My wife and I are lucky to be able to work and shop locally. Our driving is mostly trips of three miles or less, one to four times a day. A few times a week we go 15 miles out and 15 back. Four times a year we go on a 1200 mile trip. An aftermarket short-range PHEV kit added to our trusty Prius would serve well for the local driving, but on the long trips it would be a waste to haul a PHEV battery that weighs a lot and takes up a bunch of luggage space. It seems to me that those of us who own a Prius, a perfectly capable sometimes-electric car, don't need a $30K Leaf that we leave behind in the garage when we go on a long trip. We just need a $5K rig that we can lift out and leave behind. Except for the obvious electrocution concerns in detaching and reattaching the battery pack is there any good reason this wouldn't be a practical solution? Anybody got any suggestions for finding a source?
Main reason in my mind is the weight of any substantial battery pack not to mention all the obvious battery management systems. It would not be fun to have to lift any really heavy object in and out of the car just to save a few dollars. And batteries are very heavy for there size. Try lifting just a normal car battery. But if you have $5000 to invest in your car there's plenty of kits you can install permanently that would really do a good job. .
If you live in the Bay area, you should have a discussion with 3ProngPaul. 3Prong Power - PHEV Installation Specialists
Thanks for considering my idea. On battery weight: There's lead in the normal car battery, Li based cells are lighter. Also, in a removable rig the battery pack could be subdivided into more manageable parts. Or, I envision a lifting device on wheels to pull out the battery pack that would fold and store compactly alongside the wall when not in use. I've emailed 3-prong power before, but not with this idea. I will ask them. I'm only a few hundred miles away from Berkeley. Somewhere in a description of their Enginer kit I remember reading that the battery pack can be removed to access the compact spare stored below-- that's what originally gave me the idea of a removable rig.
To be quite honest, I wouldn't worry about removing the batteries. I've done the same trips solo as with 2 other people in my car, and the MPG was only about 1-2 MPG different on the highway. These are both 200+ lb people and included their luggage. If there's just two of you, it probably won't make much difference on the highway to just leave it there. Seems like an aweful lot of extra work for 4 times a year.
seilerts: Does the kit disconnect easily too? If it does it sounds as if the Enginer kit is already what I need. A folding engine hoist would be easy to rig up. wick1ert: As far as it being an awful lot of work, if it comes out easily, taking it out would just be a part of loading up for a trip. I guess it's the space (we haul a lot of stuff sometimes) and the spirit of the thing that would make an extra task worth it to me.
This idea is really -no offence- a no brainer. I'll bet in 10 years all battery powered vehicles will have lugable 40 pound 5 mile range batteries. In a plastic case with a handle, plug in as many as you'll need that day. Hope they can agree on a size.
There are a few bolts, the HV wires (wrap the ends in electrical tape), the charging cord, and 1 or 2 telephone/ethernet/usb type connections. Probably the most difficult part would be fiddling with the smart key transceiver.
Hello RDB, For your 1200 mile trip, I would bet you would just leave it in. I drove from Portland Oregon to San Francisco and back. On the Hyway I saw no noticeable difference in mileage from the weight. It is not 1-2mpg, it is maybe 1/2mpg at most. I did start with a full charge and did one full charge in San Francisco. I am sure that those 2 charges made up for carrying the weight. By the way, the Enginer system does remove very easily. Just be sure to double insulate the HV leads. Most important there are no computer connections or programming changes to worry about. I have pulled my system several times. Thanks, Dan Lander
Thanks for the info Dan. So, do you mind saying why you have pulled your system several times? Also, who installed your systems? (I see you have two, so I guess you like them.)
Hi RDB, Most times I pulled the system because a component failed. The Enginer system has been notorious for having component failures. On the other side Enginer has always been good to honor the warranty. I caution everyone buying an Enginer system to expect 3 warranty failures within the first year. I installed my own systems. I also have some spare parts. I strongly advise anyone considering an Enginer system to find a good installer that carries an inventory of spare parts and who is close enough to do evaluations and maintenance when needed. 3prong is a good installer. Yes, I have a 2005 and a 2010. Both are running well at this time. Thanks, Dan lander
