How long can I keep driving after getting P0A80 code (dying hybrid battery)? Options to buy cells?

I've not bought modules from Hybrid Automotive, but they've always been generous in fixing problems when things don't go as planned. Though their shipping is a bit slow.

Have always got modules from my buddy Joe in Bend, Oregon: Refurbished Hybrid Battery Supplier - 2nd Life Battery He has $30K in testing equipment and his modules are always slightly better than the packs I put them in. Keep in mind you're trying to match modules with existing quality, not replace with high quality.

Don't be too alarmed by the negative reviews. Not many people do this work well and it's a challenging learning curve when you first get started. Deep cycling all modules / reconditioning is essential to success.

 

If you keep driving that car it's going to get worse.

 

Sure,

The short answer is that the computers are programed to cut the power when a failing cell is detected. That keeps users from just ignoring the problem until things catch on fire. If you clear the codes your car will have normal power for a few miles until the computer detects the failing cell again. This trick can be used to get you off a freeway or back home. Uber drivers have been known to try this for months. I don't recommend pushing a failed battery that hard.

The loss of power might not get discussed but it happens with every failed battery. What gets discussed is how to fix the problem.

 

The battery pack has 28 modules- in series. Current flow is the same through each module, so you can only use however much capacity is in the weakest module. If 27 modules have 6Ah but 1 has 2Ah, then you have a 2Ah pack. So you don't have much capacity for electric drive.

In use the weak module causes the voltage on that block to vary too much from the others and the ecu limits electric drive more to try and preserve a little function to get you off the road (and not burn the car down). It will get bad enough that the car won't ready up.

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It didn't seem to have a problem. It was in Florida, though; oher than a trip to Michigan and back. It did fine. It just varies on how long and when it will finally fail.

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It failed while driving in a neighborhood.

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Lithium has fire issues, NiMH does not... I've been on here since 2012 and I've never once seen any mention of a fire from Nickel-Based battery. It's just a flippant statement people make sometimes because they don't know any better.

To be clear:

"NiMH batteries are very safe and not particularly flammable. They can vent electrolyte if overcharged, and if the safety vent fails this could result in the cell coming apart, but usually not a fire. This probably wouldn’t happen after the battery is removed from the charger. If any kind of battery is short-circuited, it can generate a lot of heat. This heat can set other things on fire" Can a NiMH HR6 battery explode or cause a fire when it is unplugged from the charger? - Quora

 

I would not call battery fires common but they can certainly happen. These batteries demand respect. Only those with a good working understanding of the battery should attempt to work on them.

Here's a thread I started about a battery fire I had to repair. Battery Fire | PriusChat

Here's another thread found with a simple search. 2001 Prius Battery Fire | PriusChat

The attached photos are all shots I have taken of various battery mayhem.

 

Well yes, if you consider these photos what is meant by "fire." then it does happen periodically when electrical gear fails.

But In general when people refer to a car fire they aren't referring to the types of failures where battery parts that get fried and smoke a little if it fails to ignite the rest of the car. That's what most people are referring to when they speak of a car fire. As in a car fire destroys the vehicle.

That's what dogged Tesla for years. It's also what regularly happens with any vehicle powered by fossil fuels. But vehicles that use NiMH batteries don't have anywhere near the concerns that Lithium cars have when it comes to electrical fires.

I might also add the electrical failures I've experience with these battery packs have always impressed me in terms of the how safe their overall design is.

 

Perhaps that was not the most accurate phrase to use. In general all cars are designed to "not burn down", and the prius certainly has show itself to be very safe. In my head I was thinking more of the car is trying to prevent (heat) damage to itself from extreme use/ abuse or mechanical faults.

Actual burn to the ground fires are very rare.

I sometimes forget that others can interpret posts quite literally instead of figuratively. It takes knowledge and experience to make that determination.

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That is how many places "recondition" the battery, That also means the car could leave you stranded at any time. Other than getting modules from a low mileage wrecked Prius, the only good non-OEM alternative is the kit of new cells from newpriusbatteries for $1600 delivered. The link is in my signature. They have had zero warranty claims or other issues. The "reconditioners" cannot claim that record.

 

What you choose to do depends on your available time and money vs your risk tolerance for having an unreliable car. Straight module swap CAN work but who knows for how long- a year, a month, a week?

I cycled all the modules on my hv pack with hobby chargers and ended up replacing 4. Each module takes 5-6 hours per cycle (depends on the discharge power spec of your charger) and they needed 3 to 6 cycles per module. So all told it was about a month of evenings and weekends to do it all (with several chargers to do 4 at a time). Will look closer at the Prolong system. I did end up with a pack that tests to 5.5 Amp hour and data still looks good after 2 months and 3 thousand miles.

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It can be done with just one SKYRC charger if you're ok with not having the vehicle available for a long, long time. I have seven SKRC chargers and 7 lightbulb-based dscharger and it still takes 2-3 days, so...