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greentechZONE Products for the week of May 12, 2008
A123Systems Says…
Consumer Orders Being Taken For Hymotion L5 Plug-In Conversion Modules
Plug-in conversion modules capable of increasing fuel economy to more than 100 mpg and reducing CO2 emissions by more than 50%
A123Systems, developer and producer of Nanophosphate lithium ion batteries, announced the launch of its Hymotion product line’s new Web site, designed to provide information and take orders from individuals interested in purchasing the L5 Plug-in Conversion Module (PCM) for the Toyota Prius. A123Systems also continues to sell Hymotion Plug-in Conversion Modules to fleet and government buyers, with more than 50 vehicles currently on the road in corporate and government demonstration programs.
A123Systems’ Hymotion product line is the only fully tested PCM that meets or exceeds federal requirements for crash-worthiness and emissions. Based on independent testing performed at Argonne National Labs as well as Idaho National Labs, the L5 PCM will enable a Toyota Prius to obtain fuel economies of more than 100 miles per gallon.
A123Systems is in the process of developing and certifying a nationwide dealer network for the Hymotion product line, beginning with Hymotion dealerships in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Boston and Washington, D.C. In an important step for broad acceptance, A123 has been working with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and has outlined a path for conditional approval from CARB to sell up to 500 conversion modules in the state of California to begin its consumer launch.
“This long-anticipated announcement is celebrated not only by us as the culmination of years of hard work, but by many who are eager to dramatically lower emissions and free themselves from dependence on petroleum,” said Dave Vieau, CEO of A123Systems. “Today, we begin a process that could conceivably change the environmental, economic and political implications of driving a car for the better.”
According to the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), half of the cars in the U.S. are driven just 25 miles a day or less. With an average electrically assisted driving range of 30-40 miles, a Toyota Prius equipped with a Hymotion L5 module charged overnight via a standard 120 volt outlet will, for most drivers, significantly reduce the amount of petroleum consumed and CO2 emitted. An L5 charged from the average national blend of electricity results in a 50 percent or greater reduction in overall “well-to-wheel” CO2 emissions compared to a traditional gas-powered vehicle. The L5 module is also environmentally friendly and fully recyclable, containing no heavy metals or toxic chemicals.
EN-Genius Says…
If you’re willing to cough up $10,000 and sacrifice a bit of your Toyota Prius’ trunk space, you can be one of the first people to own a commercially-available plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle (PHEV). From the limited information I was able to get from Hymotion, it looks like they’ve done a good job of using the safer characteristics of their nano-phosphate-based electrode technology to deliver an automotive grade range extender that’s at least as durable and practical as the car it goes into.
Until now, the only way you could get a plug-in hybrid vehicle was to make it yourself using instructions from various web sites like A Hack a Day or the numerous projects documented in the electric Automobile Association’s Wiki. This all changed with Hymotion’s introduction of its L5 conversion module that gives any late-model Prius a 30 – 40 mile operating range as an electric vehicle. In truth, an L5-modded Prius will operate mostly as an electric vehicle, since it will still be briefly counting on the gas engine to do its part when you need to pull into fast-moving traffic or hold speed up a long grade. Despite the small amounts of gas it may use on an average commute, my back-of-the-envelope calculation indicates that it should get somewhere near Hymotion-claimed equivalent 100 mpg in both its hybrid and all-electric modes (see footnote).
Unlike the disaster-prone Li-Ion batteries that lurk inside your laptop which use cobalt-oxide electrodes, Hymotion’s cells use an electrode material made from nanoparticles of lithium-iron phosphate and a few trace metals. While they have a bit less energy density than conventional cells, they don’t suffer from thermal runaway problems and are unlikely to catch fire, even if crushed in an accident. Although the batteries built-in thermal stability eliminates the need for an extensive thermal monitoring and management system like those found in the Tesla Roadster or Vectrix Electric scooter, the air-cooled L5 pack does have some simple temperature sensing for extra safety and to help optimize charging – especially in very low temperature conditions.
What’s more, Hymotion nanophosphate cells seem to enjoy exceptional longevity with extended lab tests at room temperature showing single cells still going strong at well over 7000 1C - 1C cycles (one hour charge, one hour discharge), or 15 - 20 years worth of daily use. Of course, assembling several hundred cells means that there is a higher statistical likelihood for an early failure but some design features and 2+ years worth of initial field tests indicate that the pack overall MTBF will still be close to what they’ve seen in the lab. In case your Prius should actually outlast its auxiliary battery, Hymotion is working on a reclamation and exchange program. For more information on Hymotion’s nanophosphate batteries, visit the technology section of Hymotion’s parent company, A123Systems.
The L5 battery module is a drop-in affair that nestles neatly into the Prius spare tire well, located under its hatchback trunk. The 2 - 3 hour installation at an authorized dealer involves securing the module and adding a new harness that effectively puts the power pack in parallel with the existing battery. In actuality, the L5 is isolated from the main power system via a high-efficiency dc-dc converter and some protection circuitry that guarantees the car will fall back to so-called normal operation when the auxiliary cells are fully discharged or there is a malfunction. This is in keeping with Hymotion’s philosophy of providing a minimally-invasive modification that does not affect the car’s function – or its warranty (more about this shortly).
 Since the module is designed to work with the Prius existing firmware, the car behaves exactly the same as if it did without an additional 5 kW-h worth of juice hiding in the spare tire well, except that the pack keeps telling the car that there is full power available to it. This is possible because the new wiring harness inserts the module into the CAN bus connection between the original battery and the Prius energy control system. When the L5 is fully discharged, it allows the OEM battery to start signaling on the energy control bus again.
One of the few drawbacks to this light-touch approach is that the L5 cannot be charged by the car while driving and relies on your wall plug or some other 110 Vac source to get the energy for its next 30 - 40 miles of electric operation. The only other minor issue is that while the batteries can deliver much higher instantaneous power that would enable neck-snapping acceleration, the Prius' conservatively-designed drive train control algorithms don’t permit it. Although drag-racing your PHEV would be fun, this more sensible approach makes more sense since it virtually eliminates any risk of damaging your car and allows Hymotion to piggyback onto Toyota’s highly successful drive train without violating their warranty. Although Hymotion did not consult with Toyota on the L5 design, Toyota has said that it will honor its warranty on any L5-equipped Prius unless the problem was traced back to the battery pack. To clarify the warranty issue further Hymotion issued the following statement:
Federal consumer protection laws do not allow a vehicle OEM to void a consumer's warranty for installing a Hymotion module unless the Hymotion module is the direct cause of an otherwise warranted problem. For example, Toyota shouldn't void your warranty on your headlights for putting a module in your trunk. The Hymotion L5 is engineered not to adversely affect any OEM-warranted system. Our product field testing of over 200,000 miles of real life driving did not show any otherwise warrantable problems on the stock vehicle caused by the L5. If a vehicle OEM denies a Hymotion customer warranty service due to a problem caused by a Hymotion module, A123 will pay for the otherwise warranted repair. SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association provides guidance on understanding the legal protection for aftermarket products, specifically the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. Visit the SEMA web site for more information.
At $10 k, Hymotion’s L5 bolt-in battery pack for the Prius adds nearly 50% to the base price of the vehicle but, between the fuel savings and the serious eco-geek factor it offers, I suspect there will be lots of people who will be eager to be early adopters of this promising technology. When you factor in the ever-rising price of gas and the 10+ year lifetime of the module, it even stands a shot at saving you money as well as dramatically lowering your carbon footprint. To see how much you might save, check out Hymotion’s interactive plug-in calculator.
Plug-in Conversion Modules will be available for owners of Toyota Prius, model year 2004 to 2008. At an installed cost of $9995 plus shipping, buyers can choose a certified Hymotion dealer for conversion of their hybrid vehicles. Installations for consumers are expected to begin in July, 2008.
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Footnote:
Since calculating a PHEV combined equivalent mileage is still something close to a black art, I’ve confined my efforts to calculating its equivalent mpg numbers in an all-electric mode. To get an equivalent kW-h:mpg figure that reflects real-world physics, I start with a generally-accepted conversion ratio of 33.6 kW-h per gallon of gasoline. In a perfect world the 5 kW a PHEV Prius uses to go 30 - 40 miles converts to around 0.1488 gallons of equivalent gasoline (plus whatever it actually uses during hard acceleration). Of course this theoretical 250 mpg must be adjusted to factor in the losses occurring during generation, and transmission as well as any losses involved with actually charging the batteries. Assuming end-to-end losses of around 60%, you do indeed get an equivalent mileage of around 100 mpg.
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