REVIEW: Hymotion Battery Plug-In Prius

Just to clarify should read 5 kWh remaining in a 10 kWh battery. I know it seems nitpicky, but the difference is pretty important. Quite right other than that.

Rob

 

Well the 12v battery was dead and would not hold a charge. That battery is not cheap at $189 + $54 - $25 Coupon. Tax and all it was $223 out the door. Today, when I tried to start the car, I had the red triangle of death, but it was drivable to the dealer. Would have been 3 years in January, but I already had 47,000, so the warranty was expired.

I do have the car computer and sub-woofer that my have contributed to the early death of the battery.

---Kent

 

Yes, I went with the Toyota battery in a hurry.

---Kent

 

Wow, that picture is kind of funky. If you had that much regen happening your regular NiMH battery would have been at 8/8 bars. Let me know what Hymotion says.

I really like how you are tracking your electricity costs and including that in your numbers.

Have you noticed when the NiMH Toyota battery is full from regen (8/8) it beeps at you that you cannot enter EV mode? This happens to me a lot in the morning because I descend a 1/2 mile hill every day. By the bottom of the hill I would be forced out of EV mode every time if I have the Hymotion engaged.

So to get around it I start with Hymotion off and drain my NiMH battery to 5/8 on a flat area before I start descending. Then it is typically at 7/8 by the bottom of the hill. I continue driving until the regular NiMH battery is down to 5/8, then I flip on the Hymotion battery at a stop light. I typically drive 2 miles in stock EV mode before I even turn on the Hymotion battery in the morning.

 

TheForce, I wonder how low gas prices would have to get until there's a neutral cost benefit? I'm not even thinking about the conversion cost. But rather day to day. Not using gasoline is a big enough incentive anyway. But I noticed that using your last tank as an example, and treating money spent on electricity as if you were buying gas at $1.939/gallon, it would be the equivalent to getting 68.2 mpg. My math was as follows:
Total Electricty+Fuel "Gallons" = 9.393 Gallons * ($31.43/$18.21) = 16.212
MPG = 1105.6 miles / 16.212 "Gallons" = 68.2 mpg

What we don't know is what you'd likely be getting if you drove the same places, in the same conditions, without the conversion. I'd read somewhere that electricity is about the same as buying gas at $1.50/gallon. But that's just an approximation. And different conversions will use the electricity in ways that could make this number different.

 

Too bad Hymotion came from those evil Canadians.

It reminds me of the Southpark song. "Blame Canada"

 

Hey watch it! :canada:

 

as far as cost goes, i would also rather pay double for electricity than pay half as much to foreign countries for the oil to make the gas i use. my EV runs around 4½ miles per KWH, so with my transportation costing me say 2 cents per mile, to get the same cost for a Pri if using say 55 mpg... it would be 55 miles*.02 or $1.10 a gallon. so even with the greatly reduced gas prices, the EV is still cheaper...

lately, i have been doing my best to take advantage of free charging that is offered around town but not to save money, only to get more exposure. i want people to see my bright lime green extension cord plugged into my car to let them know that EV's can be at the very least, a significant part of people's transportation needs.

now that also reduces my cost, but only to an insignificant amount... but the cost after the purchase of the EV is all really insignificant other than battery replacement. i have nearly 6000 miles on my Zenn and only recently passed the $100 mark in total electricity costs.

 

It depends on where the electricity comes from. We all have our different sensibilities but I think we agree that "clean coal" is an oxymoron. In our area, Northern Virginia, we have the option of wind power. I know others here have wind power also. It costs more but it's good to support a fledgling industry.

 

so you think the scangauge is not only reading but also writing stuff on the canbus...
that wil be the only thing that can account for the scangauge causing this...

so now its not dirty oil from iraq but dirty battery´s from canada

 

i agree it does depend on how the electricity is generated... but my point is that money spent on oil is money we mostly likely will only see when foreign interests are buying up our country.

foreign investment is great, dont get me wrong, but the source also has to be considered...

my point is that local power usually supports the US economy much more directly. we can definitely get into a debate about the piss poor efforts to get a national power grid, clean energy, etc. going, but this is not the forum for that.

i still feel that a big reason for our economic crisis is that hundreds of billions of dollars spent to buy foreign oil. i liken the US to GM and its health care costs...no matter how big the company (country) or how successful, you simply cannot continue to pay out that kind of money and not be hurt by it....

on a per capita basis, we pay out 3 times more money for oil than any other country except Japan... the problem is, our economy is so big, we are like an over-sized anchor, we sink, we take nearly everyone with us.

i never bought my Zenn thinking i would save money...even after the Ambassador Program discount, it still cost me $16,000 after taxes... toss $500 in battery charge and monitoring equip in the mix and the fact that after nearly 6,000 miles, i have saved around a grand, it will take me forever to get my money back... if ever... granted, no real maintenance, but i do use lead acid batteries which means $1500-2000 every few years to replace the pack

so, to me its not cost, its where the money goes. that is why i bought a Pri, that is why i bought the Zenn, that is also why i will never buy another conventional car again...no matter what.

 

Jay, If you can send me what to configure on the SGII I'll give it a try.
Chris

 

I completely agree about shifting our dollars to electricity. Here in Seattle, most of the electricity comes from hydro-electric. so it's renewable, non-polluting, and keeps our dollars here.