OEMtek: Convert your Prius into a plug-in Prius
Double your mileage for $15,000?If you live in California, home to some half a million Toyota Prius hybrids, then you can soon convert your Prius into a a plug-in Prius using the OEMtek BREEZ PHEV Conversion Module.
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Labels: Ford Escape hybrid, OEMteck, plug-in hybrid vehicles, toyota prius
posted by Dahcredyns at
8:46 AM
5 Comments:
Wow. I really want a plug-in hybrid, but an extra $15,000? That's just too much. I might pay $5,000 extra - if they guarantee my warranty, but that's my limit.
I agree, but I think in California there is a market for OEMtek-style conversions.
The hybrid is young technology and anybody will not give you a guarantee
If money were no object, I would buy this in a heartbeat! What I do not like about the Prius plug in conversions is that the gas engine fires up when you exceed 35 mph..getting 100 mpg though is a wonderful thing.
The BREEZE web site starts their pricing at 12,000.
Yeah, the numbers I've seen are $12,500 - $15,000 - apparently there are some options.
Technically, the thing I don't like about this technical arrangement, is the piggyback architechture.
Like Hymotion, OEMtek uses the current NiMH battery pack in combination with the lithium pack, so there are two major battery packs with two very differnt chemistries working together.
Hybrids-plus, for example, removes the NiMH battery pack and replaces the whole battery system with lithium, which they claim is better and safer engineering - its also more expensive, however.
Maybe Dennis will read this and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of NiMH/Lithium battery combinations versus pure lithium.
To my lithium-uneducated mind, it seems making a BMS manage two different kinds of battery technologies, or having two different BMS systems communicating with each other is, minimally, redundant and inefficient.
Also, what happens if there is a software update that affects the NiMH battery management?
Companies like OEMtek are going to have to work agreements with Toyota to be third party integrators of these software updates because Toyota is going to nullify the warranty on these hybrids once OEMtek makes the conversion.
Lots of funky issues to think about it.
Still, if money were no object, I'd make the conversion as well.
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