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need some help on modifying my prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by caliprius83, May 17, 2006.

  1. caliprius83

    caliprius83 New Member

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    Hey all, I hope you all can be helpfull as you all are or can point me in the right direction
    my dad and i were thinking of getting the aftermarket extra batery so that my car could run the 30 or so miles on just electric bumping the milage way up, so here are my 2 major questions.
    1.have you done it, if so how hard is it?

    2. Is it worth the work involved/ does it deliver on the promiced milage increase, and does it void the waranty?


    Thanks for your help as always
     
  2. mehrenst

    mehrenst Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(caliprius83 @ May 16 2006, 09:40 PM) [snapback]256667[/snapback]</div>

    1. You still haev to charge the battery some way so you will burn the gas to do the job.

    2. The Pottery Barn Principle... "You break it, you own it."


    Also, the is some question about just how far you can go in EV mode before the ICE starts just to get/keep the anti-polution bits up to temperature. This is why the ICE runs more (and mileage is lower) in the winter.
     
  3. eagle33199

    eagle33199 Platinum Member

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    No, i haven't done it, and i haven't seen anyone post on the site that they had.

    Toyota has stated (http://priuschat.com/Latest-on-custom-plug-in-conversion-t19692.html posted most recently) that these types of modifications void the warrenty, which completely turns me off the idea, at least for the next 10 years.

    Delivering on the promised mileage: the principle is sound, so long as you can charge the batteries from an outlet (cause otherwise it would be charged from the ICE and defeat the purpose). the question really comes down to your driving habits and conditions. the EV mod will ensure that, so long as you are under 34 MPH, you are running on battery power alone. Above that, however, you would have to modify the software in the computer to keep the ICE from turning on (and i would say thats generally a bad thing)

    Is it worth the time/money/effort? That is really a personal decision. It is (potentially) better for the environment (depending on the source of the power that charges the batteries: solar, wind, coal, nuke, etc). It's is also most likely cheaper per mile traveled, but you are shelling out a lot of money up front, which would take a very long time to pay back.
     
  4. keydiver

    keydiver New Member

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    There are several people on the verge of introducing (hopefully) a system to do just this. You are best to wait for a turn-key package, IMO, as they will hopefully hash out the warranty implications. I've been researching this quite a bit, and its not as easy as it seems. It will also probably involve reprogramming, or spoofing, the battery ECU, so it will work with a larger pack. A battery pack the size that you are asking for would be huge if it would be NiMh, so the newest Lithium Ion packs seem to be the only answer that makes sense. But, their charging requirements are bound to be very different than NiMh. If you search the web, you can find people who have done/are doing this, and you will see that there are many pitfalls.
    Even something as simple as want I want to do, top off the SOC at 60-80% before I start in the morning, turns out to be a complex issues, as the battery ECU is evidently programmed to "learn" about each individual battery, and tailor it's charging pattern/voltage to it. Trickle charging it yourself will mess up that program, from what I'm told. :angry:
     
  5. electricity_guzzler

    electricity_guzzler New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(keydiver @ May 17 2006, 01:57 PM) [snapback]256993[/snapback]</div>

    What about trickle charging the battery while it is disconnected from the car computer?
     
  6. ScottY

    ScottY New Member

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    I know mrbigh is doing that and working with Norm (eflier, CAN-View guy) and monitor PHEV info on the MFD with CAN-View. u might want to PM them.

    Just want to warn you, you MUST be very knowledgeable about working with high voltage and the Prius hybrid system. The OEM battery is 200V, can kill anybody very easily.
     
  7. caliprius83

    caliprius83 New Member

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    Hey all thx for the help,
    looks like i wont be playing be doing it since it A voids the warenty and B there isnt a place where you can take it to get the package and also i think that the best thing would be the switch tipe option to turn it on and off ... the electric only option .. but ehh i will just have to wait a bit it looks like.
    B) B)
     
  8. ilusnforc

    ilusnforc Member

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  9. darelldd

    darelldd Prius is our Gas Guzzler

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(caliprius83 @ May 17 2006, 09:49 PM) [snapback]257342[/snapback]</div>
    Nothing voids the warranty if nothing gets broken.

    The ONLY way this helps is to charge the battery from something OTHER than the gas engine. I know a bit about the E-drive systems, and they are performing up to expectations. And they're designed with off-board charging.

    That said... I still want a car that is designed with EV mode in mind (Hey, how about a car that is NOTHING but EV mode!?)... not tacked on with the 34mph limit still in place.