Plug In Conversions Corp. has completed a breakthrough software upgrade to its plug-in conversion kit that for the first time will allow all-electric mode driving at speeds of up to 70 miles per hour in a converted Toyota Prius.
Previous Prius conversion kits have been limited by Toyota programming to a top speed of 34 mph in all-electric mode.
The software upgrade also will allow Prius drivers with PICC conversion kits to boost highway fuel efficiency to 170 miles per gallon until the rechargeable battery is depleted, as recently measured by Argonne National Laboratory.
Chicago-based Argonne reported even higher all-electric mileage in city driving tests of vehicles equipped with the software upgrade and PICC's nickel-metal hydride battery conversion kit.
"What we're essentially offering is all-electric performance for about 25 miles at highway speeds," PICC President Kim Adelman said Tuesday. "The car is no longer limited to 34 miles per hour, all-electric. This also allows a Prius to perform much like the Chevy Volt, but for a much lower cost."
Fuzzy Math
Not so fast. A 2010 Prius starts at $22,000. Add the cost of the conversion kit ($12,500) and the software upgrade ($2500) and the cost of this impressive Prius starts at $37,000.
The Volt, which won't be available for at least 18 months, is expected to carry a price of about $40,000 before a hefty $7,500 rebate from Uncle Sam, which would bring its price down to $32,500 - or $4,500 less than the modified Prius.
When GreenCarAdvisor reached Adelman by phone Tuesday afternoon to point out the discrepancy, he said that most Prius owners who convert their vehicles don't do so when they are new.
He said their Priuses are generally used and worth $14,000 to $15,000 at the time of conversion, but we don't see how that changes things if the owner paid $22,000 for it new. The car has decreaciated, but the out-of-pocket expense remains the same.
Adelman also said he believed that the conversion kit will soon be eligible for a 10 percent rebate, which would reduce it's price to $11,250. That would still make the converted Prius $3,250 more expensive than the Volt.
Show Stopper?
When reached him, Adelman as he was displaying a Prius equipped with PICC's third-generation NiMH conversion kit at the 2009 Advanced Automotive Battery and EC Capacitor Conference, through Friday in Long Beach, California.
The Poway, California, company's software upgrade is based upon patented technology developed by Chicago-based Ewert Energy Systems, which has granted PICC exclusive rights for its use in Prius conversion kits.
The software upgrade was designed with safety in mind. Some previous Prius plug-in conversion kits allowed motorists to go as fast as 52 mph using "forced stealth" mode, but that can force the electric motor to run above its recommended speed range, EES Vice President Andrew Ewert said.
Forced-stealth mode also requires drivers to stop and restart the vehicle before its gas engine can engage, which can cause safety issues and erase emissions data recorded for smog checks.
But according to Ewert, the software upgrade allows the gas engine to turn on instantly when needed and allows drivers to initiate a controlled engine warm-up at any time to meet strict emissions standards, thus eliminating the traditional problem of a cold start.
'Enhanced Hybrid Mode'
The software upgrade also allows PICC-converted cars to "operate in an enhanced hybrid mode at various speeds, with the vehicle heavily favoring the electric motor versus the gasoline engine in different modes," Ewert said.
The upgraded PICC kit reportedly boosts mileage while reducing emissions by maximizing use of the car's electric motor in all driving modes. The PICC system also can recoup more regenerative power from braking than a factory-installed Prius battery. When the PICC battery pack charge is depleted, the converted Prius reverts to its normal factory hybrid-electric-vehicle operating mode.
As for performance, a Prius equipped with the upgraded PICC conversion kit behaves just like a stock Prius, Adelman said. "You can't tell the difference."
The conversion kit adds about 220 pounds to the vehicle, but rear springs are upgraded to maintain the rear height at factory specifications.
The software upgrade will be made available for sale later this month to new and existing conversion kit customers. A free trial version of the software upgrade will later be introduced.
A One-day Job
PICC's conversion kit replaces Toyota's 1.3-kilowatt hour NiMH battery pack with a 6.1-kWh pack. Conversions can be completed in about one day and the kit is covered by a three-year warranty.
The batteries, which are expected to last 10 years, are manufactured by Gold Peak Industries North America, a subsidiary of GP Batteries International. Gold Peak purchased an equity stake in PICC late last year.
The conversion kit and software upgrade also were tested for emissions by Argonne National Laboratories, which determined that the PICC system meets the super ultra low emission vehicle, or SULEV, standard, the industry's strictest.
PICC's existing conversion kit allows Prius owners to recharge their vehicles in six hours using a regular 120-volt outlet, or in as little as two hours with an optional high-capacity charger.
PICC will begin California Air Resources Board emissions-control certification testing later this month. The company also intends to complete crash testing of PICC-converted vehicles so that future owners can qualify for green-vehicle tax credits.
PICC said it also intends to develop conversion kits with lithium-ion batteries manufactured by Gold Peak. PICC has three existing dealers with seven additional sites planned nationwide by year's end. The company plans to produce similar PHEV conversion kits and software for other hybrid electric vehicles.
Source: Edmunds
Previous Prius conversion kits have been limited by Toyota programming to a top speed of 34 mph in all-electric mode.
The software upgrade also will allow Prius drivers with PICC conversion kits to boost highway fuel efficiency to 170 miles per gallon until the rechargeable battery is depleted, as recently measured by Argonne National Laboratory.
Chicago-based Argonne reported even higher all-electric mileage in city driving tests of vehicles equipped with the software upgrade and PICC's nickel-metal hydride battery conversion kit.
"What we're essentially offering is all-electric performance for about 25 miles at highway speeds," PICC President Kim Adelman said Tuesday. "The car is no longer limited to 34 miles per hour, all-electric. This also allows a Prius to perform much like the Chevy Volt, but for a much lower cost."
Fuzzy Math
Not so fast. A 2010 Prius starts at $22,000. Add the cost of the conversion kit ($12,500) and the software upgrade ($2500) and the cost of this impressive Prius starts at $37,000.
The Volt, which won't be available for at least 18 months, is expected to carry a price of about $40,000 before a hefty $7,500 rebate from Uncle Sam, which would bring its price down to $32,500 - or $4,500 less than the modified Prius.
When GreenCarAdvisor reached Adelman by phone Tuesday afternoon to point out the discrepancy, he said that most Prius owners who convert their vehicles don't do so when they are new.
He said their Priuses are generally used and worth $14,000 to $15,000 at the time of conversion, but we don't see how that changes things if the owner paid $22,000 for it new. The car has decreaciated, but the out-of-pocket expense remains the same.
Adelman also said he believed that the conversion kit will soon be eligible for a 10 percent rebate, which would reduce it's price to $11,250. That would still make the converted Prius $3,250 more expensive than the Volt.
Show Stopper?
When reached him, Adelman as he was displaying a Prius equipped with PICC's third-generation NiMH conversion kit at the 2009 Advanced Automotive Battery and EC Capacitor Conference, through Friday in Long Beach, California.
The Poway, California, company's software upgrade is based upon patented technology developed by Chicago-based Ewert Energy Systems, which has granted PICC exclusive rights for its use in Prius conversion kits.
The software upgrade was designed with safety in mind. Some previous Prius plug-in conversion kits allowed motorists to go as fast as 52 mph using "forced stealth" mode, but that can force the electric motor to run above its recommended speed range, EES Vice President Andrew Ewert said.
Forced-stealth mode also requires drivers to stop and restart the vehicle before its gas engine can engage, which can cause safety issues and erase emissions data recorded for smog checks.
But according to Ewert, the software upgrade allows the gas engine to turn on instantly when needed and allows drivers to initiate a controlled engine warm-up at any time to meet strict emissions standards, thus eliminating the traditional problem of a cold start.
'Enhanced Hybrid Mode'
The software upgrade also allows PICC-converted cars to "operate in an enhanced hybrid mode at various speeds, with the vehicle heavily favoring the electric motor versus the gasoline engine in different modes," Ewert said.
The upgraded PICC kit reportedly boosts mileage while reducing emissions by maximizing use of the car's electric motor in all driving modes. The PICC system also can recoup more regenerative power from braking than a factory-installed Prius battery. When the PICC battery pack charge is depleted, the converted Prius reverts to its normal factory hybrid-electric-vehicle operating mode.
As for performance, a Prius equipped with the upgraded PICC conversion kit behaves just like a stock Prius, Adelman said. "You can't tell the difference."
The conversion kit adds about 220 pounds to the vehicle, but rear springs are upgraded to maintain the rear height at factory specifications.
The software upgrade will be made available for sale later this month to new and existing conversion kit customers. A free trial version of the software upgrade will later be introduced.
A One-day Job
PICC's conversion kit replaces Toyota's 1.3-kilowatt hour NiMH battery pack with a 6.1-kWh pack. Conversions can be completed in about one day and the kit is covered by a three-year warranty.
The batteries, which are expected to last 10 years, are manufactured by Gold Peak Industries North America, a subsidiary of GP Batteries International. Gold Peak purchased an equity stake in PICC late last year.
The conversion kit and software upgrade also were tested for emissions by Argonne National Laboratories, which determined that the PICC system meets the super ultra low emission vehicle, or SULEV, standard, the industry's strictest.
PICC's existing conversion kit allows Prius owners to recharge their vehicles in six hours using a regular 120-volt outlet, or in as little as two hours with an optional high-capacity charger.
PICC will begin California Air Resources Board emissions-control certification testing later this month. The company also intends to complete crash testing of PICC-converted vehicles so that future owners can qualify for green-vehicle tax credits.
PICC said it also intends to develop conversion kits with lithium-ion batteries manufactured by Gold Peak. PICC has three existing dealers with seven additional sites planned nationwide by year's end. The company plans to produce similar PHEV conversion kits and software for other hybrid electric vehicles.
Source: Edmunds
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