Prius G3 + Orion BMS / Ewert Energy HEM ?

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adrians
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Prius G3 + Orion BMS / Ewert Energy HEM ?

Post by adrians »

Hi there - new member, so please excuse any overlap with previous posts (I did search)...

I have a Prius G3 (2012) with Enginer 4kwh kit to make my car a PHEV...however, like most who got the kit, battery issues/BMS problems and overall quality have killed the effectiveness of it.

When it did work, I got 2.1 - 2.3 L/100kms and about 1600kms on a single tank which was nice. Have since changed over the batteries twice and had some work done (by NilCo2) on it, but the batteries are not balanced and it cuts out (with low cell voltage) shortly after charging.

Could fix/re-build but am more interested in "upgrading" to use the components from Ewert Energy/Orion (specifically their BMS and the Hybrid Energy Manager). The BMS is better than the OEM Enginer (not hard) and the HEM is supposed to integrate into the Prius ECU/CanBus to override the Toyota factory settings so that you have drive in all electric mode well beyond their conservative / OEM battery-protecting settings.

Was looking at 15kwh kit from NilCo2 (in Coffs Harbour) which included the install of the Ewert Energy/Orion bits and pieces, but unfortunately the guy who was doing these is out of action with some long term health issues...they will however sell me the parts, but install is up to me.

Just wondering whether anyone has any experience with doing this kind of work, or can point me in the right direction?

Appreciate any help/advice.

Thank You

Adrian

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evric
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Prius G3 + Orion BMS / Ewert Energy HEM ?

Post by evric »

Hi Adrian,
Welcome to the Forum.

One thing to remember is that with a NilCO2 kit, this replaces the Toyota factory fitted battery (as I understand it).

One of our AEVA members in Adelaide is working on adding in excess of 10kWHrs of additional cells to his Gen3 Prius. He is using the Control boxes etc. from the Plugin Supply(US) kit for this plug-in conversion.

I am in the process of adding a 10kWhr Plugin Supply kit to my Gen2 Prius.
Eric
www.evplus.com.au
Last edited by evric on Fri, 02 Jan 2015, 11:11, edited 1 time in total.
Prius Plug-in Conversion: http://www.evplus.com.au ...Holden Barina EV: http://www.evric.kestar.com.au
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Prius G3 + Orion BMS / Ewert Energy HEM ?

Post by T1 Terry »

I have just bought a 2008 Prius, I think that makes it a Gen2 and I am also interested in converting it to a plug in hybrid, so I guess I have a bit of reading to do, but I'll be watching for any further developments regarding these conversion kits as well.

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adrians
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Prius G3 + Orion BMS / Ewert Energy HEM ?

Post by adrians »

Hi Eric - thanks for your message.

I'd like to understand more about the plug in supply gear - assume they have comparable kit to what Ewert Brothers have (in terms of BMS and HEM)? I think both (if different) interact with the Toyota ECU/programming and let you drive "harder" in pure EV mode (I.e. accelerating past the 33kph limit and beyond the ~75kph absolute limit for motor-only drivetrain power)?

You're right- the bigger kits from NilCo2 using the Orion BMS and Ewert HEM call for (by design) replacement of the OEM battery pack...but I believe in the G3 there is some handshake protocol built in that makes removing the original factory battery "challenging". Perhaps this is why people augment rather than replace the original in the G3?

Anyways - very interested in hooking up with anyone who is integrating any external HEM that (in conjunction with more battery power) opens up more pure EV driving.

Let me know via PM? Happy to chat.

Adrian
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evric
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Prius G3 + Orion BMS / Ewert Energy HEM ?

Post by evric »

There are at least 3 of us here in SA in the process of using the Plug-in Supply kits, all at different stages and with different generation Prii.

My website www.evplus.com.au will be updated with mine and their progress as it happens.

Eric
Last edited by evric on Sat, 03 Jan 2015, 09:39, edited 1 time in total.
Prius Plug-in Conversion: http://www.evplus.com.au ...Holden Barina EV: http://www.evric.kestar.com.au
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Prius G3 + Orion BMS / Ewert Energy HEM ?

Post by Starman »

Thought I should join the traffic on this topic. I first started converting Prii to PHEVs back in 2008, with a group from the Institute of Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney. We used LFP cells in about four cars, but our early BMS system was pretty basic. Nonetheless there are still a couple of the original PHEVs running about.

In 2012 I replaced the now worn out LFP cells on my 2004 Prius with new ones from K2 Energy and used the Orion BMS system from the Ewart Brothers whom I'd known since 2008. Battery capacity was rather limited at 3Kwh.

I sold this car a year ago and have recently converted a my 2008 Prius to run with 10Kwh of batteries. I used the Plug-in Supply mounting method for the 76 cells but used an Orion BMS and HEM system. I presently have this car for sale. The HEM lets me drive in EV mode up to at least 100Km/h and I achieve less than 1 litre/100Kms. The car uses some petrol, even in EV mode in order to keep the engine block warm and for sharp acceleration.

If interested, check out the details on my website: www.greenauto.com.au

Stan
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Prius G3 + Orion BMS / Ewert Energy HEM ?

Post by lopezjm2001 »

Starman wrote:
I used the Plug-in Supply mounting method for the 76 cells but used an Orion BMS and HEM system. I presently have this car for sale. The HEM lets me drive in EV mode up to at least 100Km/h and I achieve less than 1 litre/100Kms. The car uses some petrol, even in EV mode in order to keep the engine block warm and for sharp acceleration.
Stan

Hi Stan, I have a Prius G2, I use the PIS method with 70 cells using Hybrid Interface's BMSplus and using miniBMS.
Just wandering. How much were you stung for the HEM (Hybrid Energy Management) system. Would they sell it to you without buying the Orion BMS.
Thanks,
John
Last edited by lopezjm2001 on Mon, 22 Jun 2015, 19:45, edited 1 time in total.
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lopezjm2001
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Prius G3 + Orion BMS / Ewert Energy HEM ?

Post by lopezjm2001 »

adrians wrote:Just wondering whether anyone has any experience with doing this kind of work, or can point me in the right direction?
Adrian
Welcome to the forum.
Like you I started with a failed Enginer Kit. Then evolved to the contactor dump method using a Hybrid Interface's BMSplus. I would not go any further unless you are an electrician or engineer or technician and understand what you are doing.
My advice would be to wait for a Tesla for $35K.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a1 ... g-in-2017/
Last edited by lopezjm2001 on Mon, 22 Jun 2015, 20:09, edited 1 time in total.
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Prius G3 + Orion BMS / Ewert Energy HEM ?

Post by Starman »

Hi John,
The HEM cost me US$455 and according to the Orion BMS website, it only works with their BMS.
Stan
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Prius G3 + Orion BMS / Ewert Energy HEM ?

Post by lopezjm2001 »

Hi Stan,

I guess the price is reasonable for what it does. Why they would not list the price on their website is strange since they list a price for everything else.

Thanks,

John
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