I remember someone linking a European feature list that included dual zone climate for the European Prime. Just wanted to confirm that info. A photo on the Toyota France website clearly shows a dual zone head unit. It will be interesting to see how involved it would be to retrofit one into a NA model, and if the head unit is able to be configured for F instead of C. Just thought some here might be interesting in the info. https://scene7.toyota.eu/is/image/toyotaeurope/MY24_PRIUS_WP_12-2:Large-Portrait?ts=19459&resMode=sharp2&op_usm=1.75,0.3,2,0
EU Toyota has a nice render as well. You can switch to interior where you can see the dual zone AC as well. http://bit.ly/3KTC4Mu
Yes, attached the features list for the 3 EU version. The base trim it's a lot more equipped than the US SE. It also have the 8-way electric adj for the driver seat, the 12,3" screen, full smart entry, the US intermediate seats with metal insert,and so on...
Taiwan just released Toyota Prius Prime. In the video below you can see the car is equipped with dual-zone AC with nanoeX feature. Not sure if it can be retrofit onto a regular Prius. Shown at 18:07
Nano X & Dual zone are standard on any of the 3 trims in EU versions, at the least in Germany, but i'm seeing in all EU country they are offering the same essential trim levels. Nano-X is specified in the (very accurate) German PDF:
Welp, I spent a day or three researching into the idea of retrofitting dual zone climate controls and Nano-X ionization to a North American HEV. To no one's surprise, it's either impossible or lives next door to impossible. At the start, it was looking expensive, but not insanely so. Maybe just cracking four figures in parts. But then I dug down the the heart of the problem: the entire air conditioner radiator assembly would have to be replaced. The worst part is that most of the expensive bits of the assembly could be reused, but you need the different plastic shell and Toyota doesn't appear to sell that by itself. So that's a $2000 part all by itself. And to get at it, you need to recover the A/C refrigerant before you start, then completely gut the front half of the interior. The assembly is behind that major brace that the dash bolts onto, so the brace has to come out too. When I gave up, the optimistic total was approaching $3k in parts and necessary services(refrigerant recovery and recharge, maybe some work reprogramming ECU). The final nail in the coffin came when I finally remembered that the Prime comes with a heat pump. Since the only way to do this conversion is to use parts from the European Prius, and since all of those are Primes, I don't believe there's a way to make it work without the car throwing massive amounts of error codes. Some of the parts from the European Prime would be looking for a heat pump that isn't there. And if you go insane and try to add a heat pump as well, the HEV's ECUs wouldn't know what to do with it because they're not programmed to look for it. I guess trying the conversion on a Prime might be more technically possible, but you'd still be looking at tearing the dash apart and $3k in new parts. I always knew this was the longest of long shots, so I'm not very disappointed. Plus the real reason to explore the project was just to get more proficient using Toyota's parts and repair software before trying any of the real projects like the mirror conversions and some mild OEM lighting upgrades. And for that, mission accomplished. Prior to digging into this, there's no way I could have helped that other user with the deer damage.
Well well well. Panasonic "nanoe X" seems to be a new twist on the Sharp Plasmacluster thingy that was in some of the early Gen3s and then was dropped. Sounds like there should be one or more patents describing it (and probably saying how it's different from the Sharp), but I haven't immediately found them.
What is the "real" benefit of this "nanoe x" anway? Given most people dont even know it, it seems weird to have it included in some models and some not unless there is some kind of regulation? Will it help with smelly aircons?
If I am not mistaken, the tech is fairly regularly used in Lexus, so there probably should be already some feedback on benefits, comfort etc. Nanoe is part of household air cleaners made by Panasonic, but it might act a bit differently in the car ... there is even some "Sync" toggle that makes me wonder if it can even activate automatically if it detects more pollution "particles", odours or something like that.
Sync is the button to link the dual zone climate controls back to the drivers side. I had to look it up a while back because it confused me. Supposedly the ionic generator from the European Prime is currently being used in the US Lexus RX. That's what the parts website tells me. But I don't see it anywhere on the options list for the RX. But Lexus's main website is hot garbage, so there's that.
I had a look on the lexus page and it seems to help if you drive alot through virus and bacteria infested areas additionally they claim moisturizing effects on hair and skin. Wild. But if it really works, it might help alot in smelly areas : I m not allowed to post links yet bug you can just google lexus-nanoe-x Probably its always included - similar to European Prius models that only have dualzone+nanoe x
Nanoe X is a Panasonic thingy, so googling for nanoe x panasonic is also a good way to get info from the source. The similar-seeming Sharp Plasmacluster was described earlier in this thread. That was in the early Gen 3 Prii, but I think only in a IV or a V, and then it seemed to go away later in Gen 3. For that one, it seemed that Denso had licensed the technology from Sharp, and manufactured their own generator.
Pretty sure Denso's done the same thing again. It's mildly amusing that the only duct the ionized air comes out of is the passenger dash vent closest to the door.
In the Prius its only coming from the center. I dont understand the logic as that means basically the other vents are still unfiltered.
The device isn't a filter, it's an ion generator, and the ions end up in the cabin whatever vent they come out of. In the old Gen 3s, it happened to be the driver's side.
Okay, never mind. There's an error in the parts schematics. The ionic generator is actually attached to dash vent closest to the DRIVER'S door, not the passenger's(there's a minor foul up in the schematics related to LHD vs. RHD). While I still think it would be better to attach it to the air intake rather than a vent, the vent they chose is the best one for most cases.
