Your concerns bring up exactly the reasons why we didn't stop at just developing the high speed EV mode.  Most of the attention has been on the high speed EV functionality because it sounds the most impressive and it is easy to describe.  It is cool and very useful to drive short distances at speeds > 35mph without starting the ICE, but in reality, you often need more than 25kW of acceleration to merge or keep up with traffic.  The enhanced PHEV mode does exactly what you wish it would do - use the ICE when you are accelerating faster than 25kW (while still using the full 25kW of electric during acceleration), and switch back to electric mode automatically when coasting, even for costing on the highway.  The switches are completely seamless and fully automatic and it feels like you are driving the stock car with the exception that it drives smoother.  There are no three beeps when you accelerate too fast or switches to flip to get into and out of EV mode.  You don't have to change your driving habits to drive with it and still get good mileage.  Obviously, if you accelerate mildly you will get the best mileage, but even with rapid acceleration, you can still get very good mileage over 100mpg.

It is difficult to explain how much better the enhanced PHEV system works than SOC spoofing without actually experiencing it.  That is why we took the YouTube video to try to give a feel for how it works, but really you need to test drive a system to get a feel for it.  Just for reference - the other day we drove the car down the highway with the enhanced PHEV system without doing anything special and got > 250mpg over nearly 10 miles traveling at 65mph.  It really works for every day driving, which is something that other systems haven't always done very well.

1.  Given the above, do you think my wife could drive a Ewert conversion?

It will feel just like driving the stock Prius.  Pressing the brake to start the car is still part of the stock car operation, of course.  We specifically designed the system be as easy to use as possible and require no extra interaction from the driver while driving.  Other than remembering to plug the car in and unplug it before driving, there is no extra user interaction required.  The car will not allow you to drive (will not start) unless the car is unplugged, so you don't have to worry about that.  The display pops up with a message reminding you that the car is plugged in and will also remind you that if you remember to plug the car it, you will get better mileage.

2.   Why did Kim, merge onto the freeway so slowly during his video?   I would have liked to see the (prewarmed) ICE come on for the acceleration up to freeway speeds and then see the car revert back to all electric.   Is this possible?

I wasn't there, but I believe he was driving in all electric mode where the acceleration is limited to 25kW.  The enhanced PHEV mode does exactly what you want.

3.  What range does the Plug-In Conversion NI-MH pack have?  How does this compare to the Plug-In Supply Li-Ion packs range?

I believe the low speed EV range of the Plug-In Conversions pack is 25 miles.  At highway speeds, that will be more like 17-20 miles (see previous post.)  I am not aware of what Plug-In Supply is offering - you will need to contact them.  The Plug-In Conversions system is an OEM battery replacement conversion, which can be up to about 20% more efficient for delivering that energy to the drivetrain.  A 2 pack system will have losses when the energy is transfered from one pack to the other - particularly at higher powers, so keep that in mind if you are comparing the packs strictly on kWh.  I would highly recommend asking other people who have purchased the specific systems which you are looking at for their experiences.

4.  What if the car already has the basic Interim Control Board based conversion, would a Ewert conversion still cost $13K?  i.e. are retrofits available.

Unfortunately, the enhanced mode is incompatible with the CalCars style conversions for several reasons including the battery capabilities.  I will tell you that if you are comparing this to a system based on the Interim board, you will notice a very substantial increase in usability and in mileages, specifically at speeds over 34mph where the interim based system pretty much doesn't do anything.

5.  I haven't looked at the weights, but could one feasibly, sacrifice rear seating and/or additional cargo space with more/bigger batteries to get additional range?

Yes, that is of course possible, but if you do it right, you should be able to pack up to about 60-70 miles range in the trunk with li-ion batteries according to some numbers we ran in the past.

Chris

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