I'm going to be selling my 2008 Prius soon out here in the Chicago 'burbs. It has an installed Hymotion battery pack, which some of you are probably familiar with. It works great and normally I'd be sad to see it go, but we got a great deal on a PIP and don't need 3 cars. Anyway, what do you guys think I should do with this Hymotion pack? Do you know if there's a market for it SEPARATE from the car where someone would want it for their own, or should I just try to sell the pack and the car together? I'm assuming I'm better off just keeping the pack and the car together, but I also read on here where guys are putting aftermarket battery kits in their Prius, so maybe there would be some interest in this pack as a separate entity. What do you think? Thanks!
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is not really a market for it separate because of its uniqueness. Nor is there really a market for selling it with the car since it is basically an orphan system. There are still a few independent techs like me keeping these things running, but there has not been much interest from anyone new wanting to become an owner of an old system. I mainly work with existing owners trying to keep their systems operational. The batteries in your system are not as modular or replaceable with off-the-shelf batteries that other systems are using. Feel free to call and talk about it though. I may be interested in it if you get stuck. Or if you sell it to someone else I'd be happy to talk to them about services and support.
Thanks Eric. Actually, I'm not surprised but I thought I would ask anyway. I wasn't sure if separating it from the car would make it any more valuable. It's good to know, though, that there are guys like you out there who can provide some support if a potential owner becomes interested.
You can get parts and technical support for Hymotion packs from Sybesmas Electronics in Holland, MI...just across the "little pond" from you. I would bet you could find a buyer for the car with the pack included if they knew where to go if they had problems, especially if the system is still running OK. Have you had any problems with it? How does the PiP compare to the Hymotion Prius?
wb9k- So far, I have had no problems with it except for an occasional stray electron here and there where the pack won't work or take a charge. However, it usually clears itself up overnight. I see in your mini-profile there by your post that you have a Hymotion pack as well. How is yours working for you? How long have you owned it? Eric (two posts above yours) mentioned that company over in Holland, MI. I told my buyer about them, but I'm not sure the pack is even worth the shipping costs, never mind the overhaul since mine is over 5 years old. I think if it dies, they're just going to leave it in the car and drive it around like a "regular" Prius. And if you don't have a good "hybrid guy," I'd recommend talking to Eric. I have had a few conversations with him about my car and the Hymotion system and he was very knowledgeable. The car sold last weekend and the buyer is flying out in a couple of days to pick it up. I didn't get any premium over the fair market value of the car for the pack despite around 20 offers over 3 weeks. The PiP Advanced and my 2008 Prius (Package 6) are two entirely different cars. We really enjoyed our Gen 2 and will miss it, but the PiP Advanced is simply a more refined, technologically advanced car. And it's nice to not use gasoline at all on our many short journeys, unlike our Hymotion Prius which always burned a little gas. And my wife refused to learn how to pulse&glide, which pretty much negated the advantages the Hymotion pack offers.
I think I would recommend against leaving it in. If the pack dies and they don't feel it's worth it to repair, then it's pretty silly to leave 100+ lbs of dead weight in the trunk. Granted...it will drive like a "regular" Prius...but it's a "regular" Prius carrying significant dead weight and losing mpg because of that.
I guess that depends upon how much gas you would save by removing it vs. the cost of paying someone to uninstall the pack.
