jeff3113

Hello,

I am a new member and have a question about the RX hybrid series.
I am currently looking for a 2010 RX 450h.
I'm curious about whether anyone has converted that system to a plug in.
I have solar panels on my house and have an abundance of power available for charging.

I've noticed the RX hybrid lists it's battery pack at 37kwh. That seems like a large amount of available power storage.
Naturally, using that capacity would be a big benefit.
Other PHEVs seem to have similar storage.

many thanks for insights,

Jeff

Droid13

The RX450h hybrid battery has a power output rating of 37kw, it does not have a capacity of 37kwh. A capacity of 37kwh would suggest it is capable of supplying it's maximum power output of 37kw for 1 hour, which it certainly cannot do. More likely, just a few minutes worth at best, which would put the battery's capacity at 3kwh, as a guess. I don't recall ever seeing the capacity listed. It's a bit meaningless anyway as the NiMH batteries used for non-plugs are not designed for deep cycling associated with plug-in use. They are controlled by the vehicle electronics for short periods of charge / discharge cycles within a small range of the battery's actual physical capacity, in order to extend the life of the battery. If this battery was used in a plug-in environment with full charge/discharge cycles it would be dead in 12 months.

vlad_a

As Andy has pointed out, hybrid batteries usage is optimized for longevity instead of power delivery. There is a very narrow operating discharge range, somewhere between 60% and 70%. The best you can get is 2 miles out of it. The nature of the hybrid is to use the battery as a buffer to optimize engine loads and recuperate braking energy. It also allows the engine to run on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atkinson_cycle instead of a traditional http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-stroke_cycle.

You could opt to purchase a plug-in Prius. That will get you the best of both worlds. However, even in that setup. it has a dedicated battery for the EV-only range of 13 miles. Once it is depleted, the hybrid system will not charge it, and it will be just a dead weight, no pun intended.