Convert 2004 Gen II Prius to PHEV (PICS?) or wait and buy 2012 Toyota PHEV?

The PICS conversion will only do 30 miles EV under 34 mph. The Toyota plugin will do EV at highway speeds.

 

Pappy1,
Never heard of a PICS, system, but Lucious Garage does a Plug In Conversions Corporation (PICC) system, and that system goes up to 70 mph in all electric mode.

Jeffrey,
I'm not sure what you are talking about a 34 mph EV mode limit. I rode in the Luscious Gargage PICC converted Prius and have experienced its highway speed EV mode first hand. Perhaps you are thinking of a different, but similarly-named PHEV system?

There is a Prius Chat Thread about the PICC system titled "Luscious Garage PHEV system REPLACES Prius Pack".
And here is a post on that thread with a downloadable document that summarizes the system.

 

Get the official 2012 Prius PHV. It will be crash tested and qualifies for the green HOV sticker in CA. Emission is also certified by CARB for lower emission eAT-PZEV. The conversions can actually increase tailpipe emission.

Official PHV also has 10 years / 150k miles warranty and $3,000 tax credit. Conversions get much lower tax credit (10% of conversion cost).

 

Lots to balance in that equation...for me the 2012 PHEV Prius, offers slightly less than my conversion (PIS 2009 Prius) in terms of EV performance. That said, there may be engineering improvements that make it more desirable...All in all, I would advise waiting till the EV's for sale improve. I just want my conversion to last till there is a pure EV with a 300mi+ range, for under 35K and the charging infrastructure improves.

Scott
www.smilingdogsranch.com/priusblog

 

Ericbecky,

I went to the Luscious Garage website and found a link to the plugin system they use. The page that link went to said EV up to 34 mph.

http://pluginconversions.com/how.html

 

On the FAQ page of the site you listed it has this:
Frequently Asked Questions
16th question down....

 

I thought I would do the right thing and actually check out the system that the OP was talking about. When I went to the linked page and saw a how it works section I went to that. On that page it states EV up to 34 mph and that is what I based my response on. Perhaps PICC needs to update their website. Sorry if I responded using inaccurate info that was not my intention, actually quite the opposite.

Considering the upcoming EV and PHEV options, I would not do a conversion and wait to see what is going to be available. That being said, I am happy with my decision to convert my 2004 using an Enginer system but I am looking forward to purchasing one of the many EV and PHEV options that will soon be available.

 

Jeffrey,
I see where the confusion came from Hmmm... I wonder why they mention that 34 mph thing in the page you linked to. Interesting.

 

Pappy, the answer depends on the type of person you are. If you know what you are doing you can convert the car yourself and it becomes your job to keep it running. The conversion is going to be as good as the converter. How far do you trust them?

Look for Daniel's Porsche EV conversion thread to see the downside.

I can't build a car & I don't need another hobby so my money is waiting for a manufacturer to build one for me.

Toyota is going to build a better PHEV than you can. Tesla & Nissan are building a better EV than you can. If you are willing to take the risk for the bragging rights then do the conversion. I'm sure you'll be able to buy a better car later.

 

Hi Pappy-

I am new to the site, but not new to Prius. I have a 2004 and 2005 that I have converted both with Paul Guzyk formally from 3 Prong, now with Boulder Hybrid Conversions. I paid $12K for one 10Kwh kit. It works great. It can go 54 mph in all ev mode and can travel 40-50 miles in all ev mode. It can also run in a blended mode, where the batteries are constantly charging the prius stock battery, and usually gets over 100mpg in that mode. I have also converted my 2005 prius with a 4kwh system for $5K. This system is not as excited but it can run in all ev mode for short distances about 2 - 4 miles under 34 mph and in blended mode increases the mpg by about 20%. Unfortunately with the tough times, I need to sell both. I plan on getting two other gen II prius. If anyone is interested in trading their prius, wanting to buy either of these, or just have questions about the conversions let me know. I am getting ready to post these for sale $18K for the 2004 with the large system, and $15k for the 2005 with the smaller system. They were both converted last December. To answer your question. I would convert the car over buying a new one. For way less cost, you will have a car that performs much better than the 2012 Plug in.

Thanks, Dan

 

Dan:

I'm in Longmont. How many miles on the 2004?

I have a 2010 Gen III. Would you want to trade up to a Gen III?

 

Hey Mark!

Small world. I was just in Longmont yesterday having the car detailed. I highly recommend Mark April with d'Elegance Detailing. He spent 12 hours detailing the car, and it looks great! The 2004 has about 185K Miles on it, new tires, oil change last week. Send me your email and I can email a ton of pics I just took yesterday. I would consider a trade. My email is [email protected].

Thanks!
Dan

 

Dan:

Thanks for the fast response.

I'm afraid that is more miles than I would be willing to trade for. And with the Colorado tax credit, I would be better buying a used one and having BoulderHC do the install.

Good luck with the sales of the cars.

 

I do think these are priced well for people outside of CO, even factoring in the mileage. Obviously, one would not need to worry about replacing the HV battery in these! Transaxle and A/C are the main big ticket repair possibilities. How many miles on the '05?

You should post these in the For Sale forum.

 

There are about 180K miles on the 2005. Runs great! Where is the for sale forum/post? Thanks, I am new to the site.

 

FYI, you might want to check out the thread here:
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...icle-conversion-conversation-piccs-owner.html
I had a 30 minute conversation with Kim Adelman of PICC, they are comming out with several new Lithium based PHV conversions in the next few months.