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Originally Posted by RedDevil
So... what would be my chances to make this successful?
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Sense I've known people who have done this kind of thing ... one form or another ... I'd say it's just a question of if the amount of personal investment ... time and such ... is worth it to you ... I have zero doubt about weather you have the ability to make it happen.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RedDevil
Should I create a low-amp high-voltage pack slightly over the IMA's operating voltage and just bleed it in?
Or should I use a DC-DC converter, controller and stuff?
Or is this all just a bad idea?
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All of those and others are all options ... all with their pros and cons , for you to weigh out and make a personal choice on.
Grid Charging the OEM NiMH is fairly limited ... but people do , do it... and it is the least complex ... least expensive ... and easiest.
Grid charging 2 or more OEM NiMH packs in parallel ... gives more capacity... still fairly easy , and fairly low cost.
Using a dedicated booster battery to 'bleed' in replacement current ... can be done with either the DC-DC from a lower Voltage booster pack ... or with some other current limiting controller from a higher voltage pack... it does add in the complexity and conversion efficiency hits for the electronics ... but if done well ... those can be very very small hits... this is the 3rd level of more complexity and cost ... but also tends to be the 3rd level of PHEV potential gains.
Some people just upgrade / replace the OEM IMA NiMH with a more modern ... more energy dense battery pack ... it means fooling the OEM BCM , and having your own BMS , and Charging system ... but it does allow for the most kwh per kg of HEV battery in the car ... for example ... the Swap people do in the Gen-1 Insight to A123 20Ah pouch cells gives about 3 to 4 times more energy than the Old OEM NiMH ... without adding any weight to the car... this tends to be the most complicated and most expensive ... although it has been done / proven.
No matter what ... have fun with it.