Has anyone installed the enginer PHEV?

But is that rate using one dc converter or two?

 

krousdb was using ONE converter to get 130 minutes out of 8kwh of batteries since he could not plug in at work. One converter on 4kwh of batteries will provide power for over one hour.

Worst case:
~3.2kwh(pack energy 80%DOD) / 3kw (max discharge rate) *60min = 64 minutes of PHEV driving

 

I notice when I charge the battery the wattage goes up and down (1000 watts to 10 watts) over over. Is this normal?

 

When I charge my system, it usually starts out around 930 Watts. As it gets nearer to being full, the charger will decrease the power in steps so it does less charging near the end.

Someone posted a table a while back as to when/what voltages/Watts are output at various stages of charging.

If your charger is cycling between 10 Watts and 1000 Watts in a short time period, something is wrong.

 

I had a BAD DC/DC converter! But I love 3prong Power, 20 minutes, drive over to 3 prong power, swap out the DC/DC converter and away I went with a working system again! Awesome customer service. Sorry to gush, but 20 minutes from broken to fixed is awesome in my book.

The Kit works great, if we could just work out the odd component failures I would be happier. Thank you for 3 prong power has saved me and well worth the install fee.

I would be happy to pay a bit more for a bit more reliability of the components of the kits. The failure rate has been a bit high for my liking but it works great when it works.

I do like the fact that 3 prong power did balance the batteries for me the first time i got the batteries and that majorly helps battery reliability starting with a balanced pack.

Any one see that the low voltage light seems to be really dim?

 

It really does paid to have the equipment handled and installed by experience people in the field, people to whom you can relay in case of advise, problems and service.
Unfortunately we are not everywhere.
Happy PHEVing

 

I too am happy to have had professionals install my kit. The only problem for me is they are major ferry ride away so now I'm kinda stranded.

I've been out of commission for a while. Jack sent me two replacement cells as a couple of mine are already dodgy. One's voltage fluctuates widely and the other is always early to hit the low voltage mark compared to the rest of the pack. I'm anxious to get them installed and get back to using my kit.

Yes, the one thing that I really hate is the super dim low voltage led. I wish the green led would just turn off. Plus how are you supposed to hear the balancers beep when they are way back there and buried?

 

This sounds like what Jack Rickard was talking about. Can you balance the enginer pack from the bottom instead of the top? or do you think this one cell just has a much lower than spec capacity?

What Jack Rickard was talking about in his video is very logical. If I was using any thundersky's I would balancing them from the bottom. After watching his video to me it just makes more since. Especially since each thundersky battery has a little different capacity.

 

I was hoping this was just a bad cell (still my best guess). Not sure what is meant by "from the bottom instead of the top?"

The enginer kit balancers only discharge energy, there is no topping up, if that answers your question.

 

I was referring to Jack rickard's video here Electric 1957 Porsche 356 Speedster EV November 13th.

He explained that to keep from killing thundersky lion batteries you need to discharge them all to about 2.8v ( balancing at the bottom ) or somewhere around that voltage. Then only charge them up to about 3.75v. This way when you discharge the batteries they all stay in sync all the way to the end.

If you charge all batteries to 4v ( balancing at the top ) to top them off, when you start to discharge them there will be one cell that has a lower capacity that will reach 2.8v before the rest. If you continue to discharge the batteries this one cell will continue to drop below 2.8v and be damaged.

Thats what I understand from that video.

Jack explains it much better in the video but he is a little long winded.

 

So far, balancing at the bottom seems to work for the Mottcells.....so far......
Time will tell......

 

I posed this question on the other thread....

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-p...icle-technical-information-5.html#post1007884

 

hey everyone,

have been using my new converter (3rd one) for a whole week and it is working very well. i got one that is tweak to a high output, just like my first one. i am getting a 9-10 mpg improvement on my particular commute, going from 43mpg to 52.7mpg. also, i noticed that it still gets very hot, enough to turn on the external fan, even when outside temp is 35f--which is my average temp every moring. so, be careful when temp get warmer. ttyl.

 

What kind of improvement are you getting in mileage? Can you go in pure EV with the Enginer conversion? If so up to what speed. Thanks.

 

Hello,
The fan helps with convection. You may want to do some checking to be sure that you also have a good conductive path to get the heat out. I would suggest looking for tempurature differances between the converter and the box and the mounting brackets and the bottom of the prius trunk area. Each of these transitions is a place that blocks the conduction of heat going out. The level of temperature differance at one of these interfaces indicates the level of the blockage. Thermal grease on the bottom of the converter will help if that is a point of blockage. Removing the paint between the mounting brackets and the bottom of the trunk may help that transition.

Enjoy,
Dan

 

Hi all. I sent the check off for mine. I won't be able to make the trip and have it installed until February, but that's ok because it's my birthday! wewt

 

I've considered buying Enginer 4kWh pack but failed to make a business case to buy one, even at the current reduced price.

I've created a thread few days ago, hoping to get feedback from owners but no answers yet. I thought it might be a good idea to add a pointer in this thread.

Comments are welcomed in this thread: http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-p...ions/73554-enginer-phv-kit-business-case.html

 

I've noticed in this Forum (and others) that more than a few users of the Enginer kit have experienced converter problems, sometimes multiple failures, and other component failures as well. Is there anything about the way that the vehicle is driven that could cause or contribute to the problems?

I'd like to get your input, and anyone else in the forum, as to whether you think that some of the Enginer kits converter (and other component) failures could be, in part, related to extensively using the EV Only mode. I'm confused as to why there even is a EV Only mode, when the Enginer website states "Enginer does not pursue maximum EV in its PHEV kits. If you travel 20 + miles daily, the result is the same whether you use the battery power at the beginning under an all-EV scenario or release it in a controlled manner over a longer period and at higher speeds." This kit is designed to be blended mode, does EV mode overburden some components?

Does anyone who owns the kit have failures using only blended mode, never EV mode?

Am I misreading a consensus in the Prius Chat that this kit is unreliable for daily use when used as designed, or are the success stories getting less postings?

-Chaw

 

Hi Chaw,
The Enginer design is basically sound. They have taken the KISS approach. I am confident that the Enginer system can be reliable.

I am convinced that the problems seen are not contributed to by the EV mode. I run EV on both my Gen2 and Gen3. This draws down the Battery. but not at rates that can cause damage.

Enginer has had a problem with converters because they had the output a little high and did not have an internal fan. This has been corrected. Howerver if the installation does something that blocks the heat from getting out, converters could fail. Also your installer needs to check for proper converter output levels.

They have had a few balancers with incorrect readings. This should be checked by your installer during installation.

They have had a few battery cell failures. This is because the batteries need to be balanced properly. Balancing takes time. in one place I saw that it could take up to 20 charge/discharge cycles. The system is not fail-safe for either over charging a cell, or for drawing a cell down too far. Overcharging or excessive drawdown can happen if the battery pack is not balanced. Balancing is a process that requires some knowledge and time and care.

The bottom line is that you need a good installer. You need someone that understands the system. And you need someone that will take the time to check out all the details and do it right.

DYI is possible if you are knowledgable and technically oriented. But you need to do your homework before taking on the job. Installers are charging between $500 and $2000. They are worth the money.

Thanks,
Dan

 

Hi Chaw,

It is my understanding that the Enginer system cuts a few corners on quality to make a cheaper solution. For example, the smaller DC/DC converter means it is /significantly/ cheaper though more prone to overheating because of its size and output requirements. Also, the batteries being used are significantly cheaper batteries than more high power cells like K2 or A123, though they seem to be sufficient for the relatively low current transfer.

The failures of the DC/DC converters are not necessarily caused by excessive EV usage since it will transfer 12 amps pretty much all the time until it depletes...though technically there would be more strain on the converter at lower voltages (EV mode does lower the voltage) but I wouldn't expect that to account for the overheating issues.

I do find it interesting and kind of funny that the Enginer system ships with an automatic fire extinguisher though =). Has anyone had theirs activate?

Andrew