Adding Enginer PHEV system.

[retepsnikrep]

Sounds like it works reasonably well but could do with a few more amps. Well done it gives another option for us all.

[ericbecky]

I added a few more pics to flickr.
100 mpg for 60 miles.


As I put in the description:
Multiple drivers.
Multiple trips.
- In town at speeds under 35 mph heavy assist use and then plugging in. 10 miles
- 10 mile trip not using any Enginer system at all. A bit in town under 35, rest rural 2 lane hwy 55 mph.
- 40 mile trip at low highway speeds. 55 mph road. Travelling 5 to 8 mph under speed limit at times on highway. Trying to eke every bit of mpg. 15 mph side wind at times. Enginer system lasted about half of it. (Achieved 96 mpg on this trip.)

Now, the around own portion could probably be accomplished by simply creating a way to recharge just the stock pack. Since I'm probably not using a whole pack-full of electricity before being able to recharge.

But so far, I'm enjoying the combination of the Enginer system and MIMA.

[rayholan]

Originally Posted by ericbecky

I added a few more pics to flickr.
100 mpg for 60 miles.


As I put in the description:
Multiple drivers.
Multiple trips.
- In town at speeds under 35 mph heavy assist use and then plugging in. 10 miles
- 10 mile trip not using any Enginer system at all. A bit in town under 35, rest rural 2 lane hwy 55 mph.
- 40 mile trip at low highway speeds. 55 mph road. Travelling 5 to 8 mph under speed limit at times on highway. Trying to eke every bit of mpg. 15 mph side wind at times. Enginer system lasted about half of it. (Achieved 96 mpg on this trip.)

Now, the around own portion could probably be accomplished by simply creating a way to recharge just the stock pack. Since I'm probably not using a whole pack-full of electricity before being able to recharge.

But so far, I'm enjoying the combination of the Enginer system and MIMA.

Eric, thanks for accumulating this useful data. I applaud your willingness to experiment and provide the rest of us your results while we observe from the sidelines. I know there are several approaches to the booster battery system holy grail. I'm chomping at the bit to get one into my 2006. Looking forward to Mike D's and other's variations on what you've done with Jack Chin's components. Good job, man.

[ericbecky]

Just made a 98 mpg for the 48 mile round trip to Madison. (111mpg on trip back -24 miles). Was able to plug in at my meeting so Enginer system was ready to go for the ride back. I think the best I probably could have done without it wouldn't have been better than 70 or 80 mpg? Enginer + MIMA rules!

[rayholan]

Originally Posted by ericbecky

Just made a 98 mpg for the 48 mile round trip to Madison. (111mpg on trip back -24 miles). Was able to plug in at my meeting so Enginer system was ready to go for the ride back. I think the best I probably could have done without it wouldn't have been better than 70 or 80 mpg? Enginer + MIMA rules!

Hats off to Mike Dabrowski (MIMA) and Jack Chen (Enginer) for putting together the enablers for your results, Eric. Kudos to you for getting out there on the leading edge of technology to report back to the rest of us.

[ericbecky]

Cold weather an hybrid batteries do not play well together.

Tonight it will be -5F! This makes my stock battery reduce assist and regen to nothing!
And of course then it will not accept juice from the Enginer system.

I'm looking forward to warmer weather.

Jack now has an official mounting bracket for the system for the Insight.
No more plywood.

I'll have to post some pics soon.

Also I got a link for some battery cell monitors.
Cell-Log Cell Voltage Monitor 2-8S Lipo
http://www.hobbycity.com/hobbycity/s...itor_2-8S_Lipo
Anyone heard of this before?

It has an alarm output lead to trigger external alarms. And it logs the voltage difference for later analysis. Interesting...

[IamIan]

Originally Posted by ericbecky

Cold weather an hybrid batteries do not play well together.

very few things play well with the cold.

Cold weather requires a vehicle to spend more energy to do the same things ... requires more energy to keep passengers comfortable ... and extracts less usable energy from just about any type of fuel ... battery , gasoline , etc...

Although ... when the Stock system tries to do forced regen to warm up the IMA battery can the Engineer system provide additional current ot speed that up and drawl less from the gasoline engine?

You could also install a small heater element ... I have a small under 200 Watt one that pulls from the 12V accessory outlet ... if you also have the DC-DC enable mod ... you can keep the 12 juiced from Engineer PHEV power and warm things up inside the car and battery space without using as much gasoline to do so.

[RobertSmalls]

My IMA system hates the cold, too. I was thinking grid-charging the stock battery pack would be an ideal solution to this problem.

[ericbecky]

Originally Posted by IamIan

Although ... when the Stock system tries to do forced regen to warm up the IMA battery can the Engineer system provide additional current ot speed that up and drawl less from the gasoline engine?

Theoretically, yes, as long as the stock pack will accept the charge.

Originally Posted by IamIan

You could also install a small heater element ... I have a small under 200 Watt one that pulls from the 12V accessory outlet ... if you also have the DC-DC enable mod ... you can keep the 12 juiced from Engineer PHEV power and warm things up inside the car and battery space without using as much gasoline to do so.

Can you point me to a link about the dc-dc enable mod?
Also, I can't picture what you mean by a small heating element. My mind keeps drifting back to the thought of a electric stovetop heating element. Care to provide a link for that, too?

[Mike Dabrowski 2000]

The Insight has a special mode for warming up the batteries. Instead of a constant charge, it pulses current into the pack with a sawtooth waveform while watching the temperature. Once the pack gets to ~40degrees f, charging becomes constant.
My advice is not to charge the pack with an external charge source until it gets over 45 F.
I don't think that a low current grid charge will hurt it, and it could keep the pack temp up over freezing during the night.
They did not go through the trouble of having a special mode if it were not important.

On the DC/DC enable, you must open the DC/DC control signal pin A27 of the MCM.
You can see how it ties into the FAS here:
http://www.99mpg.com/Data/resources/.../total_fas.pdf
How it ties into the plug in harness here.
http://www.99mpg.com/Data/resources/...ay_harness.pdf
MIMA with FAS takes care of it.