No factory parts or components will be replaced or taken out of the vehicle, the plug-and-play PHEV system engineered by Hymotion can boost the electric capacity of a vehicle by 7 times, making the extra range for all electric “stealth” mode. And since the whole system, which includes the smart charger, power electronic and battery, is smaller and lighter than factory NiMh battery box. This is made possible by A123Systems' proprietary Nanophosphate™ lithium ion battery technology that Hymotion employs in their plug-and-play PHEV system, and does not require a trunk full of batteries to achieve such efficiency and performance.

Hymotion currently has systems available for Toyota Prius, Ford Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid. More systems are under development for Lexus RX400h, Toyota Highlander Hybrid and Toyota Camry Hybrid.

http://www.hymotion.com/index.htm

BoomerangThree
Semper Fi...

yes, but the price of $9500 for Prius doesn't sound promissing. Also how long will the battery pack last? If they use full capacity (TCH uses less than 50% of full battery capacity to extend it's life) and I would speculate they do by x7 range and small size, the battery may not last more than lets say 3yrs/36k??? If they lowered the price to 1/3 and had at least 50k warranty I think I would be interested. Of course that's assuming that there is no gas shortage like in the past, because if there was one they wouldn't be able to make enough of them. I think Prius with this battery is rated at 100-150 mpg, but that doesn't include the price of electricity needed to recharge the battery. I think they claim 40 miles pure electric range, TCH would probably be less by 1/4.

It was my understanding that Li-ion batteries last 2 years but maybe that only applies to small electronics batteries. Factory TCH batteries are NiMH. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_ion_battery http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_...ydride_battery

Hey, Jeff. I lived in Suwanee for about 7 years, on Burnette Rd. on 23 acres and a lake until "progress" swept it all away. But it allowed me to retire in '94. Also a USMC connection, as a Battalion Surgeon, then Camp Pendleton Naval Hosp. doc for a couple of years in those bad times of the late 60's.

I've been following the Hymotion deal for a year or so, and nothing has changed on their website - no available products exept the Prius'. The setup for the Ford Escape should be about the same as for the Camry. But the physical specs for this battery installation in their PDF supplement for the Escape suggest that HYPE-Motion would be a better name.

Mock up a 15x15x40.5 inch container, then fill it with a weight equivalent to a chunky Falcon interior lineman - say 147.5 kg, or 324.5 lbs, of lead. See how the 5.3 cu. ft. fits in the already compromised Camry trunk. Then take off for my favorite drive through the N. Ga. mountains, up Blood Mt., with a couple of friends.

What you've got is a dead gorilla in the trunk by the time you get near the fun part, but then the beast comes to life, determined to make you swap ends on every curve! It might make sense for a commuter car, particularly in the Atlanta suburbs with those ungodly commutes, when the time comes gas gets, as it should for our country's and planet's survival, to what the rest of the non petroleum-exporting world is paying for it.

I got all excited about this for my HiHy, but realized my unit would be even larger, probably taking the 3rd seat area, comprising vehicle handling and safety, and being nothing but a liability on trips, which we do a lot of, pretty fully loaded. I e-mailed the company a couple of times to see if the specs were for real, but never got a response.

Pete
Monterey

The idea of increasing the current ~1.6 KWH effective battery capacity we now have is certainly intriguing, but the cost is rather extreme. Another factor to consider is the duty cycle on the MG's. I'm assuming the current design and cooling is intended for intermittent use. Also, while the MG2 is capable of high KW input for power at higher speeds, I expect such input is very intermittent now, since it is beyond the current battery pack. One thing that more battery capacity may provide is more storage for regenerated energy, much of which is wasted now.

Finally, as an electric car, the Camry is not very efficient. That is, it may get 1-2 miles per KWH, whereas if it was designed for a higher component of electric drive, it could be, say, 3 miles per KWH. Pure electrics may go up to 5. Of course, the intent of the Camry MG system is to relieve the ICE of peak power requirements and isn't expected to be the most efficient pure electric drive.

Jeff