Lithium or sodium for replacement

Just buy the tried and true factory Panasonic prismatic module battery you'll get a good deal usually if you shop around and use the time you have and they generally run 8 to 10 years look at all these neck cells and aftermarket batteries that people have been shouting about for the last four or five years none of them hasn't even the near track record of the Panasonic EV battery so there's always that I can buy any of them I want easily for our four cars we buy the original Panasonic battery because it's original Panasonic company and they work there's no melting down no funny advertising no nothing just working battery so you can get involved and get on board with all the hype or not personally I wouldn't touch any of these engineered batteries made by small people in their living room or wherever they are when things happen well there you go If you really need your car or if this is just a toy and an experiment and you have plenty and can do whatever you want then have at it but if you really need your car and you have a job and you have work and a life and family and things you may not want to be tied up on what could be in transportation generally most people want kind of what's tried and true and works with their transportation You can afford to play around with your toys glasses with radios built in them and all that but with your vehicle generally not unless you have plenty and no worries.

 

There are a lot of bashers on Prius Chat. A "LOT" of know it all's. They know EVERYTHING!
And if you do not agree with them 100%, they attack you.
The "ignore" feature makes Prius Chat easier to read.

I was going to put in the pack from Toyota, but they said they can't/won't sell it over the counter
any longer. They can only sell/send it to a shop that is hybrid certified. Which is stupid.
It was VERY easy and simple to do.
I couldn't find one for a good price. There was a jdm one on ebay, but I didn't want to put a
used battery in.

I got the lithium because it was almost $400 less then the other new modules.
They were out of stock, so I was on the list for when they came in. It was only a few days when
I got an email saying they were in. Fairly easy to order. And the next day it was shipped.
I got it in a few days.
The hardest part was getting the original battery out. My brother helped me. We removed the
old modules, and installed the new ones. Which was easy. Putting in the Prius was a lot
easier because it was lighter.

I haven't had any issues with it. My mpg only improved by 1 or 2 mpg. When it's cold, I can drive up
too 10mph for a while before the engine kicks in. And I can drive further and slightly faster on just
the battery. But since the battery was 7 years old when I bought the Prius, I can't say if it's better
then the oem battery.

This is a place to get information. Then you decide from that information.
And it will depend on how much money you have to spend, or want to spend.

You could get the Prolong system and run it on your battery. I used it for the last 3 years.
It kept the battery alive for that time. But 14.5 years was its lifespan.

 

Your 9 year old original battery should last for a few more years.

Why take a risk with the V3 sodium-ion battery? It has only been tested for about 7 months. There is no track record on how long it will last.

The OEM HV battery has a very long track record, and it is known to last for 10+ years. My money is on a new OEM battery.

 

This ought to be very interesting when I go to order my next new battery I can't wait to see how this works out I haven't seen anything about install shops or not being able to buy or any of that so far they've been willing to take my money I don't really care about their warranty personally I don't think panasonic is going to allow a lot of funny business with their name involved in it anyway That's purely personal but Panasonic is generally kind of cool like that or has been now they may sell out too like all the other good ones but we'll see so far they still seem to be pretty straightforward

 

Toyota parts departments only sell new OEM batteries. Prices vary greatly from dealership to dealership. Just call a few dealerships near you to see if they would sell it to you and get pricing. You would need to install it yourself or find someplace that would install it for you. Note that there is a $1350 core charge that you get back after returning the old battery

 

Clearly the aftermarket lithiums failing quickly and literally burning out has caused a complete reversal of their strategy. Odds are good that business will not be around when you need them. These cars are already old- ten more years with an oem is all you will need, which gives you years of driving AND a car with some resale value when you are ready to upgrade.

In the the long run, gen2 and 3 Prii will be hard to find on the road. Which adds basic market issues to aftermarket retrofits.

They are new and bring your car back to full capacity, new reliability and concern free driving for your family.

Do you really want your wife or kids driving an experiment that really has no real upsides over new oem and plenty of demonstrated downsides?

PS When asking for advice on where to buy parts or services it helps to include your location. Batteries are heavy so direct pickup is preferable over shipping for overall cost. Plus the core return.

 

You are a short drive from the best independent Prius repair facility that I know of www.autobeyours.com.

JeffD

 

When I go to set up a purchase online right now for a battery it doesn't say anything about not being able to sell to me me having to meet any certain criteria or anything except that I will be charged to 1350 core charge and I should bring my core back blah blah blah That's it I can push the button now and have it sent to my Toyota dealer and pick it up and they know me there they're the last people in the world that are going to tell me some nonsense about who can pick up or buy or whatever especially after they have my money and my core deposit and everything else I doubt that's going to happen

 

i'd wait for the potassium battery

 

Trouble is, there have been people posting here that they had been there, done that, made the $$$$ payment including the core charge, headed for the dealer (maybe in an arranged or borrowed ride, maybe a considerable distance) to pick it up, and then had the dealer say "oh, you're not a shop? we won't let you take it." And been kind of stuck unable to shop anywhere else until after getting the $$$$ charge refunded.

Maybe that's part of why you've had the experience you've had, while other people have had the experiences they've had.

 

Seems to me from the legality standpoint there should be a disclaimer the minute you select the battery to go to your cart and that would be that That's is why I go back to the dealer that I go to because they know me I know the parts guy there at the dealership and not there you know what I mean so some of that can make a difference I guess like everything else in life.

 

Almost any local shop can buy from a dealer and get a discount.

One shop three hours away from me will buy it, swap in a core ecu, etc and drive to me or anywhere in Texas (potentially 12 hours one way) for the 30 minute install. $2250 total. I had it done in a Home Depot parking lot to save the guy an additional 45 minutes into the hill country.

 

There are more trolls in those threads than he calls out.

Based on both my own work history and a separate non-public discussion, for your "lithium or sodium" question, my preferred answer is "NiMH". I have no confidence that Toyota's Gen2-3 NiMH battery supervision will ever work properly with either lithium or sodium. It wasn't meant to, and lacks the connections to do so. Aftermarket chemistry changes need to fully address this within their own designs. The current offerings still fall short. Wait until someone has a longer track record. Especially if you are financially dependent on a single vehicle and unable to afford having it go out of service.

When I traded in my 2012 Prius earlier this year, its battery was still in good condition for its age, showing no signs of failure soon. Though it did have fewer miles than yours, 125k, and had been homed in a milder climate.