. When has any car company offered a radical new technology as a retro-fit for older model cars?

 

I'm not saying that I expect them to produce a retrofit upgrade. I'm just saying that I think they should, and not only for the sake of the environment. As for the effect on their profits, that could be optimized by setting the price right. On the plus side for both Toyota and their customers is the effect it would have on resale value (not to mention their image), if they demonstrate commitment to protecting your investment in new, clean Toyota tecnology. In turn, that affects what they can charge for a new car.

From a technical point of view, I think it makes sense if a dramatic improvement in the battery performance/cost situation occurs, because they are able to reduce the cost of the retrofit electronics considirably more than they can reduce the cost of the motors. As the tecnology matures, the motors will become by far the most expensive component. And the Prius already has motors that are not used to their fullest potential.

 

In Japan, such reprofit vehicle needs to be certified.
TOYOTA: News Releases

Is it very common to reprofit a vehicle, such as replacing engince with bigger one, by car manufacturers without any re-certification in the US?

Ken@Japan

 

Hi Ken,

Yes, mechanics will do this all the time. Either its an economics thing, and they have an engine from a rear-end wreck from another product made by the same company, and the tranny just bolts right up, or they are modifying it for better accelleration performance. There are no laws that prevent this, or require this be certified by the OEM car manufacturer. There is emissions testing in most states, however, so the vehicle must still pass the dynamometer smog test usually once every three years. And the modifications must be disclosed to anybody who is considering buying the car, by law.

Watching DW Tv (Germany, rebroadcast here in the US) their show "Auto Motor und Sport" this is common there too. The cars they show are customized, or older vehicles with modifications. Its one of the regular segments on the show. Its seems to be more respectable there, than here, and the people doing the modifications are typically professional car guys. Otherwise, the quality of the modification typically would not be noteworth enough to make it onto a national television show.

In the US there is a long history of "Hot Rodding" starting back in the 1920's when cast off model T's were tweaked by high school / college kids.


Poul,

I am not sure what you mean that the motors are not fully utilized in the Prius? The engine and MG1 supplies extra power to MG2, along with the battery power, this maxes out the MG2 power level.

The control system tends to not let the battery run MG2 by itself. So, the issue is more of sufficient battery for extended electrical running. Is this what you are getting at?

In either case, MG2 is fully utilized.

 

Then we are in agreement!

It has never happened, with or without re-certification.

Both Poul and Ken are talking about its being done by the manufacturer. There are people putting bigger batteries in the Prius and making them plug-in right now. The cost is around $15,000. And it does not make the car more powerful. It only allows the car to get about half its energy from the grid during the first 60 miles after recharging.

But for those of us who want Toyota to do it, we'll have to wait for a new model, designed from the beginning with bigger batteries, because no car maker retrofits its older cars.

 

My point is that to fully utilize MG2, the ICE needs to be started. Given a more powerful battery, capable of feeding MG2 all the power it can use, the ICE would not have to be started nearly as early/often. And with the option to plug in, even less.

 

ths ice kicks in because of cooling and oil pump etc.

the 68HP that good for more then 42mph