Project Priethius

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by Thetechnician, Sep 9, 2018.

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  1. Thetechnician

    Thetechnician New Member

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    Priethius_The_Beast_Taxi-Side.jpg

    The picture is the end result we will achieve. The goal is to make the Prius better.

    I am putting together a team. To fight the battles ordinary people can't. You need to be smarter than the average bear. No need for experience with modifications, if you can find out what is required and carry it out then it should be fine. This is a paying gig.

    There are minimum requirements: you should be enthusiastic, optimistic, and own a Prius. A do it youself-er, driven, and comfortable around computers.

    That said, I'll share my story. My name is Allen, and I am an electronics technician. I also own a proper taxi company. We use the Gen. III Prius, cause it rocks so hard as a taxi. Of course the key is keeping up with the maintenance. But it is a WORKHORSE. If I had to grade it, it would get a low B. Maybe even B-.

    The taxi environment is a hostile one. Car companies fret to give us their product to test, cause we will put it through the ringer, 7 days a week, 24 hrs a day.

    Like I said, we use the Prius in daily operations. As my company evolves toward zero emissions, I am compelled to try to improve on our car's all electric range. The car I am eyeing is a 2012 regular Prius. I love the Gen. III design. It's Toyota's best so far.

    So I want to at least make one into a version matching the specifications of the current Prius Prime - roughly 9 kW of capacity, plugs in, the battery must Regen from the car. And for fun, we will make it power the house. Whoever participates will receive credit. The goal is to create a diy instruction set for those who wish to make their Gen III more eco-friendly.

    Find me on Instagram @blackfoottaxi. Of course I come to this forum with much respect for the knowledge herein. I will certainly ask for input on stuff. Thank you for your time.
     
    #1 Thetechnician, Sep 9, 2018
    Last edited: Sep 9, 2018
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  2. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    (y)
     
    #2 Grit, Sep 9, 2018
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome!
    you'll never do it cheaper than a prime, too little, too late.

    fun project though, but i doubt you'll pull it off. many have come here with ideas, but never returned.

    all the best!(y)
     
    #3 bisco, Sep 9, 2018
  4. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Well... There was a golden era on Prius Chat a bit less than a decade ago for that... A bunch of electrical engineers worked everything out so you could add a second battery pack. And what was the result of that? Well, there were a handful of short-lived start ups that offered plugin Prius kits and the conversations among these folks were fascinating. I'm sure if you did some digging you'd find those old threads.

    What basically happened is Toyota used some of their ideas/worked with them directly and launched the Plugin Prius and to this day it's one of the most trouble free/reliable cars Toyota ever built. And that was pretty much the end of that. So getting others to work on that again are slim... Instead, I'd suggest trying something more forward looking that no one has done yet.

    As for Taxi biz, my friend was a cab driver in Olympia, WA. and bought the company from the owner and he's keeping it going quite well. I've shared my enthusiasm for Prius with him and he says customers like riding in the Hyundai hybrid way better than Prius, so he kinda lost me at that point. :)
     
    #4 PriusCamper, Sep 9, 2018
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    prius bev.(y)
     
    #5 bisco, Sep 10, 2018
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