The Killer Plugin 4th Gen Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by inferno, Apr 17, 2015.

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  1. inferno

    inferno Senior Member

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    • 15-20miles EV
    • 60 mpg hybrid mode
    • Now the reason I created this thread...
    • 25 lb overlays of batteries that can be easily managed, is safe and can be plugin.
    How many times do we travel with the trunk empty? How neat would it be that our PiP can go from 15-20 miles EV to 60-80 miles EV at a whime (spending maybe a couple thousand than 10-20 minutes of labor). Suddenly we're talking about a vehicle that could almost compete with Leafs...

    And if Toyota concentrates on EV efficiency...Well, then I believe Toyota would leapfrog their competition which would take another 5-7 years to catch up (whereas now, they are just nipping at their heels)
     
    #1 inferno, Apr 17, 2015
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  2. Sergiospl

    Sergiospl Senior Member

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    If you are talking about offering 2 battery capacity size options in the Plug-in, Great idea!
     
    #2 Sergiospl, Apr 17, 2015
  3. inferno

    inferno Senior Member

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    Even better. A ton of configuration. Offer one PiP configuration with the ability for us consumers to 'add-on' and upgrade easily. Take out the battery pack when we need more room. Put in the battery pack easily when we want more EV, fill it to the top even if we have no passengers and put groceries or stuff in the back. It brings us back to the old days of modding the Gen 2, but making it easier and putting the power of upgraded EV range in the consumer's hands.

    Much like upgrading RAM on your PC, HD to SSD etc...Open up EV upgrades. Then you'll have consumers flocking by $1k battery packs - I'm sure of it! And the key factor is, Toyota might gain drivers from Tesla and Leafs and Energis!
     
    #3 inferno, Apr 17, 2015
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    is this coming direct from toyota???(y)
     
    #4 bisco, Apr 17, 2015
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    how many tenths of a mile would 25 lbs of batteries produce?(n)
     
    #5 bisco, Apr 17, 2015
  6. inferno

    inferno Senior Member

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    What ~ 150 pounds for the current PiP battery pack? 4 layers of 25 lbs could yield ~22 miles EV? I only say 25 lbs to make it manageable :p I'm imagining a flat flexible layer of Li-Ion cells (or any battery tech) that can go on top of the cargo area. With tech today, 25 lbs could mean an extra 3 miles EV or so.

    What would be super awesome and SunPower adds a solar roof to the Prius which has the ability to focus more sunlight, has an efficiency of 25%+ and is able to charge a 3.3 KWh battery in a day.
     
    #6 inferno, Apr 17, 2015
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  7. Sergiospl

    Sergiospl Senior Member

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    I like the 15-20miles EV/60 mpg hybrid mode.

    Read somewhere the current solar roof weighs about 66 lbs. The plug-in probably will not have it because of weight, but would be nice if the PV can charge the regular hybrid battery while in the parking lot or when driving. I wish!
     
    #7 Sergiospl, Apr 17, 2015
  8. zebekias

    zebekias Member

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    Photovoltaic paint already exists, at some point we will see it on cars :) maybe sooner than we think! Just like regen braking, it will contribute to the battery charge!
     
    #8 zebekias, Apr 18, 2015
  9. Easy Rider 2

    Easy Rider 2 Senior Member

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    Toyota, and most other car makers, mass produce cars for the masses.
    There are some compromises involved .........to appeal to the widest market, keep prices down and profits up.

    If you want a custom electric car, go talk to Tesla; and have about a hundred grand in hand.
     
    #9 Easy Rider 2, Apr 18, 2015
  10. inferno

    inferno Senior Member

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    But Toyota can disrupt the industry with this add-on concept, allowing consumers to buy extra packs and load their car with energy. As long as Toyota stays on the forefront of efficiency (EV mode and Gas/Hybrid mode) they'll be untouchable. Tesla only *wants* to be this way but they haven't done it yet. The first one that allows the most flexibility in the consumer's hands win. Boy would I love to buy some 25 lb battery stacks right now and increase my PiP range by 50% or so...maybe 100%!
     
    #10 inferno, Apr 18, 2015
  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i agree, if it were possible to add packs as easily and safely as a computer battery etc., you'd blow away the competition. and, it wold appeal to many more people. they can pick the range that works best for them instead of being locked into a single range. and, they could change it downstream if their driving pattern changed.
     
    #11 bisco, Apr 18, 2015
  12. jdonalds

    jdonalds Active Member

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    I like this idea. We take about 2 1,000 mile trips a year, plus a 300 mile trip once a month or less. All other trips are less than 30 miles round trip. For the 1,000 and 300 mile trips we would depend on the Prius' hybrid features. For the short trips around town we would install the extra battery and could run on EV most of the time. So for us we could install an EV battery and on average drive it about 30 days with that battery installed. We'd only remove it for long trips where we'd need the extra trunk space.

    The trick would be for the extra battery installation to be painless. Also to have that battery charge when out of the car would be a big plus. I could see having even more than one exchangeable battery so one could be charging while the car is out being driven on the other.

    I can't imagine how the battery would be either light enough to man handle, or some other easy and quick method would be provided to change a heavy battery though.
     
    #12 jdonalds, Apr 18, 2015
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    how much does the lift back 1-2 mile battery weigh?
     
    #13 bisco, Apr 18, 2015
  14. drash

    drash Senior Member

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    You mean something like this:
    Green Car Congress: FEV showcasing liquid-cooled, high performance battery for PHEV applications at SAE World Congress
     
    #14 drash, Apr 19, 2015
  15. drash

    drash Senior Member

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    About 29 kilos or about 64lbs.
     
    #15 drash, Apr 19, 2015
  16. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    thanks, that's not too bad.i guess with lithium, 25 lbs should take you a little way.
     
    #16 bisco, Apr 19, 2015
  17. drash

    drash Senior Member

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    Currently our 4.4 kWh battery pack weighs 168 lbs (76 kilos) so you theoretically could get 1 kWh out of about 38 lbs. Remember this is 2011 technology, so with newer technology 1 kWh would weigh less and according to Volt specs it should be 20% less or a little over 30 lbs. Probably won't be too long before 1 kWh will weigh 25 lbs.
     
    #17 drash, Apr 19, 2015
  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    that would be 2-3 miles?
     
    #18 bisco, Apr 19, 2015
  19. Sergiospl

    Sergiospl Senior Member

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    Question is how much battery can you add to get it rated at 15 ev without affecting the 55mpg.
     
    #19 Sergiospl, Apr 19, 2015
  20. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    if it's rated at 11 now, 15 should be easy with current battery tech.
     
    #20 bisco, Apr 19, 2015
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