I've been reading a lot on this forum, and found that "in-between" a regular Gen2 Prius and a PHEV, a third option can exist. Basically you install a second battery pack which gives you more storage capacity, at the expense of more weight. Well, I went to eBay and found the GenII battery packs...and they're not particularly expensive. Remarkable! Since I can't remember the name of this type of modification, I can't do a search...what's it called, and what does it gain its user? I believe one of the claims was increased fuel economy, and a longer EV range. Don't think it's a true PHEV, though. (I live in a small town. Everything is either <3 miles, or >30 miles away, so a usable EV mode would actually serve me very well.) Can anyone point me in the right direction? This type of mod would be right up my alley. Chuck
Hi Chuck, Yes, salvage 2G traction batteries are pretty cheap because most 2G are still covered under the hybrid warranty, and the supply (from the # of totaled vehicles) exceeds the demand (from failures experienced by 2G vehicles with more than 100K miles - or 150K miles in CA and other PZEV states.) I would expect this to change as the population continues to age. However, I do not think there is a very easy way to add a second battery assembly.
There will be a problem trying to charge the 2nd battery. There are posts somewhere on this site discussing this. I remember reading them a couple of years ago.
Read this, read it to the end, there are pitfalls. http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...lectric-vehicle-mod-under-way-bristol-uk.html
