Ask if you can test-drive one, for a weekend. See how the FE compares to your stock HiHy. I think we're agreed the car will perform better at low speeds, so make sure to get a good amount of highway driving in there.

 

Plug-in packs will help a great deal at highway speeds too. It is not pure EV mode but it is mostly EV mode as the gasoline engine is barely having to work at all, most of the energy for pushing the car forwards (but not all) comes from the battery.

So when the Edrive Prius is doing 55 mph, it gets 180 mpg. When it's doing 65 mph it gets 100 mpg.

It should be a similar thing with the highlander. BIG gains on highway as well as around town.

 

These aftermarket battery packs to increase all electric range are a great idea.Many of us do all city driving with less than 20 miles a day of city driving.If it had 20 miles of pure EV mode, or even just 10 miles, it would be a boon. You could plug it in between trips.Some folks do a morning trip to dump the kids at school, and an evening trip to pick them up. It is a great idea.
With typical Prius mpg you would save about 1600 gallons/100,000 miles-about $5000 at current prices.Someday the battery paks will be in the $5000 range. Even with the $5000 premium you will spit out less co2(important to some), less NOx SO2,particles,hydrocarbons,soot etc. If you get the electricity from a nuke it is very clean.If it comes from coal, it is still cleaner than using gasoline,and coal does have the potential to be scrubbed.Same story on oil from Shale,sand, and natural gas. Anything that makes us less beholden to the Middle East is a HUGE PLUS!!Great idea.Charlie

 

I think www.calcars.org promotes PHEV (Plug-in HEV). You can get lots of excellent news about plug-in modules and info there. Also, I think there's two more companies doing plug-in modules for Hybrids, starting with Prius (I dont remember what they are, but calcars.org has the links)

Toyota is said to be working on their version of the PHEV Prius for production!

This is an excellent way to jumpstart battery development, and the eventual move to pure EV, and leave foreign dependency on oil, and leave the earth greener, and solve the world's problem (ok, sorry, being on GH makes me too optimistic).

 

I sure wish these kits would be released soon,When I see all the $ people spend on race cars, exocit cars,hummers,and other expensive hobbies (which have little to no payback) I am sure there will be a lot of people who will pop for a PHEV KIT. I for one want one regurdless of the so called payback ratio, I cant belive there isn't someone on the milage data base with one yet.This is an exciting time for the auto industry and I am glad I'am part of it...JOE

 

Q1 - When can I get my Toyota Prius and/or Ford Escape Hybrid installed with a Hymotion plug-in kit?</FONT>Our PHEV kits are currently available only for government and fleet use. However, we are working to ship PHEV kits for consumer use around October ‘06.

Q2 - I am looking for an authorized installer/dealer in my area to have my conversion done. Where are your dealers located?Local authorized dealer information will be available once kit sales are open for consumers.

Q3 - How much will a Hymotion plug-in kit cost, including installation?The target price for the L5 Prius kit is currently $9500 US, installed. The price for the Escape will be released at a later date, as we are currently working on reducing the kit cost for this vehicle.

Q4 - How long will I need to leave my car at the dealer for the installation?Installation should take approximately 2 hours, but plan on leaving your vehicle for ½ a day.

Q5 - How will my existing Toyota and/or Ford warranty be affected?Since the kit modifies the Toyota and Ford hybrid systems, the warranty will be voided.

Q6 - What is the Hymotion warranty on its kit and the batteries?The kits have a current warranty of 800 cycles (approx. 2 years). The warranty will be extended as we gather more durability data.

Q7 - How safe are the lithium ion polymer batteries used in your plug-in kit? What kind of testing has been done?Our supplier has successfully demonstrated with test data that their technology is safe according to UL standards when overcharged, over discharged and subjected to mechanical abuse. The batteries have been UN transportation certified. Nonetheless we have also taken a number of safety precautions on the system level. Our plug-in kit contains a battery management system that monitors the voltage of each cell in the pack along with the temperature of the battery modules. This information is fed into the electronics controller which automatically terminates charge or discharge in the event that any safety limits are reached. The battery module is equipped with a number of over temperature switches inside the battery pack that will automatically disconnect the batteries without the controller’s intervention.



Q8 - What is the driving range/capacity of your plug-in kit? Can you provide me with some specifications?Driving range will depend greatly on driving style and road conditions. Under optimal conditions the L5 kit will provide a ZEV range of approximately 50km on the Toyota Prius. Heavy use of air conditioning can shorten this range by about 25%-30%.

Q9 - How long will it take for me to recharge my car? The L5 for the Prius will take approximately 5.5 hrs. on 120V or 4 hrs. on 240V. The L12 for the Escape will take approximately 12 hrs. on 120V or 6 hrs. on 240V. Please see the spec. sheets for the L5 and L12 in the product section of our website for more details about these modules

Q10 - On average, what is the cost to recharge my car if the batteries are fully depleted?This will depend upon local electricity pricing and whether or not you have variable metering. On average the L5 will cost $0.30 for a full charge.

Q11 - I don’t drive a Prius or Escape HEV. Will you have any kits available for other HEV’s in the near future?There are plans to develop PHEV kits for other full hybrid systems as demand for them increases.

Q12 - I am interested in your system, but would like to test drive a demo. Is this possible? We do not have a firm decision on this yet, but are looking into the possibility. We will keep you updated as things progress.

Q13 - I am interested in becoming a dealer for the Hymotion plug-in kit. What are the requirements and who do I contact for more information?We will provide information on this as we expand our installer network.

 

Dear Sir/Madam,

We are currently in the beta testing phase for our system with some
early adopters. We are anticipating an early 2007 release for the
public. Thank you for your interest and continued patience.

Regards,

Tara Daly
Business Development

www.hymotion.com
(519) 489-0471
*This is my latest reply from Hymotion,Not sure what BETA testing means ,anyone know???....JOE

 

Very cool technology... but, this would definitely be a pure technology/environment play at this point. Economically, this thing doesn't add up.

At least for me, when I crank the numbers, excluding the cost of electricity and assuming a generous 50 km (=31 miles) per charge (as reported on their FAQ for a Prius), I'd be able to save about $22/week assuming $3/gallon. Given a cost (at least from their FAQ of $9500 and that's for a Prius; I would expect the SUVs to be higher), that would translate into 8.5 yrs to break even. The price of gas (on average) would have to climb to $5/gallon to get a break even point of ~5 yrs for my driving patterns. I would guess that 5 yrs is about the limit on a reasonable return on investment.

In other words, besides the enthusiasm (in terms of their pocketbooks) of enthusiasts out there, wider adoption will require significant reductions in costs and help from our government, like tax breaks and other incentives...

 

The Hymotion kit may be workable, but, ****, at least for the Escape, you'll be adding a 147.5 kg (324.5 lb) gorilla to your car, measuring 15x15x40.5 inches. Where the heck do you put this monster?

Their website states it's "smaller and lighter' than the standard NiMh battery, but their stats don't support this. The HyHi battery supposedly weighs 150 lb and fits nicely under the rear seat, and I assume it will need a significantly larger Hymotion pack than the Escape.

You'll need stiffer rear springs or your carrying capacity will be compromised severely, along with the lost storage volumn. And when the charge is depleted, you're left with a huge dead weight dragging you back.

Maybe it makes sense for a smaller hybrid like the Prius, but for a carryin'/haulin'/towin' SUV like the HyHi, seems to me more liability than it's worth unless you are squandering its many talents by using it primarily as a city commuter or kiddie hauler.

Pete Berry

 

Kind of ironic isn't it... the vehicles like SUVs that could stand to benefit from this technology the most are the ones where this technology is least practical. If only Toyota could replace all this steel with carbon fiber, and still keep the manufacturing costs the same...