2nd Gen Prius PHEV Conversion (Enginer plug-in lithium ion battery kit)

[Daox]

Haha, I'd really LOVE to get them in the car and actually working. I've had the kit for... wow way too long and had it working for 2 tanks maybe now.

[type2teach]

Cool that you got the balancer, but not cool about only using it for two tanks. But I don't quite understand. is the charger running through the balancer? I know that the balancer "balances" the charge on the batteries to keep one from getting too much higher or lower than the others, but is it only used when you are charging? or does it get used when you are using/discharging the pack? Or is that what a Battery Monitoring System (a la Lee Hart) does?
Does Enginer now send the balancer with the kit?
Does it provide the auto shut-off for the charger that seems to be a major problem with this whole kit?
Thanks for being a guinea pig (and a good sport) for the rest of us. I am *SO* glad I found this thread before I ordered the kit...
Joel in Philly

[Daox]

This new balancer connects between the charger and the pack so it can disconnect the pack from the charger (and the dc to dc converter). As far as I know, it continually balances the pack. I'm not sure how it does this, the last balancer just bled power off the high voltage cells through resistors.

I don't know for sure if Enginer sends this new balancer with the kit, but I'd imagine so.

It is supposed to disconnect the pack from the charger. However, I was charging it last night and one of my cells got to 4.27V! I will be talking with Jack when I see him at the Drive Green Expo this weekend.

[mrbigh]

Any Updates you wish to share?

[Daox]

I haven't done anything with the kit in the last few weeks. I am hoping to get it back into the car soon.

[jmygann]

Which year Prius should I get to do this mod ?

[mrbigh]

Originally Posted by jmygann

Which year Prius should I get to do this mod ?

From YearModel 2004 to current....

[bennelson]

I know someone who has an Enginer kit on the original version of the Prius - the first one that looked like an Echo.

What's neat about this system is that it essentially "tops off" your main battery from the additional batteries in that kit, and those charge from the wall.

Since your main battery is "more fuller, more often", you do more electric only driving, turn off the engine more often, and use the "alternator" less.

This system doesn't directly work with the software of the car, so it is MUCH easier to use basically the same kit in a variety of vehicles.

I know an installer of these kits that has one in his first-generation Honda Insight. Mostly, you just need the DC/DC converter to have the right output for your cars system voltage.

[jmygann]

so how many miles of electric only can either of these Prius's get ?

[Daox]

Depends on what PHEV kit you get and what speed you want to travel.