Features, Specifications, and Warranty
No Range Anxiety!!!
When your add-on battery pack is empty your car reverts to being a normal hybrid car. You will not be stranded by an empty battery. This feature is standard on all Plug-In Supply PHEV systems.
History
The first 10 KW Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) PHEV system for the Prius was designed in 2007 with Richard Hatfield of Lightning Motorcycles. It went into his Prius, which he still drives. The controls and software for the first 10 KW were based on our successful 5 KW lead-acid Prius PHEV system. Our lead-acid system was designed after helping CalCars perform several Prius+ PHEV conversions. Both CalCars and Plug-In Supply use contactors to electrically connect the add-on battery pack to the factory traction battery pack. Aside from that, the designs are completely different. You can find the original CalCars design at EAA-PHEV.org.
Modular Design
Our Plug-In PHEV system is a modular design. This allows individual components to be upgraded and repaired quickly. The battery box, software, controls, and charger are separate components that are designed to work together. Customers can choose from several manufacturers of Lithium Iron Phosphate cells and different sizes of chargers.
High Quality
Our products are made using the highest quality components that are rated for Industrial Service (I-temp). Established sub-contractors make our sub-assemblies and wire harnesses. Final assembly and test is done by Plug-In Supply.
Made in America
Whenever possible we use parts made in the USA and American-based suppliers. Final assembly and test is done in America by Plug-In Supply. You get what you pay for. The best.
Capacity
We name our packs after the usable energy they deliver per discharge cycle. We call our large Prius pack "10 KW" because it delivers 10 kW-hr of usable energy from each charge cycle. Leaving some energy in the pack after a complete discharge is good for the pack and ensures a long service life. The amount of energy left is described as Depth of Discharge. Plug-In Supply systems are designed for 80% to 90% Depth of Discharge. The actual capacity of the 10 KW pack is 11 to 12 kW-hr depending on which cells are in the pack. The service life of a Plug-In Supply battery pack is many thousands of cycles.
Cells
Customers can specify which cells are used to build their pack. We use LiFePO4 cells from CALB, GBS, Headway, Thundersky, and Winston. All have excellent quality and long service life. Price may vary depending on availability.
Discharge Power
Our 10 KW system injects up to 200 amps into the Prius electric drive system. During normal operation it typically injects 100 to 135 amps continuously. Compare this to the 14 amps a Hymotion or Enginer system injects into the Prius. We deliver ten times the power. This allows our PHEV system to keep the car in EV mode for extended periods of time.
Battery Management System (BMS)
A Battery Management System (BMS) is an essential part of a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery pack. Without one the cells will eventually destroy themselves. We use our own Plug-In Supply designed BMS system. On certain cells we use the miniBMS BMS system from Clean Auto Power.
Software
Plug-In Supply customers receive free software upgrades.
EV Mode
Plug-In Supply developed the pure EV mode for the Prius, called Manual EVTM (MEV) mode. From our first lead-acid systems onwards we gave customers the ability to drive in pure EV mode faster than 34 MPH. All current products feature Automatic EVTM (AEV) and High Speed EVTM (HSEV) operation.
Automatic EVTM: When the system is on the car operates in EV mode, automatically, whenever possible. When you need more power — to climb a hill or pass a car — the gas engine comes on to provide that power. When the need for more power is gone, the gas engine turns off. When not needed the gas engine is in hot stand-by mode. This means the gas engine is off but warm and available to provide power instantly without high emissions due to a cold engine start.
High Speed EVTM: This feature allows the car to operate as an EV at highway speeds (above 50 MPH).
Max RegenTM
Max RegenTM stands for maximum regenerative energy capture. This means all the electricity produced by the vehicle during braking is fed back into the add-on battery pack where it's saved for future use. This can increase your range by 10%. Competitors like Hymotion and Enginer use a DC to DC convertor that cannot capture regen.
Charging
With our modular design customers can choose from several different Battery Chargers. Some offer faster charging of the add-on battery pack.
Easier Installation
No more engine hoist! You no longer need an engine hoist to install our 10 KW system in a Prius.
Specifications
| Product | 4 KW | 10 KW | 6 KW | 15 KW |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usable Capacity | 4 kW-hr | 10 kW-hr | 6 kW-hr | 15 kW-hr |
| Weight (lbs) | 100 | 300 | 150 | 450 |
| Range Per Charge (miles) | 20 | 50 | 20 | 50 |
| Charge Time (hrs) | 2.5 | 8 | 5 | 12 |
| Applicable Vehicles | Toyota Prius | Ford Escape Hybrid Toyota Highlander Hybrid Toyota Camry Hybrid |
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| Chemistry | Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) | |||
Warranty
Plug-In Supply provides a 3 year warranty on parts made by Plug-In Supply, a 2 year warranty on the LiFePO4 cells from the cell manufacturer, and a 1 year warranty on the charger from the charger manufacturer. This warranty does not cover the cost of labor to make repairs. If you do the conversion yourself, when your DIY PHEV conversion is complete you will have the same 3 year warranty that the factory-built packs have.