REVIEW: Hymotion Battery Plug-In Prius

cant even begin to tell you how much i appreciate the effort put into this thread to give us the info, but to be honest with ya, the post is becoming a bit unwieldy.

can you finalize your first post, make it a sticky, then start another for other observations? i realize there is no elegant way to do this, but i am getting to the point where now, i miss a few days, i have to reread several posts just to determine whats going on

or maybe add a synopsis in a FAQ format to first post? just something to think about...thanks for the contribution

 

No, sorry, I just have a ScanGuage. But I have a Kill-a-Watt in the circuit, so I can tell pretty nearly the fraction of charged based on the reported KWH. The full charge takes just over 5 KWH. The partial charges, as measured by the Kill-a-Watt, correspond well to the blue/green bars on the MFD. And when I unplug and replug 2 (or sometimes 3) times, I get up to the full 5 KWH and all green bars. So I'm sure it's a partial charge, but I can't say whether the L5 is misreading or misreporting its own SOC as it charges.

 

chogan2,

I am confused by your last post -- apologies if this is just due to my ignorance.

I thought the Prius "reads" 100% SOC until the Hymotion battery reaches a certain discharge level ?

 

Congratulations Jay!!! I told you Plug-ins work. I’m glad you waited for lithium with a good BMS. That is the only way to go!

 

Mr. The Force,

I am scheduled for installation in Dec. 2008, and had a quick question: Is it OK to put luggage on top of the Hymotion battery? Have you travelled with a lot of luggage? Will 50-100 pounds of stuff hurt the battery? Any impact on air supply to the battery?

 

I bought 200 lbs worth of topsoil over the weekend and my car sagged like crazy. I was concerned about driving it. I hope the Li-on battery doesn't do the same.

Now I have another newbie/stupid question ... I'll just go ahead and post the red face :redface: ...

Since the li-on battery pack is used for the plug-in conversion, why can't one be used as a replacement for the current hybrid battery for longer EV mode? Is it mainly that the expense isn't worth the amount of increase that would be provided or just that the car isn't optimized to utilize the li-on?

My apologies ahead of time for another ignorant question. Hopefully I'll learn enough one of these days to ask something intelligent.


EDIT: Never mind I found the answer on another thread!

 

Yeah, the Prius reads 100% SOC most of the time for the original Prius battery, but Hymotion sets the MFD up so that it alternatively displays the Hymotion SOC and the stock Prius battery SOC. Just flips back and forth between them. It's an annoyance, really, but you see the SOC of both batteries.

 

Force,

Ok, I am going to ask the question everyone keeping up with this thread wants to know.

How much gas do you have left? LOL

I don't know about everyone else but I am wanting to see the actual MPG as a calculation of miles driven divided by gas purchased. We all knew it was going to take you awhile but you're killing me with this waiting, patience is not my strong suit

Congrats on the great MPG. Keep us updated.

Chris

 

About the same for me. I hit 500 Mi. on the trip ODO1 today and I went to 5th PIP (1/2 tank) yesterday. I should be filling up around October 14th, unless a longer trip comes up in the meantime.
Chris

 

I got my L5 installed in Boston yesterday (9/23) in my 2005 Prius.

The Boston area Toyota dealer installer encouraged me to test the unit prior to driving home. They tested for 5 miles with 99.9 avg mpg on screen. (They are installing 2-4 units per week and have experienced one unit that failed a few miles into the test and was warranty-replaced by Hymotion). I test drove on <40mph roads for another 7 miles then headed home on the Mass Pike at 61MPH (65MPH speed limit). The pack lasted 30 miles total with average over 140 mile trip of 66MPG. The terrain is pretty brutal going through the Berkshire Mountains.

I bought and have received the EV MODE switch wiring from coasteltech. But I am not sure I should install it. The Prius that has the L5 is my wife's who commutes 10 miles round trip with highest speed limit of 40MPH. I am reading on other posts that the L5 unit modifies the Prius to enable EV mode. is this true?

The Force, are you able to keep the ICE from running when you enable the aftermarket EV switch? You do mention in your original post that you were able to travel 25 miles in complete EV mode and this mode is dependent on the SOC of the stock battery.

I am a little skiddish about installing the EV MODE switch thinking it may negatively impact the L5. What are your thoughts?

 

No authorized dealer in China!

 

Can you explain why there is a discrepancy between the two gauges? Which one do you put more faith in?

Thanks

R

 

so over those 1000 miles your avg speed is 25mph thats not a lot...

 

Jay,
Nice update. I see the difference between the SCII and CAN view is more than I thought it would be. I figure I have about 30-35% of fuel left at 670Mi. I was hoping for 1000Mi for the tank, but it will be close. I think my AVG speed is also higher than yours, but Stop lights definitly make the AVG. lower. Good luck with the battery.
Chris

 

I'm sorry if you already outlined the details of your typical commute/driving patterns, but if you haven't already, could you describe the distance, speed, elevation, time. I'd love to compare my commute with yours. (Gmap pedometer might be useful).