For more technical information on our PRIUS+ and these other PHEV conversions, see our Conversions Fact Sheet (PDF).
http://www.calcars.org/mint/pepper/orderedlist/downloads/download.php?file=http%3A//www.calcars.org/conversions-factsheet.pdfhttp://www.7gen.com/aggregator/categories/2 In our every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.
EV News Site
http://www.7gen.com/electric-fuel-cell-and-alternative-fuel-vehicles/plug-in-hybrid-electric-vehiclesPlug-in hybrid electric vehicles
Submitted by David Herron on September 14, 2005 - 9:02am.
On the "Hybrid Vehicles" page I opine that it would be better if the current crop used the "serial hybrid" design. The point I tried to make is
It's not electric unless you can plug it in.
I am a purist about electric vehicles, so that's where I'm coming from. And, with reason, because the current hybrid vehicle designs all continue requiring that you burn gasoline. That the vehicles are still burning gasoline means that the overall dependancy on oil continues. There are many reasons to end the dependency on oil, and that's why I am a purist about electric vehicles.
It turns out that the Prius has an "electric-only" mode which is enabled in Europe and Asia, but not the U.S.A. Hmmm, one wonders why. This is a different sort of hybrid vehicle, namely:Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) Web site:
http://priusplus.org/How the '04 Prius Can Become a PRIUS+ Plug-In Hybrid
We can take this well-designed, highly popular advanced vehicle and soup it up -- or more accurately, "green-tune" it! Add batteries and grid-charging, and you get PRIUS+, a "neighborhood-speed" plug-in hybrid (PHEV). That means no gas when you do your errands on local streets at 35mph. On the highway, it runs just like any other Prius, with the gasoline engine doing most of the work.
They noted that there is empty space underneath the hatchback area. That empty space can be used to install an extra battery pack. In the Prius, the control computer (HV ECU) already knows how to run in "electric-only" mode, and this is enabled through a simple pushbutton on the dashboard. This button is missing in U.S. Prius's.
On the Prius Plus web site are instructions for installing a button for this use. It's simply a matter of running wiring from a button installed into an already existing panel, to connectors on the HV ECU. The instructions do not discuss installation of extra batteries.
Presumably the extra batteries would simply be wired in parallel with the existing battery pack. You could then run a charger connected to both battery packs, and be able to charge them independantly of running the gasoline engine.
Some advantages are:
Increasing gas-mileage even further, and decreasing emissions even further (NOTE: It can actually decrease mileage and increase emissions)
Lifetime service costs could be lower, as it reduces the use of the gas motor (electric motors are far more reliable)
For short trips around the neighborhood, your entire trip could be electric
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/priusplus/http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/gridable-hybrids/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Prius-2G/http://www.eaa-phev.org/wiki/Main_Pagehttp://www.calcars.org/vehicles.htmlhttp://www.eaa-phev.org/wiki/Prius_PHEV#Original_CalCars_MethodThe #Original CalCars Method used in Rons PriusPlus and EDrives conversions replace the stock battery with a new simple string. A simple pack consists of a single series string of batteries or cells, this is by far the most common type of battery pack. If no other modifier is used to describe a battery pack you can usually assume it is a single, simple string. Ideally the individual batteries are chosen such that a single string of them will satisfy all the requirements of a projects design goals. However there are instances in which a satisfactory battery is not available to meet all of the demands, or there may be other reasons to use a more complex battery pack configuration.
The second #Hybrid-Pack Method which is believed to be used by the Hymotion kits for the Prius and Escape use a hybrid battery pack configuration which uses both a new simple string and the original stock batteries.
Hybrid-Pack Method
The Hybrid-Pack method:
As of yet unimplemented except perhaps by Hymotion, until we know more, see Battery Pack Configurations#Hybrid for the core ideas surrounding this method or Prius PHEV Battery Options for more specific battery information. CalCars is now working towards implementing this type of configuration in three Prii with much success thus far. Stay tuned...
#Hybrid-Pack Method:
This method exploits the State Of Charge Drift portion of the vehicles battery management routines in order to accomplish State Of Charge Manipulation with the use of a Battery Tap Emulator. The result is the ability to effectively change the target SOC from the normal 3/4 to 1/4 which is more useful for PHEV applications. The Prius EV Mode is also utilized to further enhance the use of the additional electric energy provided by a larger Prius PHEV Battery Options-CalCars. A CAN device is required to acts as a Prius PHEV User Interface and management device. Such hardware/software will need to follow logic similar to that laid out by Prius PHEV Pseudo Code. Ron's first PriusPlus conversion used early proprietary EDrive technology. Later conversions will use hybridinterfaces CAN-View Scantool which is currently available only for 2004 and 2005 Prius.
http://www.calcars.org/howtoget.htmlCurrent PHEV purchasing options are limited to soon-to-launch commercial conversion companies and the emerging CalCars' "Do It Yourself" option .Advanced Do It Yourself --CalCars converted a Prius into a PRIUS+ at the 2006 Maker Faire. This will form the basis for our EAA-PHEV open-source project
http://www.eaa-phev.org/wiki/Main_Page. CalCars is currently working with the Electric Auto Association's PHEV group on an open-source project to bring PHEV conversions to engineers across the country. Our goal is a situation where anyone can work with a local engineer to convert their car to a PHEV for under $5000.
http://www.eaa-phev.org/ See the new EAA-PHEV Conversion project sponsored by the Electric Auto Association. This is focused on "do-it-yourself" conversions of Prius (and perhaps later other hybrids) by people with the technical background to safely work on high-voltage components. Their discussion group has begun working on this, and we're helping.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calcars-news/ http://www.calcars.org/mint/pepper/orderedlist/downloads/download.php?file=http%3A//www.calcars.org/prius-evbutton-install.pdfEDrive Systems, LLC - www.edrivesystems.com
EDrive aims to have a Toyota Prius retrofit option available for individual purchasers this year at an installed cost of $10-$12,000.
Hybrids-Plus - www.hybrids-plus.com
Hybrids-Plus of Boulder, CO announced in June 2006 their plans to offer lithium-ion conversions of the Toyota Prius
Hymotion - www.hymotion.com
Hymotion is a Canadian company with a handful of licensed install centers in the U.S. They currently retrofit the Toyota Prius, Ford Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid, primarily for fleet bulk orders only. Prices for the Prius conversion start at $9500 for orders of 100 or more. Individual demonstration vehicles are $12,500 plus installation fees. The company plans to have a consumer-level conversion available within 12 months. CalCars-News posting
http://www.calcars.org/calcars-news/309.htmlCalCars/Electro Energy Project
CalCars is working on a project with Electro Energy, Inc. to demonstrate its PRIUS+ approach using nickel-metal hydride batteries, in response to automakers' continuing comments that "the batteries aren't ready." We think both NiMH and Li-Ion are ready. We aim to demonstrate that the battery type that's used in all current hybrids can make a well-performing PHEV. This or related projects could result in our attracting a battery maker to provide batteries to the EAA-PHEV project members for a group price.
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