Usually I can run in EV mode communicating to work everyday until the battery is down to about 2 bars and the ICE kicks in or I have arrived. So Im thinking, if I could only charge the main NiC batteries back to fully charge with a plug-in adapter, I could in effect improve maybe doubling my fuel mileage to and from work. It would seem that this could be a alternate method of converting my prius to a plugin without the costs of expensive additional battery pack. All you would need is a system that would include a outside mount for plugging in, a override switch to disconnect the battery from the system while plugged in and a dedicated nicad charger. Sounds feasible enough, right?
HV battery is not NiCd, but NiMH one. The battery needs a special care to get a promised long life (search for 299, 000+ club). AFAIK there is a special charging diagram, individual cell monitoring and so on. If the recharge of current HV battery from el. network would be so easy, we will have plug-in Prius earlier then next year. BTW. using prius for short distance trips (your 2 miles case) is not very effective - it is better to walk or use the bicycle .
Ok, I knew that, and thus individual cell monitoring from what I understand isnt as important as with the Lithium-ion, but doing so would have its benefits. Like longer battery life. Given the costs of the Lithium, im not so sure the plug-in would anything else but a $5000.00 + upcharge. But maybe with tax credit may offset that some. But I was dissappointed in the only 13 EV range. Actually the commute is about 8 miles, when I was young and had the time could do it on a bike. Actually I did about 22 miles each way. Thanks for the info, building such a circuit wouldnt be as difficult, but explaining to the Toyota service manager what it is may be a different story!
When I'm arriving at home the batt is fully charged from the steep downhill roads. But even then after about 2 miles in EV mode the ICE kicks in. I don't see any benefit of home-charging the batt unless it is almost empty. Besides of that, the batt is charged from the generator/e-motor. If one cruises down a hill the current flowing from the generator to the electronics varies or also can be constant. The electronics take care of the batts to be charged to keep their in a healthy state. Therefore - theoretically - it should be possible to attach a current source to the wires from the generator and let the electronics do the charging of the batteries. For this the car must be in a mode where the systems are active, the electronics are able control the batt charging, the e-motor doesn't move when power is applied and the ICE is pervented to kick in. IMHO, there is absolutely no way without hacking into the ECUs of the car or doing other weird things.
