Hi everyone, I'm new here and brand new to my Enginer system (so please keep the techy talk and mysterious acronyms out of this thread--I don't know anything about the technical side). We got it installed at a Minneapolis business that specifically works with Enginer systems (ReGo Electric Conversions). I've had it for about two weeks, maybe a little more. I picked it up in the first snow storm of the year and got GREAT mileage getting it home because there were lots of traffic delays. I sat at one stoplight for five lights! My mpg at the end of that trip: 97.3. ReGo said they tested the system for our climate but it turns out I can't get it into EV mode when the temperature is below 20 F. We're still getting better mileage than we would have gotten without the conversion, but I was hoping to use the EV mode for short little trips, the ones that take a lot of gas and lower our Prius mileage, but it's not working for our winters. At least not this very snowy and very cold one. Any other Minnesota ReGo conversions on this list? Jeanne
Use the search facility at the top and look for grill block and block heaters both will help with Fuel consumption and having heat for the heater / demisting etc
We converted our Prius because we're trying to be very green and responsible for the earth. We have a 2.4 kW solar array on our house and garage and we're adding another 2 kW solar panels this spring so that we can drive a car that's powered with the sun. We aren't adding that so we can keep more things plugged in and turned on. Heaters draw a lot of electricity and in Minnesota, that mostly means coal-fired electricity. I'd like to talk with others with an Enginer system and who drive in cold climates to talk about tips for that. Thanks, Jeanne
Grill block uses no electricity. Does wonders keeping some heat in the ICE. I run upper and lower blocks year round. Chris
What's "ICE"? I'm new to all of this--I didn't install my system, so have only just learned that the Prius battery for the electric engine is called the "OEM" battery. What's a grill block?
Yes! Grill block is a easy way to do. In snowy Minneapolis, You can get it total block without the worry of overheating of radiator for engine. ( ICE: internal-combustion engine )
ICE is your gas engine (Internal Combustion Engine). There are openings in your grill (the front bumper area). Air enters into these openings to keep components cool...too cool, really, especially in winter temps. MN knows some pretty low winter temps! Anyway inserting foam pipe insulation into these gaps and preventing cold air from cooling the engine helps MPG. a warmer engine is more efficient and less polluting, too. many threads on Priuschat about the specifics. Check 'em out for even more Prius goodness.
( from Grill block partial or full , wiki of eccomoder.com ) (my post is less than 5, can't use superlink) Grill blocks have two purposes. The first is it cut down on aerodynamic drag by limiting the amount of air that enters the engine bay. The second is to allow the engine/transaxle (fwd vehicles) to warm up more quickly and retain more heat in the colder months by reducing excessive airflow through the engine compartment in colder months. Grill blocks come in many forms, though most often they are made to be flush with the outside of the bumper for greatest benefit. Simply inserting a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator does not provide the same aerodynamic benefit. While grill openings are usually oversized for "worst case" applications (towing a trailer through Death Valley with the A/C on), obviously care must be taken to monitor coolant temperature. If your cooling fan runs more after installing a block, you've gone too far. So, pay attention to your temp gauge and making your grill block easy to remove. The idea is to block air from entering your engine compartment. This does two things, it reduces drag and helps the engine warm up faster. This modification can cause the engine to get too hot as the grill block will block off air flow to the radiator. Some users have made actuated grill blocks which open when the radiator gets too hot. This reduces the use of the electric fan which draws power from the battery and therefore from the engine.
I have an Enginer system here in Jersey. This is my first winter with a Prius and I recently learned the Prius hybrid system does not work very well when it is cold out. If you watch your MFD you will see the battery is hardly used in the cold. I thought there was something wrong with the Enginer system until I was given this information. I have also found you cannot use EV mode if it is too cold. Hope this helps.
MFD= Multi Function Display. The screen in the center of the dash. If you watch the power flow you will see that little to no battery power is used when it is below freezing.
