Should I do the EV mod?

In most cases, you can't travel 2 miles in EV mode. You get two mile range if your battery start off with 80% state of charge (SOC).

I'm not too sure if this can really void the warranty, since the ICE will turn on to charge the battery if your SOC drops below 40% if you are in EV mode or not. And if you press the gas peddle down too much requiring power higher than the limit of the HV battery, ICE will turn on as well.

 

I'm getting it this fall but not to run in electric mode, but to run under no propulsion at all (ie coasting). I'm an MPG phreak so I'm getting the mod to allow me to cut the engine when it doesn't need to run (ie at a stop light when the block temp is b/t 65c and 85c). Turns out this condition is most of my commute, so it suites me well. Figure it will net me another 4 mpg. Not much, but I have nothing else I can do to get those few points I want.

If your just gonna use it to accelerate your car in EV mode rather than with the ICE, I don't know if it's worth it. Another popular reason (and one high on my list) is the ohh, ahh, wow, factor. If you have friends that would be impressed, it might be cool (if you like impressing friends).

Just depends on what you need it for, or what you want to accomplish.

11011011

 

I did the mod about a year ago, and can count the number of times I've used it on two hands. Most of the time, it is just to show off the ability, and to occasionally freak out someone in a parking lot by creeping up behind them.

The mod is easy, fun to experiment with, but doesn't really seem to have much practical purpose, IMHO.

Incidentally, doing the mod so you can turn off the ICE when idling is probably not necessary. The Prius is smart enough to know when not to run the ICE, and will turn it off automatically when going downhill or stopping at a light.

Dan

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mywhitenoise @ Mar 22 2007, 09:38 AM) [snapback]410236[/snapback]</div>

Hi mywhitenoise

First, the mod is not magic. I totally agree with the others who have responded. I would add that my greatest use is for moving the car short distances without starting a cold ICE (like out of the garage for washing). You always get a more secure connection with a good solder joint and you want a good connection to the pin. (Does the kit come with the pin connected?)

Concern about warranty would be at the time of needed repair (if that resulted from the installation). I am not aware that there is a case documented of damage leading to a warranty claim which is traced to installation of an EV switch. With the protections built in to the car (noted above), this seems very unlikely.

My installation cost less that $5.00 (the cost of a momentary switch). The nice thing about that is that it is not necessary to touch the wiring of the car.

 

Disclaimer: I'm a mileage phreak... I do unusual things to keep from burning gas.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(danoday @ Mar 22 2007, 01:56 PM) [snapback]410320[/snapback]</div>

Most of the time yes. But in early stage operations, the ICE can take 5-10 seconds to auto-stop, and may only do so after the speedo read 0 kph for 5-10 seconds.

I use 20oz of gas to get to work. Poor idling in early stages can make it 21oz.

Who cares about 1oz of gas? 99.99% of drivers probably don't. See disclaimer above.

11011011

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Allannde @ Mar 22 2007, 11:44 AM) [snapback]410352[/snapback]</div>

Even cheaper if you're willing to give up the "Flash to Pass" part of the turn signal lever. Several owners have done that conversion.

I have the Coastal mod and rarely use it. It's handy to move from the street to the driveway of my parent's house or around a large parking lot.

 

I recently ordered the Sigma kit. Can anyone else who has that version say how long it takes to ship? The Sigma website says "Be aware that ordering JDM parts may take 3-5 weeks to ship" but that sounds like an awful long time!

EDIT: No one replied, but it takes 6 weeks door to door for the Sigma EV switch kit. Mine's arriving next week.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mywhitenoise @ Mar 22 2007, 11:38 AM) [snapback]410236[/snapback]</div>

I was gonna go for the mod since my job is less than 4 blocks away, but I was also worried about the warranty being voided. So I called Toyota customer care and checked with them, they said that doing this mod will void the battery warranty. The person on the phone advised that the cars in europe have a battery pack that is specifically desined to run the car in EV mode, but the US cars can't handle it, and it will lead to a premature replacement of the battery, that the warranty will not cover.

Not worth $3,000 or whatever the price is for a new battery.

 

Two miles is too far. It's never going to work, unless it's two miles down a steep hill. <_<

Tom

 

Yes and No . . .

Yes - if you want to be able to show off in parking lots, etc. People DO notice the complete lack of noise.

No - if the ONLY reason is to increase gas mileage.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TomorrowMatters @ Mar 22 2007, 07:57 PM) [snapback]410584[/snapback]</div>

That's a load of bollocks from everything that I've heard. If it's just 4 blocks why not ride a bike? Except in the summer. Gawd it's HOT in Pueblo in the summer! I was "stationed" there in 2003 and we were hitting temps of 116F out at PCD on a regular basis in July. It was, uh, "fun". <_<

 

I live one the East side (not the lower eastside), but thats the last thing I need is to get my @$$ kicked because I ride my bike everyday to work (State Patrol) and I work the graveyard shift so thats also another safety issue if you ask me, but I still do occasionally ride my bike, but not too often.

It is hot down here! I hate it, but I like the town though. Oh well. If it gets too hot down here I will just run up there and hide in the shadows of the Qwest building. :lol:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Mar 22 2007, 12:58 PM) [snapback]410368[/snapback]</div>

I live where the winter's are mild (almost always above freezing) and I find the engine heats up shortly after takeoff. But in the first 5-10 minutes of driving, if I find that the ICE is running when I don't want it to - like when I'm coasting or stopped - I just turn off the climate controls (heat) and it stops right away. I usually just keep the heat off for the first several minutes, except in those moments when I'm using the ICE to accelerate or maintain my speed anyway. So I don't feel like an EV switch would help me much at all. I'm rarely NOT in stealth mode in parking lots anyway.

I just wish I had a steering wheel button for fan speed/heat off.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TomorrowMatters @ Mar 22 2007, 05:57 PM) [snapback]410584[/snapback]</div>

Just an FYI - Your Country/State laws may differ, but Toyota would have to prove that your EV mod did damage to the car before they'd be able to deny you warranty service because of it. Infact there is no difference that I've ever heard of before between the battery packs in Europe and North America, and there have been plenty of people who have looked at both.

It's commonly believed that Toyota disabled EV mode in North America due to the different procedure that would be necessary for emissions testing and qualification. And possibly so fickle North American consumers wouldn't be "confused" by something so advanced and unknown as "EV mode".

That said, I wrestled with the same dilemma myself, and eventually did the mod to my car. It's worked perfectly, although I really don't use it that much. It was more about learning about the car and doing some minor modifications - it IS after all, MY car and not Toyota's.

At some point in the future, I'll likely trade it in for a new model and I'll remove the mod at that time (I specifically installed it to make removal easy), not because I feel there's any problem with it, but because I also don't want to confuse those same fickle consumers

Dave

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveG @ Mar 25 2007, 12:24 PM) [snapback]411974[/snapback]</div>

The Magnuson-Moss act is federal law. It is the same in all states (the OP lives in the U.S.).

A Businessperson's Guide to Federal Warranty Law

 

Disclaimer: I'm a mileage phreak... I do unusual things to keep from burning gas.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mywhitenoise @ Apr 4 2007, 10:11 AM) [snapback]417627[/snapback]</div>

You have my $0.02, but since you brought up the block heater, here's what I'm doing.

1) Got a scanguage so I know if my block is going to get too hot ($149).
2) Got a block heater from Canada (PM me and I'll give you the site to order) ($50)
3) Got an OEM EV button to kill the ICE when coasting or idling (PM me and I'll give you the site to order) ($80)
5) Got piping insulation from Home Depot ($5)

I'm planning on using the block heater all year so that my block temp starts at 40 oC instead of 20 oC. I'm also going to block the grill vents with the pipe insulation. I think there are 7 slits that can be blocked. I'll start out blocking 2, then 3 ... then 7. The goal is to have the starting block temp as high as possible, and the ending block temp < 95 oC. For road trips or weekend errands, I can remove the vent blocks.

So yeah... I'd recommend the EV, EBH, SGII, and vent blocks. But again, I'm kinda nutty. See disclaimer.

11011011

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Dan. @ Apr 4 2007, 05:24 PM) [snapback]417817[/snapback]</div>

Wayne (FireEngineer) is coming to my home tomorrow to install my EBH (engine block heater) I'm so psyched! I am going to put it on a timer to start around 5 a.m. so that it is ready to go for me at 7:00 a.m. when I leave for work

I also did the pipe insulation, I'll have him give it a good check to make sure I did a good job lol.

I am currently averaging 54 MPG and it is still winter here... highs in the 30's and 40's.

I am going to ask him about whether he thinks I would benefit by the EV mod , based on my terrain. His opinion will be the factor whether i install it or not.