Green Bean Battery

This company has been in business 2 years. Checking to see if they have a reputation, positive or negative, is only information that helps customers make an educated decision.


My question to green bean is, why would you need to "upgrade" the ECU for any reason? It's one sentence under the Features tab on their website. Since they are using Toyota modules, what are they changing in the ECU that is going to support their warranty?


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Wonder if that same A- rating is related in any way to this : Better Business Bureau: The Best Ratings Money Can Buy - ABC News

A quick search and you'll find other examples involving the BBB and 'pay to play'.

 

If in the battery rebuild game, having the whole package ready to go and ship out saves the “some assembly required” method.

But 2 years is hard to know one way or the other.

Search around here and you’ll see all you need to if you (or others) have to make a decision on what the next steps could be.

 

The only thing I know of about the Gen 2 HV ECU is the tendency for the voltage sensing wire harness plug socket to form corrosion on the pins. I would say 50% of the ecu's I've seen will have this corrosion at various levels of significance. Perhaps they install new pins on the circuit board/socket.

 

I would highly doubt that they install a new connector as that part is not only expensive, but the labour involved would be pretty high. More than likely just visually inspect and if bad brush it off with a wire brush. That's really all you need to do anyways since the currents involved are low and the connector is way over spec'd

 

If we are OK with the risk of buying used batteries, why are we not OK with the risk of buying new batteries directly from companies in China? On Alibaba there are new packs for about $1,000.00, claiming 3 years warranty, although I have no idea what shipping would be.

A little internet research shows that a Chinese company named Hunan Corun New Energy Co., bought the Panasonic NiMH business, including an original Prius NiMH factory in Chigasaki, Japan, in 2011. Panasonic sold this because they wanted to buy Sanyo, but the Chinese government apparently said it would be a monopoly and against anti-trust rules?

Corun Launches China’s First Automatic Production Line for Nickel-Metal Hydride Batteries

World-leading Provider of Hybrid Power System Solutions & Services

Hunan Corun's battery purchase - USA - Chinadaily.com.cn

I realize Quality Control on the OEM might be better than non-OEM, however I am wondering how much worse it would be - if it's actually the same line at the same factory. Kind of like how house brands at US supermarkets are the exact same product from the exact same factory, just run off hours and without the same brand name label. Also I wonder whether new non-OEM is really going to be worse than a 15 year old OEM that has been swapped in and out of multiple cars and "revitalized" a dozen times.

to be clear... I am not volunteering to take the risk. Especially with the trade war situation. But I am curious.

 

So how does Primearth EV Energy fit into this? Does Primearth = Hunan Corun?

The NiMH batteries were originally labelled as Panasonic EV Energy, but then changed to Primearth EV Energy when Panasonic sold some ownership stake. Primearth is still on the battery packs...

 

I'm not.

Read some posts from @2k1Toaster. There is a lot of information he has posted about the state of Chinese manufacturing, not the least of which is some have no qualms at all about printing stuff on the box that is just not true. Like saying a battery has 6.5 Ah capacity, but only tests to 3 Ah. This is from a good deal of first-hand experience working with Chinese battery manufacturers.

I think there is a lot of assumptions with these statements. How do you even prove a production line makes the OEM product, especially from afar? And even if they do, but ramp up those production lines to manufacture the OEM product unofficially and sell them under another label, who's to say they are essentially the same?

 

For some other products I dealt with non-OEM products many times were products produced for the OEN that failed the OEM’s quality tests.

 

AutoBeYours in Scottsburg IN offers rebuilt batteries with a warranty for much cheaper. Check them out!

 

Much cheaper than what? $1600 delivered gets you a kit of new cells so you have a new pack equivalent not repaired or rebuilt.

 

For a new member, this is the 3rd thread (I've read) where you've promoted that business. Are you a shill?

 

Not a shill, but it wouldn't surprise me if she was acquainted with the owner.

Autobeyours is a known and respected company here on PC, so promoting them is not a bad thing.

She probably looks at posts and can see people are being ripped.

I'm sure Autobeyours would be willing to install 2k1Toaster's kit if asked.

 

I've only been a member of PC for a little over a year and Ihad not previously read a thread with this vendor name. Suddenly every other thread I read has the same person propping them up.

If there was any hybrid repair shop where I live, I would probably promote them. Unfortunately, the only one I found, ripped me off to the tune of almost $3,000.

Contrast this to 2K1 toaster, who I have seen referenced in many many threads over the course of a year. (Ultimately I chose his product).

 

I dare say you are right in that Autobeyours has been very low key lately.

I don't think you will go wrong with that choice – new vs second-hand.

 

Ha ha, I see what you mean. I have just read through the main Gen 2 forum, and she's certainly very enthusiastic about Autobeyours and Daytona. I guess she's received very good service from them.

 

Steve at Autobeyours is a good guy.
He is a trusted fellow member of the hybrid mechanic community and I've known him for years.

I'm more than happy to vouch for him.
I recently visited his Florida shop. Even did some diagnostic work for him on a customer's Prius while I was there.

 

Has there been any feedback on PriusChat from folks who have had Green Bean batteries for 3+ years or 20K + miles? I'm interested in information about how long they last.

 

Not sure if anyone has actually gone the distance. Did you have a chance to read this thread from the first post?

Just to clarify, that GB product is a USED battery and will have a longevity that reflects such

 

Yeah. They are still in business currently and honoring their warranties.

They seem to have same track record is most Used battery folks.

Sometimes batteries fail same day as Installation. Sometimes it's a few weeks or months. Sometimes after that.

Each time the pack fails there will be an inconvenience of going through the process of asking for warranty claim, but as long as they are still in business you should be able to get a replacement.