Hi! I represent a group of college students using a 2009 prius as a drivetrain donor for a hybrid fishing boat for our senior project. Is there any advice that could be offered in removing the engine, battery, and wiring harness? We have removed the battery, and mostly removed the engine and transmission.
Welcome to PriusChat... Are you just using the electric motor inside the transmission or the whole engine and transmission?
Years ago we used to use the 1.1 to 1.3 k e series Toyota engine It was a carbureted thing last used most people would remember a car called the starlet. Those went on little tiny hydrofoil boats that went 100 miles an hour across the water and killed people they still do actually I'm not sure what engines are used today but not those. I'm not sure how the hybrid engine in a boat and all this in that will even go but that's that getting the engine out and all this and that you could have just lifted the car rolled it up on ramps put it up on jack stands under the rocker panels and literally taking the whole suspension system control arms and everything leave the tires on the vehicle and set the whole engine crossmember transmission related brake parts if that's what you were going after but probably not and everything and then just four or five students pick up on the front end of the car and literally walk it back with the parking brake off over the mess sitting on the floor which would be your struts crossmember engine transmission drive axles all of that and you'll be cutting fuel lines possibly a few brake lines things like that that'll all go very quickly because you're not really trying to save any of that stuff so that could have been like a 45-minute job especially with all those college students to help four or five people once the struts and everything is undone they'll be able to just lift up the front end of the car while all of the heavy stuff is sitting on the floor and just push the chassis back over and then set it right down on the concrete No problem or if you have extra jacks or the little jacks that you can put under the rocker panels and lift up on the car then you can push the car around and round and sideways on the concrete floor as you need I don't know what your college shop has in it.
we currently intend to use the entire thing, engine, motors, and transmission as a unit. mostly just pulling the wiring harness and whatever computer management systems we will need to get it to run separately from the chassis. If you have any advice on the subject, we would be most appreciative. we did have some concerns about the power availibility of the unit, but seeing as it is mostly just a proof of concept build, we aren't looking for anything too crazy. It's also definitely way too late to find something more powerful. As long as we can get the boat moving under its own power, we will be satisfied. we have access to a cherry picker and a two post lift, and we basically did exactly what you said to do! Thank you very much.
Sounds like a fun project. Where are you in SC? If you're able, a copy of Techstream would probably be useful to help with diagnostics. and this link to an online repair manual may help. Service Manuals - Google Drive I have quite a handful of Gen 2 (like your 09) spare parts if the need arises.
There is a fatal flow in your idea. You realize that the Prius HV battery charges with regenerative braking? I haven’t seen a boat with brakes yet.
Regenerative braking is cool, but is hardly the only time charge goes into the battery. Also, towable prop-bladed generators behind sailboats have been a thing for ages. Add sails to your fishing boat, tweak the prop pitch to encourage the water to spin it, and charge that way.
You could also reuse the donor Prius by installing a new power train. What about adding electric motors, harnesses and battery from a salvage Tesla Plaid? You will get National headlines for sure.
I hope you have a copy of the factory service manual and have someone with automotive - hybrid experience. An aftermarket stand alone ICE engine controller OR EV motor controller is "easy". A hybrid drive system with an ICE AND 2 motors - not so much. That leaves the Toyota system from the Prius. You would have to gut the interior and dashboard. You need the ECM (engine computer), hybrid control ecu, HV battery ecu, transponder (immobilizer) ecu (don't lose the key fob!), gateway ecu, power source control ecu, "transmission control" ecu, both fuse boxes, (possibly the certification - ID code box ecu if equipped with SKS). Plus all the wiring. I don't know what you can remove from the system before the hybrid control ecu has a hissy fit and won't do anything. (Never tried driving a Prius without the ABS ecu at all). Might be easier to build a hull around the Prius and add a propeller - drive system. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
IMHO you better get schematics and involve several electrical engineers and software design students. Scrap all the electronics, build a system to power the electric motor and use a standalone efi system for the gas motor. Gut the transmission so it just runs as a straight thru ratio. Run the gas motor as primary and throttled but the electric motor should be a binary on/off for max power situations. There are just too many interlocks and over ride systems.
We actually just finished pulling all of what we think is necessary the other day, But we will run back through your list there and double check that we have everything. This is very helpful, thank you!
You'll probably also need the Combination Meter. This certainly isn't an old school small block Chevy with a carburetor and a distributor. Those could run with a gas can, a battery, and a couple wires for the starter and ignition. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
