Hi! I just saw that Hybrid Auto Center is selling a kit that can replace the OEM battery. Anyone bought it? Here is the link: Prius PHEV Conversion kit
It's been done before, but looks good. Although for $6K more, you could just buy a brand new Leaf here in CO with 24KWh pack.
If you're talking about the 12KW pack that is $8200 without installation, consider that for double your money you get double the range and pack size with an entire brand new vehicle attached to it as an added bonus by going with the Leaf. I researched and built most of my own PHEV conversion for the Prius. But at the end of the day, it is a labour of love. If you just want to drive electric cheaply, you can't beat the Leaf now. Commercial PHEV conversions for a Prius just do not make sense economically. They are cool though, and the more the better. But I think they will find it hard to convince people to give up $8K to $12K for a battery in their 2004-2009 Prius that is already 6 to 11 years old. Note that the kit doesn't work in 2010+ probably because Toyota integrated the Hybrid ECU and Engine ECU into a single unit and nobody has bothered to reverse engineer it. This is the magic that allows controlling the engine to not come on any time and just do pure electric without forcing out of gas. Because of the Gen3 integration, this is impossible without replacing (and therefore recreating) the entire Hybrid/Engine ECU combination.
Oh this is interesting. I did not see if this way. I already I have installed a Md Tech kit in my car. I am already getting 84mpg. I suppose it does not make sense to go with the new kit economically speaking...
I really like : the fact that I can go up to 34mph in EV mode only. the great MPG in ideals conditions (not too hot or too cold outside) ! in the right weather condition and heavy traffic (15mph), I did made 20km (home-work-home commute) on EV only! the converter is very reliable so far what I like less: the converter fan is quite noisy the converter easily reach its maximum temperature which set the shutoff protection feature (although I am happy that it protect itself) I am already beginning to have some problems with one of the battery pack / and / or the BMS. ( I am already discussing this with Eric on another thread Replace battery pack in Out of gas mode | Page 3 | PriusChat). The problem with the battery discouraged me a bit to the point I was thinking about selling the remaining working part and getting a Chevy Volt. But when I see people having more reliability problem with their Volt after a few year compared to my "old" Prius 2004 which is a real tank, I will not make the jump. So far, the main component which is the converter is really great and if it has not been for the battery, I would have given a 10/10 rating.
Well here in Canada, the PiP is 43k$!! My 2004 worth barely 6k$. That leave me 37k$ to improve my conversion! ;-)
We've got at 2004 Prius with over 200K miles, and a 2014 Volt with over 100K miles, and we love them both. We're in an EV club, and have many friends with Volts, most of which have been trouble-free. Don't be shy of any of these magnificent cars, especially now that used Volts and Leafs are so damned cheap!
