Can I convert my old hybrid car to a plug in to get better mileage?

Question

Can I convert my old hybrid car to a plug in to get better mileage?

Answer 1

This would make little difference to the Prius.  It's batteries are not the work-horse you imagine.  They store small amounts of energy when you brake and release it when you accelerate.

The main reason hybrids are more efficient is:

1)  They have smaller engines.

2)  They turn off when stopped.

Just look at the hybrids with larger engines.  They offer only modest increases in efficiency.

Answer 2

It wouldn't seem that difficult. There are kits on the internet.

Answer 3

Well there are things you can do to help reduce the amount of harm you are causing the enviroment, you can do this by offsetting your carbon on websites such as; www.co2debt.com . On these sites you are able to prevent climate change by funding ethical reforestation projects. I personally found that www.co2debt.com was the best site for this because of their strong relationships with other non-profit organizations. They specifically offer ways to help offset your cars

Answer 4

People have done this with the Prius.  The problem is that once you make this conversion, it voids the warranty.  The reason Toyota hasn't yet come out with a plug-in Prius is that the batteries aren't designed for such heavy use.  They only partially discharge before being recharged again, which extends their life.  So I suspect that making this conversion will adversely effect the battery life, and since it will void the warranty people will be out of luck in a few years when the batteries die.

It’s about batteries

An earlier edition of Hybrid Synergy View pointed out that much of the “magic” that makes hybrid vehicles work involves high-voltage battery technology. Bill Reinert, national manager in the Advanced Technology Group at Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., says, “It all comes back to the battery. If you want to run longer and farther on electric power alone, it means a bigger battery. It means charging a battery more fully and discharging it more completely. And, it means provisions for cooling or ventilation in order to give the batteries longer life.”

“You have to decide what you want and what you’re willing to give up,” says Reinert. “A bigger battery might mean less space for passengers or luggage, for example. And a much more costly battery could mean a very long payback period for the investment in a fuel-saving plug-in system.”

So, Reinert concludes that a great deal of work is being done in storage battery technology, but much more remains.

Answer 5

Why not only drive it downhill, that way you dont need the engine running

Answer 6

Sure but the mods will ruin your warranty. The deep cycling will shorten your batter life. Batteries only will have very limited range and your acceleration will be cut.

Of course you could always just tie on the car ahead of you and let him pull you along. They may not like it but it will increase YOUR milage greatly.

Answer 7

You can always convert an older car to a plug-in series hybrid.  Convert it to an electric car, then add a small generator that can start up and power it on road trips.  Gives you gas or diesel-electric drive, just like locomotives!