A bit more than a month ago, we established the PRIUS+ Plug-In Hybrid Conversion Group at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/priusplus/

We aimed to bring together in one watering hole the people we knew were actively involved in discussions or activities related to converting the '04 Prius to become a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). The result, we hope, will be a number of prototypes and a good bit of public attention as part of the California Cars Initiative's (http://www.calcars.org) strategy to encourage Toyota and other auto makers to offer PHEVs to the public.

We started quietly, but always with the intention that our planning and discussions be public, and that we give away the solutions we come up with. We're working hard to balance the contradictory goals of keeping the discussion quality high by limiting posting privileges with ensuring that all our discussions are seen by the people interested in the project. The group's San Francisco Bay Area-based moderators are me, CalCars' founder, and Ron Gremban, a seasoned engineer with electric vehicle experience back to the 1970s, who's leading the technology development effort.

We've kept a low profile so far, while making progress. We've:
* involved about 25 of the most imaginative and technically experienced people as participants;
* exchanged 100 messages reviewing some of the issues and getting feedback about technical plans and choices;
* produced a Strawman Specification for the strategic and technical objectives;
* surveyed and prioritized the universe of battery options;
* suggested a key set of experiments we need to do to validate our design options;
* raised a substantial portion of the funds we need to convert two vehicles (one with NiMH and one with Li-Ion batteries);
* purchased our first component for the project (a flexible, programmable charger;
* put together a complete but preliminary shopping list for review and discussion;
* established a very ambitious goal of trying to get a credible NiMH prototype ready to drive from California to the Sept.20 Plug-In Hybrid Workshop at the Electric Drive Transportation Association's international conference in Orlando, Florida.

Next we'll:
* encourage much more specific discussion on our components list;
* develop a schedule of tasks to accomplish to meet our 6-week deadline;
* further explore how Toyota's Hybrid System works;
* begin tests as the components arrive;
* solicit tax-deductible contributions in any amount--see http://www.calcars.org/sponsor.html ;
* build the prototypes and hope we don't run up against any problems that prevent us from meeting

Now we'd like you to check us out and consider how you might contribute to the project. We invite you to read through the messages at http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/priusplus/messages (you might start with message #71 and go forward to the low 100s).

Thanks in advance for your support
Felix Kramer

P.S. If you are eager to convert your own car, we don't have the time and resources to help you out individually, but feel free to monitor the discussions on the group.


Here's the Statement of Purpose of on the Group's home page:

priusplus · PRIUS+ Plug-In Hybrid Conversion Group
Welcome! Here you can view or participate in discussions about the project to make the 2004 Prius a plug-in hybrid -- PHEV, also called pluggable, plug-optional or grid-connected hybrid. We're preparing to build a few prototypes as a step toward getting Toyota to produce them. PRIUS+ will have a 15-20+ mile electric-only range at up to 35 miles per hour. At higher speeds it will act just like any other highway-capable Prius -- see http://www.priusplus.org. (It may be possible to achieve even higher electric-only speeds.)
We model our effort on "Open Source" software development projects: We draw on the expertise and solutions of a broad group of experts and no individual owns any resulting intellectual property.

Since we don't keep our discussions secret, our message archives are OPEN to the public, though we're not listed in Yahoo Group's directory. We intend to remain highly focused, relatively low-traffic and spam-free. In this working group, members post messages based on their specialties.


We emphasize anyone can READ messages. To join, if you haven't been invited, submit a membership request (click at upper right of this page). In "comments," please tell us how you heard about us; describe your background and technical expertise or business and strategic experience.

If you're just looking, read the first message in the archive to learn more about the group, and search for the latest posted version of the Strawman Specification for our starting points. (Other details are in documents uploaded to the Files area, available ONLY to members.)

You may also want to view or join:
http://www.calcars.org -- all about PHEVs
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gridable-hybrids -- PHEV talk
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Prius-2G -- 2004 Prius issues
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Prius_Technical_Stuff -- nuts and bolts
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Prius_Miniscanner_MarkIII -- a similar working group.
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
Felix Kramer fkramer@calcars.org
'04 Prius Oct-June 48.3 mpg/9500 mi
Founder California Cars Initiative
http://www.calcars.org
http://www.priusplus.org
PO Box 61222 Palo Alto, CA 94306
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

This project still troubles me a bit. Hybrid manufacturers are trying to kick the myth of HEV's being plug-in vehicles. Would this not hinder their efforts?

Visit my newly-acquired website, Volconvo Debate Forums!

It troubles me too, Jason. All we're doing is transferring the fuel-burden of electricity production from petroleum oil to coal, nuclear, or ... heh.. petroleum oil used by the power generating companies.

And because of the battery, space, and weight limitations in hybrid cars, I dunno... I wish them luck, but I'm with you, Jason. I won't be taking my Prius apart anytime soon.

I would love a plug-in hybrid. Then I could go on short trips without using the ICE at all (what fantastic mileage I would get). And I would make sure to charge it with "green" power. Green power is at least available here in Sweden. For every bought kWh, the power company is obliged to feed the grid with a kWh of power from wind, water or other renewable sources.

For me, this is a chance to lessen the use of fossile fuels for cars.

Johan Erlandsson

See mileage data for my 00 Prius.
See my environmental performance (still in swedish only, feel free to ask).

Here is why this plug-in thing bothers me:

http://www.sacbee.com/state_wire/story/103...-11221504c.html

Even if we plug our cars in for only short periods of time, we will put further burdens on an already strained electric grid.

Things aren't quite as bad here in Sweden were we have lots of hydro-power. And for me, I even prefer nuclear power instead of fossile fuels. Global warming is a bigger threat than disasters in western and japanese technology nuclear power plants.

Johan Erlandsson

See mileage data for my 00 Prius.
See my environmental performance (still in swedish only, feel free to ask).

Prius+ was mentioned on Green Car Congress yesterday.
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2004...g_the_pri.html


BIF, do you place an extra burden on the grid if cars are charged at night?

Johan Erlandsson

See mileage data for my 00 Prius.
See my environmental performance (still in swedish only, feel free to ask).

I would be really excited to see this approach work out. Without running the numbers, I'd be surprised if the emissions per mile for the coal fired electricity generation required to recharge are greater than the ICE puts out. It also opens up opportunities to utilize green power for use in practical transportation.

For me, I'd like to see a primarily electric car, with 50-100 mile range on the batteries, but with a small ICE capable of keeping the batteries charged up on longer trips. It seems that if the ICE is tasked only with charging the batteries, it would be able to run constantly in a very efficient power range. In addition, it would simplify the drive train considerably.

Hi All:

___I am definitely for the concept of longer range EV modes in a Hybrid but the Prius II as the test mule? It has a unique look and all but it is one **** heavy automobile for this conversion?

___For our members … The “You don’t have to plug it in” campaign that Honda, Toyota, and now Ford, has promoted is a mistake as all Hybrids should have this option with a large enough pack. For all the short travel I do in the Insight, Ranger, and Corolla, it would be a godsend.

___For Felix … I don’t know if you guys have seen this or not but it should help you reverse engineer the more complex portions of Toyota’s HSD in your own Prius II.

Evaluation of 2004 Toyota Prius Hybrid Electric Drive System – Interim Report

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

Something that came up on another forum is that if you were to in fact add a "plug-in" option for the Prius, and you have a wind- or solar-powered system in your home, that you could "plug" the Prius into the battery pack system in your house that stores the solar- or wind-generated electricity.

In that event, you would have a source of power for the Prius that was virtually "free" if your home system was already paid for.

I expect some envirofan will do this sooner or later.....