Darell is going down

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(naterprius @ Jul 20 2007, 11:57 AM) [snapback]482287[/snapback]</div>

I did post an update today so that will up date you.

Basically try to imagine a regular car and it's battery too low to start the car. What do you do? You get a jump! You use jumper cables to bring the power up on your battery and then you remove them.

If you think about it when you add a second pack to the Prius you are doing the same thing. If fact the Prius battery management computer won’t let your OEM battery go below it’s normal specifications and also the low power control board won’t let you over charge your OEM battery. Therefore, the OEM battery always stays in it specified State of Charge, and as such, I can not see a detriment to the longevity of the OEM battery.

That being said, this is deadly stuff to be messing around with. We are talking about DC voltages that could fry you. There has to be safety precautions taken. The whole reason I am doing this conversion is to get the Auto industry realize, “Wow if we don’t give the public plug-ins that are cheaper to run then gas cars someone else will, and it will be years before we will be able to get our production levels up to be able to recapture the market.â€

Now if you are still interested working with high power can be learned to be done safely. People work with high power every day and if you don’t want to, you can find someone who will do it for you.

The fact is you would have to be crazy to get involved with making kits to do this conversion due to the fact in our nation lawsuits are filed at the drop of a hat.

On another note.

Now I am thinking about making “Solar Bread Warmers†that will oddly enough fit inside the back of a Prius and the inside of witch will be large enough for say 20 small loaves of bread. Now I will most likely include some copper wiring for the sake artistic flare, but that should not get in the way of the bread warming. Should you be interested in such an oven, I may have an extra one ready to go after the Maker Faire in Austin takes place October 20-21.

Back to my PHEV. It is coming together and I will do my best to make sure I am available to help someone do their own conversion.

 

Niiiiiiice!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(naterprius @ Jul 19 2007, 09:41 PM) [snapback]482038[/snapback]</div>

How did I miss this for so long? Oh... I was out polishing the Rav4EV that I've owned for the past four years. You know... my third EV.

Oh, keep hating me. I'm still better than you...

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PriusTouring07 @ Jul 19 2007, 11:57 PM) [snapback]482096[/snapback]</div>

The batteries are proving to last the life of the car. Let's PLEASE try to refrain from propagating the same untrue EV rumors that others say about the Prius.


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(naterprius @ Jul 20 2007, 12:00 AM) [snapback]482099[/snapback]</div>

There are your big fat smug points. That might bring your used Rav4EV down to just a few thousand dollars over what I paid for my NEW one!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rae Vynn @ Jul 20 2007, 09:02 AM) [snapback]482241[/snapback]</div>

The 1990's EVs are as good at long hauls as motorcycle are for camping. Can be done, but there are better ways. EVs are only perfect for about 95% of the trips that people use cars for. The perfect vehicle hasn't yet been built. Range, BTW, is about 100 miles. My best is 135 miles on a charge. My EV is driven every day. The Prius is driven once or twice per month. And no, after 75,000 EV miles, I have never been straned with an empty battery - there are many reasons for this. For one, there really is no "empty" in the liquid fuel sense.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Cheap! @ Jul 20 2007, 09:37 AM) [snapback]482269[/snapback]</div>

So far I'm getting about 45,000 miles per gallon. But haven't burned through that first gallon yet, so who knows where this crazy ride will end?

Nate has been like a giddy school girl on the Rav4EV list. It is fun to watch. Our little virgin has blossomed.

 

I did not realize that (EV) smugness can be contagious. Please cease......I.....feel......j, je,jel.

(What a market being missed!)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Jul 20 2007, 03:09 PM) [snapback]482447[/snapback]</div>

Now on to more practical matters... Nate, I sail up in 'the Mont' on wednesdays. Can I come check out your phat ride? I'd love to see one of those things up close.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Jul 19 2007, 10:18 PM) [snapback]482052[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(naterprius @ Jul 19 2007, 10:31 PM) [snapback]482056[/snapback]</div>

How are you getting the car from California to Colorado? Range per charge would seem to be an impediment to driving that distance. I doubt that you could find a recharging station every 150-200 miles along the way.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IsrAmeriPrius @ Jul 20 2007, 03:41 PM) [snapback]482497[/snapback]</div>

While several folks drove unmodified EV1's across the country and back - with far LESS range to work with - yes the range isn't very handy for this kind of driving.

Nate is having his trucked. But under the hood of the truck is no ordinary diesel engine. No, this one has a hampster wheel powered by 5,612 of the most energetic and happiest free-range, soy-fed hampsters you've ever seen. The truck is a hybrid though, so every few hundred miles, they also have to stop and tank up on the laughter of children on a spring afternoon.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(naterprius @ Jul 20 2007, 04:55 PM) [snapback]482540[/snapback]</div>

Great that you got the charger in advance of the car!

Need any pointers?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(naterprius @ Jul 20 2007, 05:05 PM) [snapback]482545[/snapback]</div>

My wife sucked at backing in to. She has now done it 5 days/week for four years with no mishap. I have covered EVERYTHING in the area with foam pipe insulation, and that has sure helped ease my mine. I back in so that the two cars have the driver doors facing each other and are shoved as far to the outside walls as possible. Makes it SO much easier to get into the car. Plus we don't have to trip over the cord to get out the back garage door, AND I can charge outside (wich I do for other EV drivers when they visit. Very handy. Rolling away? Don't let it happen. Put rubber parking mats on the ground. You go over one bump to get onto the mat, and the other bump holds you in place. You JUST have power to get off the mat. Don't even screw around without one!

You can ALWAYS miss the cord. Trust me on that. That the car is allowed to roll (though not go into gear) is probably the most dangerous oversight on the car.

Definitely D.

 

But do you only eat home-grown organic food and wear only home-made clothes grown from organic home-grown fibers like he does?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tripp @ Jul 20 2007, 06:05 PM) [snapback]482479[/snapback]</div>

WoW !! It's weird to think that some haven't seen 'em up close. Our stinking edison meter readers drive 'em up and down our neighborhoods every month to read the meters ... like they're no big deal. It just gauls and sicken me no end to see these EV's used like they were nothing. Like the Chevy EV-S10's that Disney used to use as fleet vehicles ... they just beat those suckers like they were red headed step kids.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dipper @ Jul 20 2007, 01:08 PM) [snapback]482297[/snapback]</div>

What's the real life range, before you get worried and have to pull over? 75 miles? Just wondering.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Eug @ Jul 20 2007, 09:05 PM) [snapback]482641[/snapback]</div>

Thought I covered that a few posts up. And Nate covered it very well. What's your comfort level?

You never have to pull over and suffer. Just drive slower and you can get where you want to go. It is almost logarithmic - the relationship between range and speed. At 35 mph, your 100 mile range vehicle suddenly gets you about 170 miles. At a steady 45mph, you can get about 145 miles. At 80 mph, you're probably dead before 70 miles. Of course this thing IS a mini barn door. The EV1 was not so affected by speed.

Plus, there is no real "running out" of battery like with gasoline. When you are out of gas, you are out. When the battery is "dead" you can pull over and wait. The batteries will recover, and you can self-rescue for a few miles. I've personally driven eight miles beyond where the car "ran out of battery" to the point that it would not move. Then add the fact that you can tell EXACTLY how much battery you have left in an electric car - vs the total guess of the typical gas gauge - and you have to do something pretty silly to get stranded.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stev0 @ Jul 20 2007, 07:31 PM) [snapback]482609[/snapback]</div>

Better than that! I'm completely natural. Naked!

(yeah, go ahead and try to scratch your eyes out. The image will still be there.)

And like I tell my neighbors - even the gas for my furnace is natural. Says so right on the bill.