What battery does my Prius have?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Peet, Feb 20, 2025 at 12:37 AM.

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  1. Peet

    Peet New Member

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    I am buying a 2010 Prius, the current owner has always been under the impression that the vehicle is fitted with a Li battery, but the user manual says that it is NiMh.
    I see that both were an option for the 2010 model, but I am not finding any information on how to confirm what is currently fitted, ideally without opening the battery, which I am happy to do, but best not to if there is another way.
    I do have a fairly advanced scan tool, so querying the system is no problem, I am not picking up a BMS or battery controller module, but it might fall under one of the other modules.
    Another question is if there is a NiMh installed how feasable is it to upgrade to Li if it dies?
    The vehicle is still on its original battery, which seems to still perform well WRT fuel economy...
    I am an electronic engineer, I do service our own cars myself and have stripped and rebuilt both my Renault Kangoo and my wife's Toyota Yaris engines, just as a ref, as I know there are many people who would be best referring this type of work to a service company.
     
    #1 Peet, Feb 20, 2025 at 12:37 AM
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    The 2010 liftback were all NiMH. Only the Prius+ had a Li-Ion battery and those weren’t in production until 2011/2012. And only for the 7-seat version.
     
    #2 Tideland Prius, Feb 20, 2025 at 1:27 AM
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  3. MAX2

    MAX2 Active Member

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    If you have a non-plug-in hybrid, the battery is NiMH.
    Plug-in hybrids have a lithium battery, but it takes up the entire bottom of the trunk.
    You can open the trunk and take a look.
     
    #3 MAX2, Feb 20, 2025 at 1:43 AM
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  4. Peet

    Peet New Member

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    Thank you for the concise answers, I know this vehicle to be 5 seat, not plugin and has a spare wheel in the trunk, so almost certainly not Li.
    Fuel economy still seems good, so presumably it is in fair condition.
    Would anyone know about a thread where someone upgraded to Li?
    It would be interesting to know if that’s a reasonable option, especially if one gets more electric range!
     
    #4 Peet, Feb 20, 2025 at 11:37 AM
  5. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Bet the seller also said all highway miles.
     
    #5 Grit, Feb 20, 2025 at 10:28 PM
  6. MAX2

    MAX2 Active Member

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    Are you planning to drive only on electric traction?

    Then it is not reasonable.

    Electricity in a non-pluggable hybrid is taken from the combustion of gasoline, and with a lot of losses in the transmission of energy from the engine to the wheels, from the engine to the motor-generators, from the motor-generator to the inverter, from the inverter to the high-voltage battery and back.
     
    #6 MAX2, Feb 21, 2025 at 12:56 AM
  7. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    You need a more hybrid centric scanner. Low cost options include the free Dr Prius or Car Scanner phone apps and a $35 US bluetooth obd2 interface.

    There is a company in California that was selling lithium retrofits but the product had short lifespans, no lithium bms and fires. They denied everything for years but then suddenly dropped the product.

    Your best bet for a 2010 are new oem nimh modules or buy a Prius +/alpha that came with lithium cells and a lithium bms from the factory. That car mounted the lithium cells under the front seat console.
     
    #7 rjparker, Feb 21, 2025 at 1:15 AM
    Last edited: Feb 21, 2025 at 7:52 AM
  8. Paul Gregory

    Paul Gregory Active Member

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    I believe only the plug-in models had lithium ion batteries.
     
    #8 Paul Gregory, Feb 21, 2025 at 2:07 AM
  9. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    The Sodium Battery is VERY good. Mine has been great!
     
    #9 ASRDogman, Feb 21, 2025 at 7:42 AM
  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    What’s the miles on it? There can be “other issues” besides the hybrid battery.
     
    #10 Mendel Leisk, Feb 21, 2025 at 8:35 AM
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  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Plug ins were not available until model year 2012
     
    #11 bisco, Feb 21, 2025 at 10:50 AM
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  12. Peet

    Peet New Member

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    Thank you for all the replies.
    The car has 120 000 kilometres on it, a good friend of mine is selling it as he is moving abroad.
    I am currently using the car twice a week, so I do know the car and it has been very well looked after, the thing that concerns me is that it is the original battery, though seemingly good at this stage, I want to understand the costs involved when it does go.
    Partly an upgrade to make it a plugin would be great, as the company I work for has charging stations and don’t charge their staff for the use thereof, but any economy / savings are always great.
    I am part of the R&D team that designed a lithium battery for inverter systems, so I understand the technology quite well and won’t get anything that doesn’t have a BMS and doesn’t balance.
    Interesting that a standard scan tool is not the best choice, I’ll try and see what makes the app more suited.
     
    #12 Peet, Feb 21, 2025 at 10:51 AM
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    May I ask where you saw that both batteries were available for the 2010 Prius?
     
    #13 bisco, Feb 21, 2025 at 10:51 AM
  14. Peet

    Peet New Member

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    Somewhere on this forum there is a brochure, I am currently using my phone to browse, not a computer, which is clearly not ideal for this site, but certainly at a quick glance it has both technologies.
    Here is what I found, though I cannot exactly say where on this forum I found it.
    I don’t seem to be allowed to post a link yet, so I’ll try to post a screenshot of the page.
     

    Attached Files:

    #14 Peet, Feb 21, 2025 at 11:00 AM
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  15. Paul Gregory

    Paul Gregory Active Member

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    I had one, and they seemed to be quite rare. And not really a success for the company. But I'm glad they didn't abandon the concept and improved it with the Prime.
     
    #15 Paul Gregory, Feb 21, 2025 at 11:08 AM
  16. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    The Plug-In was a prominent product placement, in Under the Dome TV series, a less than memorable adaptation of Stephen King's book of same name. Nice rims, snagged a set. :)

    (Appreciate I'm way off-topic, sorry.)
     
    #16 Mendel Leisk, Feb 21, 2025 at 11:49 AM
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  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Idk about Canada, but down here, they were only sold in carb states.
    Like the prime, they never made enough to meet demand, probably because of the lower profit
     
    #17 bisco, Feb 21, 2025 at 1:49 PM
  18. Paul Gregory

    Paul Gregory Active Member

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    I don't know how they were sold here, but I got mine at a discount because the dealer couldn't move it, I guess.
    I only ever saw one other Prius Plug-in and heard about another. Seemed rare to me.
     
    #18 Paul Gregory, Feb 21, 2025 at 2:03 PM
  19. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    On the west coast I usually stop-and-stare when I see one, very rare. Apart from the missing charge port ours looks like one at present, using Plug-In rims with our snows. :)
     
    #19 Mendel Leisk, Feb 21, 2025 at 2:27 PM
  20. Paul Gregory

    Paul Gregory Active Member

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    The charging port door on the right side is the most obvious identifying feature. Sold mine last year for $9500. I guess it was a bit underpriced; no wonder it went fast. No regrets, however.
     
    #20 Paul Gregory, Feb 21, 2025 at 2:31 PM
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