New Member Just Bought a Vtrux

[Jason Stooksbury]

On 5/25/2021 at 5:13 AM, BrendanWI said:

Has anyone seen any vtrux for sale lately? I'm interested in getting one.

I have 1 call or text 816-551-7637

[Slimsalabim]

I got my parts and was able to convince Via Motors to allow me to have a dealership in town make the repair. Here's the parts as they came from Via:

 

 

[Slimsalabim]

Apparently the truck was too heavy for the lift in the EV tech's bay, so they had to move it into a diesel bay with higher capacity lifts. Here's some pictures of the repair:

 

 

 

 

 

[Slimsalabim]

Here's a link to the battery removal procedure: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XXZV49iR-8I96M1XYJ9f6kRRpwb7QzyG/edit?usp=drivesdk&ouid=115164390539392329881&rtpof=true&sd=true

 

Getting the right to repair this was more work than I anticipated. Via Motors even had the dealership sign a liability release form before providing the procedure.

 

The dealer's tech had no problem with the repair. There was moisture in the battery pack with is common in a high moisture climates. It probably doesn't help that I love puddle jumping during the winter thaw here in MN, so I'll have to dial that back. Via suggested to clean the o-ring and it's groove. There was corrosion on the top of the battery hold down plates, but nothing to worry about on the batteries themselves. 

 

Because there's no book time available for my truck, the dealership had to charge straight time of $175 for the 1st hour, then $230 after that. My buddy is a service writer there and only charged me $175/hr for the entire repair. They also only charged me 11 out of the 14 hours it really took. Total bill at the dealer was just shy of $2k. Add the parts and rental of the Via scanner brings the total for this repair to around $3k. Not cheap, but I knew this was the risk when I purchased this truck. 

 

The concern at this point is there's a yellow triangle warning light on now which indicates something is still wrong with the hybrid system. There's also 2 weird noises when the generator (the gas engine) is running. The truck drove home 25 miles without issue though, so I'm just going to see what happens at this point and hope the issues self resolve . 

 

Thanks to everyone for following along and adding information along the way. 

 

Slim

[madude91]

On 9/25/2022 at 8:25 PM, Slimsalabim said:

Here's a link to the battery removal procedure: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1XXZV49iR-8I96M1XYJ9f6kRRpwb7QzyG/edit?usp=drivesdk&ouid=115164390539392329881&rtpof=true&sd=true

 

Getting the right to repair this was more work than I anticipated. Via Motors even had the dealership sign a liability release form before providing the procedure.

 

The dealer's tech had no problem with the repair. There was moisture in the battery pack with is common in a high moisture climates. It probably doesn't help that I love puddle jumping during the winter thaw here in MN, so I'll have to dial that back. Via suggested to clean the o-ring and it's groove. There was corrosion on the top of the battery hold down plates, but nothing to worry about on the batteries themselves. 

 

Because there's no book time available for my truck, the dealership had to charge straight time of $175 for the 1st hour, then $230 after that. My buddy is a service writer there and only charged me $175/hr for the entire repair. They also only charged me 11 out of the 14 hours it really took. Total bill at the dealer was just shy of $2k. Add the parts and rental of the Via scanner brings the total for this repair to around $3k. Not cheap, but I knew this was the risk when I purchased this truck. 

 

The concern at this point is there's a yellow triangle warning light on now which indicates something is still wrong with the hybrid system. There's also 2 weird noises when the generator (the gas engine) is running. The truck drove home 25 miles without issue though, so I'm just going to see what happens at this point and hope the issues self resolve . 

 

Thanks to everyone for following along and adding information along the way. 

 

Slim

Slim,

Thank you very much for taking the time to write this up and post it, This is very helpful to see the inner workings. 

Earlier this year, I had to have a battery module replaced and ended up costing me 6k from Via, this also included the contactors since it was recommended as a common failure for the Vtrux. 

This helps see the extent of work required to change them out. 3k is a huge amount to change out contactors for a battery pack that is very hold and might not have a long life span. 

I think back to it and think that I could have swapped a 6.2V8 in the truck and sold all the components for a good chunk, The motor and controller combo in Vtrux can easily fetch 5k, There are 2 motors and controllers in the truck. 

Edited September 27, 2022 by madude91

[madude91]

On 8/31/2022 at 6:19 PM, Racerx944 said:

 

I hope the dealer will give you a good price though I would imagine it won't be cheap since not many people want to work with HV traction batteries.

 

I have to charge the battery in the van somehow.  It is one of the very early prototype of their prototype fleet.  It has an iPad in the dash and only has 2400 miles with original tires from 2013.  If I can't figure out how to get it to run, I will probably convert it to gas and take the EV parts to use in another conversion to all electric using only batteries without an ICE.

 

If I have to take apart the battery pack, I will post pix.

 

If you end up converting this to gas and looking to sell the EV components, let me know! I might be interested 

[Slimsalabim]

28 minutes ago, madude91 said:

Slim,

Thank you very much for taking the time to write this up and post it, This is very helpful to see the inner workings. 

Earlier this year, I had to have a battery module replaced and ended up costing me 6k from Via, this also included the contactors since it was recommended as a common failure for the Vtrux. 

This helps see the extent of work required to change them out. 3k is a huge amount to change out contactors for a battery pack that is very hold and might not have a long life span. 

I think back to it and think that I could have swapped a 6.2V8 in the truck and sold all the components for a good chunk, The motor and controller combo in Vtrux can easily fetch 5k, There are 2 motors and controllers in the truck. 

I only paid 20k for this truck. Another 3k was a risk I accepted when I purchased it. I routinely get 75-120mpg in the summer with this and about 35-45mpg in the dead of winter here in MN. I love this truck.

 

Cost to repair is a relative thing. A new engine replacement on this truck (ICE truck) is $6700 as my co- worker just found out. A new transmission for a manual Toyota Scion is $6100. ****** on new cars is not cheap when you have to pay others to do it. 

 

Converting this into a standard ICE truck would be a fools errand. The time alone to do so would make purchasing a standard truck worth it. Let alone parts, especially a 6.2L and the emissions equipment. 

 

There's only one electric motor in the truck, not two. The generator, the motor, then the gearbox(?). I'm sure someone would want the equipment, but again, the time to remove it and store it until it sold hardly seems worth it. 

 

I'm happy to have created one spot where people can find information on these things to tackle issues themselves. I'll be investing in some more appropriate tools (lift and battery lift table) for future repairs. 

 

Thanks for all the research you've done and shared as well!!? 

 

Slim

[madude91]

1 hour ago, Slimsalabim said:

I only paid 20k for this truck. Another 3k was a risk I accepted when I purchased it. I routinely get 75-120mpg in the summer with this and about 35-45mpg in the dead of winter here in MN. I love this truck.

 

Cost to repair is a relative thing. A new engine replacement on this truck (ICE truck) is $6700 as my co- worker just found out. A new transmission for a manual Toyota Scion is $6100. ****** on new cars is not cheap when you have to pay others to do it. 

 

Converting this into a standard ICE truck would be a fools errand. The time alone to do so would make purchasing a standard truck worth it. Let alone parts, especially a 6.2L and the emissions equipment. 

 

There's only one electric motor in the truck, not two. The generator, the motor, then the gearbox(?). I'm sure someone would want the equipment, but again, the time to remove it and store it until it sold hardly seems worth it. 

 

I'm happy to have created one spot where people can find information on these things to tackle issues themselves. I'll be investing in some more appropriate tools (lift and battery lift table) for future repairs. 

 

Thanks for all the research you've done and shared as well!!? 

 

Slim

You have got some good points. 

If you get a motor replaced at the dealership, it usually ends up costing more. A 6.2L 10spd pull out usually goes for 5-7k with all electronics needed to do the swap. But either way, like you said, it's a fools errand to do that. Well put! 

Seems like you got it a good price that you can afford the risk of additional costs on top. I wish I got mine for a decent price, I think I overpaid for mine. 

 

So there are two identical electric motors and controllers technically speaking. One of them is purposed as a electric generator that takes the crank form the engine and converts to battery power. The other motor does all the driving and the regen as well. 

If you are mechanically/ electrically savvy, you can combine both motors and double the output. 

Here's a schematic I put together about the drivetrain

Edited September 27, 2022 by madude91

[madude91]

If I had the knowledge, skills, equipment, time and money. I would change the drivetrain to something like this below, that way you can combine power sources and can also just drive on the gas engine at high speeds where ICE is more efficient than EV. 

Again this is just a dream, I don't think I will be tearing apart this truck 

 

[Slimsalabim]

13 minutes ago, madude91 said:

If I had the knowledge, skills, equipment, time and money. I would change the drivetrain to something like this below, that way you can combine power sources and can also just drive on the gas engine at high speeds where ICE is more efficient than EV. 

Again this is just a dream, I don't think I will be tearing apart this truck 

 

I understand now what you mean with the two motors. Makes sense. If a guy could fit a transmission in there somehow, it would do wonders for the trucks acceleration and top speed. Both leave a lot to be desired. 

 

If this thing can last me a few more years until I can afford a newer EV, I'll be happy. 

 

Slim

[scraejtp]

On 9/27/2022 at 5:20 PM, madude91 said:

If I had the knowledge, skills, equipment, time and money. I would change the drivetrain to something like this below, that way you can combine power sources and can also just drive on the gas engine at high speeds where ICE is more efficient than EV. 

Again this is just a dream, I don't think I will be tearing apart this truck 

 

Much more like the Chevrolet Volt.

 

It would be easy to control with the engine off, but while the engine is running the generator would need to be speed matched, or a CVT transmission required to match the output.

There is only 1-2" between the two motors IIRC, so really only a rigid coupling would fit which would not work.

 

The solution implemented, while not the most efficient, is the simplest to implement and works well. I bought mine with ~3k miles, up to 40k now without major issues. Love the truck, and hopefully I get a lot more time with it as it seems PHEVs are not getting the OEM attention they deserve.

 

Saw another one just sell on eBay last week for $24.5k. It was definitely one I had seen for sale previously though, probably from someone posting here if you look through the thread.

Edited November 26, 2022 by scraejtp

[David Silver]

I just bought a 2015 Silverado Vtruxand am loving it so far. Does anyone have an idea on how to check SoC and SoH on the battery? Other than the gauge inside that shows charge in a rough percentage?

Also, I can't seem to get it to charge on a level 1 charger. Thoughts? 

[Slimsalabim]

3 hours ago, David Silver said:

I just bought a 2015 Silverado Vtruxand am loving it so far. Does anyone have an idea on how to check SoC and SoH on the battery? Other than the gauge inside that shows charge in a rough percentage?

Also, I can't seem to get it to charge on a level 1 charger. Thoughts? 

The SoC percentage would be nice to know and I'm not aware of how to do that. I believe the early versions had a screen (there's a photo of it on this thread) and that have the SoC reading your looking for. No idea if Via child provide that now. 

 

Slim 

[MikeBMW]

I have an Autel Maxisys Elite and paired it with the Autel BT506 Battery tester and there is an option for the VTrux for testing.
I would think a well equipped shop could get the information if you don't have the scanners mentioned above.

[David Silver]

So I jumped in with both feet on this truck. I was able to get it to charge, just needed to push a little harder. I love driving it but so far I've been unable to get it to pass deq. I'm guessing I need to keep driving in M so it runs the engine until the ECU shows ready. Any advice from others who have made it pass? I emailed Vtrux but haven't had a response yet.