Patent Pending As a hybrid battery approaches it’s “end life” it must be replaced as the vehicle cannot operate without a fully functional battery. Unfortunately this can cost $6000 or more which can be more than the vehicle is worth.
The Power Jockey method and system (patent pending) uses power from the vehicle own auxiliary power system to augment the power supplied by the hybrid battery through a dc to dc converting device. It enables the hybrid vehicle to use a battery that is at or near it’s “end life”.
Patent progress : At time of this update 11/11/2011 we have filed PCT and National Phase for New Zealand. The Patent claims are currently under examination and we do not expect to get a result before July of next year.
The above figure shows 9 test runs in a 1998 Prius NHW10 Generation one. 3 runs without the Power Jockey and 6 runs with the Power Jockey installed.
Without Power Jockey : Under hard acceleration the total pack voltage drops to 250 volts. This voltage recovers as the engine cuts in to charge the battery. The cell modules in a battery pack nearing it’s “end life” are not equal in capacities. Under stress the weakest cell module will fail.
With Power Jockey : Notice that under hard acceleration there is now no dip in the voltage. In fact the base voltage is now held above 280 volts. Notice also that charging of the battery pack is also delayed with each successive run indicating that the battery capacity is improving. It is this prevention in the voltage dip that enables a weaker battery or one near it’s “end life” to be used. This effectively extends the useful life of a hybrid battery. If a cell fails it can be replaced and with reconditioning and equalisation the battery pack can be reused again.
Skeptical : The big question being asked is how can such a small power input of 1kW make such a difference. This is why the system is counter intuitive. Not only is this force small in comparison to the 33 KW electric motor but the power also seems cyclical as the Nimh battery charges the 12 volt battery through a DCDC converter.
This small amount of power comes from the 12v battery and from the DCDC converter, is a stabilising force much like a small force needed to keep a tottering object in equilibrium. It prevents the HV battery from being discharged below it’s failure threshold and maintains a higher voltage to keep the electric motors working efficiently.
