I'm sure this has been asked but.....

There is no point in doing that unless you can make it plug in. Charging both batteries takes more energy, so you have a 0 net gain. In EV mode, you would get more range, if the batteries are fully charged. If you make it plug in, then you have something. Several PCers have done this.

 

Well you would gain extra regen capabilities. If you live on a mountain like myself, it would be worth it. I fill my car from empty to full (well 40% to 80%) and have another couple miles of downhill steep grades to go. Extra batteries would allow extra storage, increased fuel economy. Plugin would enhance that. But this is a very limited scenario I am sure.

 

Just curious, what would that do? Add another mile to EV...? OOPS! I'm in Gen III mode.

 

The problem is the computers can't monitor both batteries. So you'd need new software to accomplish that. The computers -MUST- know exactly what is happening to make the HSD function correctly. I suppose you -could- wire it up so the monitoring takes the average of both packs, but it wouldn't be a trivial job. Then you'd have to figure out how to equalize the current flow to/from both packs.

Even Toyota doesn't try to do this. In the Plug-in Hybrid they switch from pack to pack rather than try to operate them in parallel.

 

In the early days of Hymotion and such, there were folks in California that were learning how to hack the battery codes. I can't remember their name, but they were experimenting with different battery types, and I think Hymotion picked up some of their knowledge and applied it to Lithium and made a viable business out of it. They had a discussion page that was rather interesting, but the name just isn't coming to me right now.

 

Simply connecting two battery packs in parallel is a ticket to disaster. Batteries must be carefully matched to work in parallel, otherwise one battery drains the life out of the other. With older chemistries you could get away with a simple parallel connection, but not with most of the new types of batteries.

Tom

 

Hi all. this is my first time in the Prius chat so here goes: How do you find a mechanic who can install the ev mode bypass in your prius. I've heard there is a way to fool the prius into staying in "electric mode" as long as possible delaying the activation of the combustible engine.

 

Anyone can do it, as long as they can install a switch into the dash. Your Prius has EV mode built in, but it doesn't come with a switch for it in the U.S. You buy a switch, remove the blank in the dash, install the switch, and wire it to the proper connector. I would think any car audio place could do it for you as long as you point them to this site for instructions.

Tom