http://www.a123systems.com/hymotion/home

Not sure how the battery technology compares to that of the Volt battery...probably a lot different I'd guess. This one weighs in at ~180lbs and is 5kWh. Max AE speed is still only 34mph.

But at $10k+ it's a bit rich for my blood. Even so, knowing my usual commute I suspect I could usually exceed 100mpg (I can already get 70+ under good conditions with the base Prius).

* Designed for Toyota Prius, model years 2004 – 2008
* ~ 5 kWh pack
* 4.5 hour charge time
* ~ 180 pounds
* Up to 100 mpg for 30-40 miles within electrically assisted driving range

* Meets strictest emissions standards in U.S.
* Crash tested to federal new vehicle standards
* $9995 – includes 3 year standard warranty and installation

I guess the thing that really amazes me is that the Volt battery will weigh what, 400lbs and have a 40 mile AER?!! just a little more than twice the size of this conversion battery (plus the 1.6 kWh OEM battery makes almost 300lbs of Prius battery). Viva la difference. A lot of it is how much of the total energy the system will allow the car to use, but still, it'll be amazing to see the Volt do what they say it will do.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1288/878170381_e200aa6034_b.jpg

I guess that makes a $23.7K Prius suddenly become a $33.7 Prius to get the PHEV and 40 mile range of the Volt, while being smaller and lower performance than the Volt.

If you just can't wait for the Volt, then you can get a jump on the 40 mile range plug-in capability. I suppose if I was a Prius owner living in Los Angeles, I would get the conversion, assuming I could afford it.

I do like that Li Ion batteries are being implemented, as opposed to NiMH.

Finally! I have been waiting for this to be available to the general public for quite a while. Another milestone. To all Volt lovers (Initially 7 cities but national roll-out planned) - you now have a very good option for driving a plug-in while you wait for your Volt (There are other conversion shops but it's getting more professional and easier for the public). You can pick up a used Prius, have the conversion done and (for many people) drive gas free for most of the week (around town less than 35 mph). Here's the procedure (Starting in July):


"Hymotion L5 Plug-in Conversion Module for the Toyota Prius

Purchase Price $9995 including installation and standard 3 year warranty
$400 destination fee plus all applicable taxes
Place your $1000 deposit and select your Green CHIP dealer location
Receive deposit confirmation
Receive target install date within 5 business days
Green CHIP dealer will contact you to arrange your installation appointment
Bring your vehicle in, purchase your L5 from your Green CHIP dealer by paying remaining balance including all applicable taxes"

Of course it's a bit expensive but not only will you be getting a feel for the plug-in life but also possibly getting off of a large percentage of your oil use as well as helping A123 fund more R&D. Win-win.

To give you an idea of the cost premium, the Tesla has a 56 kWh battery pack with a price tag of $100000 for the whole car. This upgrade gives you 5 kWh per $10,000 + $400 (destination charge) or an equivalent of $116,480 for the same amount of energy. Steep but that includes installation. Highly recommended if you got more cash than patience (probably a large number of GM-Volt.com fans). When the Volt comes out and you can finally accept delivery you can graciously pass down the Prius Plug-in to a worthy soul. If gas prices keep doing what they are doing I'm betting you will be able to recover a good percentage of your initial investment. It might even appreciate! Think of it as Volt Light or a Volt-like mule. :)

180 Lbs and $10,000 for a 5kWh battery pack? If the same batteries are used for the Volt, its battery pack weighs about 600lbs, takes up a lot of space and costs more than $30,000. I guess this is the reality of the li-ion battery today.

180 Lbs and $10,000 for a 5kWh battery pack? If the same batteries are used for the Volt, its battery pack weighs about 600lbs, takes up a lot of space and costs more than $30,000. I guess this is the reality of the li-ion battery today.

Batteries certainly are expensive but $10,000 is an installed retrofit price. It's difficult to extrapolate this for the Volt's battery. I'm sure that even at this price and the loss of trunk space, there will still be a lot of interest. Just think of how much better served these customers will be by the Volt.

NYT article (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/automobiles/27PLUGIN.html?_r=1&sq=Hymotion&st=nyt&oref=slogin&scp=1&pagewanted=all)

What I like best about the article is that the CEO of A123 admits that it would be much easier to be a Tier 1 supplier to a major automaker, than to build and install battery systems themselves. That is the right message to send to GM during their evaluation of A123 as a supplier.

Let's remember that that $9k is amortizing all the R&D, crash testing, etc. Also the battery pack includes the control electronics (plus the reverse engineering of Toyota's control system) and thermal management. The real question is what is the margin cost of these battery packs, given that A123 likely priced them based on a small sales volume.

I bet they forecast less than 5000 sales over the life of the unit, so they have to recover overhead.

Of course if you can buy a used Prius, with a fried battery pack and buy this you might have a nice deal.

Overall, I really want to see what the end users report for MPG. That will make things interesting in the RE-EV vs. PHEV debate.

I wonder if it works on the Camry and Highlander too?

Let's remember that that $9k is amortizing all the R&D, crash testing, etc. Also the battery pack includes the control electronics (plus the reverse engineering of Toyota's control system) and thermal management. The real question is what is the margin cost of these battery packs, given that A123 likely priced them based on a small sales volume.

I bet they forecast less than 5000 sales over the life of the unit, so they have to recover overhead.
All good with that.


Of course if you can buy a used Prius, with a fried battery pack and buy this you might have a nice deal.
The Hymotion pack does not replace the OEM pack, it supplements it and is actually used separate from the OEM pack. So if you buy a Prius with a 'fried' OEM battery you'd have to replace it first...but good luck finding a Prius with a bad battery.


Overall, I really want to see what the end users report for MPG. That will make things interesting in the RE-EV vs. PHEV debate.
I suspect most people who will buy this pack will also be serious hypermilers and will probably see MPG exceeding 100mpg. As I stated I get 70mpg with the OEM pack on a low speed 15 mile one way work commute. Give me 5kWh more 'free' juice in a battery and at least 75% of the time I use my ICE to power the car currently I could use battery power instead. I'm pretty confident I could push 125-150mpg on my work commute....particularly since I should be able to charge the pack at work as well.
I wonder if it works on the Camry and Highlander too?[/QUOTE]