1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

'Backup' Hybrid battery?

Discussion in 'Prius c Main Forum' started by farmecologist, Jul 15, 2021.

Page 1 of 2
  1. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2015
    1,953
    1,797
    0
    Location:
    Southern MN
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    II
    Hi all,

    I was poking around our local junkyard sites and came across a Prius C hybrid battery for an extremely good deal. The donor Prius C had 65K on it when the battery was pulled. However, the guys at junkyard said it has been 'on the shelf' for a bit over 2 years.

    I'm not too familiar with battery recycling, etc...Can you battery experts out there give me advice on what would need to be done to get the battery in working order? I'm assuming the cells are fully discharged by this point...correct? If so, is that bad?

    Note that the battery on our 'new to us' 2012 Prius C also has 65K or so but being a 2102, the battery is getting old...and I know that age may matter more than miles for these batteries. So I thought it might be good to have a 'backup' battery for the inevitable...

    Thanks in advance! (y)
     
    #1 farmecologist, Jul 15, 2021
  2. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2012
    3,311
    1,017
    0
    Location:
    Arcadia, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    Our v is a '12 with 30k miles roughly. I don't think it's the age, it's the mileage. 65k is a little high. I'd wait until I need one then buy one of the available options...

    moto g(7) power ?
     
    #2 jzchen, Jul 15, 2021
  3. tangerino

    tangerino Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2018
    82
    15
    0
    Location:
    WA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I would check the voltage if you can. From what I've read if any of the blades are anywhere near 6V out or below each then they're probably permanently damaged. I'm curious how much they would self discharge but if 0.1v/month then they're probably dead. I read they shouldn't sit longer than 6 months without recharging.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #3 tangerino, Jul 15, 2021
  4. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2014
    1,612
    1,144
    0
    Location:
    Franklin TN
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Sitting two years is bad for NiMH batteries. I wouldn’t worry. Just keep driving the C, I doubt you’ll have any battery problems till years down the road.

    My sisters highlanders hybrid battery is 16 years old and works very well. Wild how well these batteries hold up in some cases.
     
    #4 Aaron Vitolins, Jul 15, 2021
    douglasjre and farmecologist like this.
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    110,134
    50,050
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    some things are just not worth trying to maintain for an emergency. this is one of them.

    when your battery goes out, get a new one
     
    #5 bisco, Jul 15, 2021
    jzchen likes this.
  6. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2015
    1,953
    1,797
    0
    Location:
    Southern MN
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    II
    Interesting...ok sounds good. Hmm..I hadn't heard that dead cells couldn't be brought back to life. Also reading about replacing cells yourself. Looks kind of interesting for a guy like me that likes to tinker. (y)

    I'd be interested in hearing from other battery gurus...especially the ones that have replaced cells, etc... I swear I've read some posts about people slowly recharging dead cells and they work just fine. However, of course I can't locate the threads on demand right now.

    @Mendel Leisk @Raytheeagle any idea on who some other 'battery gurus' are that could chime in here?
     
    #6 farmecologist, Jul 16, 2021
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    56,675
    39,222
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    #7 Mendel Leisk, Jul 16, 2021
    Raytheeagle, Aaron Vitolins and farmecologist like this.
  8. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2015
    1,953
    1,797
    0
    Location:
    Southern MN
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    II
    #8 farmecologist, Jul 16, 2021
    Raytheeagle likes this.
  9. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2016
    11,257
    15,491
    0
    Location:
    Bay Area, California
    Vehicle:
    2019 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    @SFO has rebuilt battery packs with the Prolong equipment before:).

    But that excludes reviving a dead cell:whistle:.

    Best to just swap that out and balance the pack ;).

    I'd start by measuring individual module voltages and see where you stand if you are set in purchasing the spare pack (y).
     
    #9 Raytheeagle, Jul 16, 2021
    farmecologist, Mendel Leisk and SFO like this.
  10. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2016
    11,257
    15,491
    0
    Location:
    Bay Area, California
    Vehicle:
    2019 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Resident librarian :).

    He's got us covered(y).
     
    #10 Raytheeagle, Jul 16, 2021
  11. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2012
    3,311
    1,017
    0
    Location:
    Arcadia, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    #11 jzchen, Jul 17, 2021
    farmecologist and Mendel Leisk like this.
  12. JohnPrius3005

    JohnPrius3005 Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2021
    422
    233
    0
    Location:
    California and Hawaii
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Hi farmecologist, I’d buy it if it’s a great deal, you have the money to spare, and you want to learn first hand all about these batteries, cells, modules, blades. You’ll learn a lot, not be under pressure to change the good battery in your running car.

    If you’re successful you can then look around for a deal on a car with a bad battery, and flip it. Or keep it as a back up car.

    The gear to discharge and charge these batteries either as a unit or as individual modules is inexpensive and readily available.

    Aloha
     
    #12 JohnPrius3005, Jul 17, 2021
    farmecologist likes this.
  13. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2017
    5,302
    4,241
    0
    Location:
    Northern California
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    This list could quickly become quite extensive..

    How about a few of the peeps on the other side, like @dolj and @Phildo - or the missing in action @kiwi ?

    And though Steve Keith (Phoenix Hybrid Batteries LLC) isn't currently around (sigh), let us not forget :whistle:
     
    #13 SFO, Jul 17, 2021
    Aleš, Raytheeagle, farmecologist and 2 others like this.
  14. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 12, 2018
    7,432
    6,916
    1
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    I don't see the point of aging two batteries instead of one.

    Invest the money somewhere safe and buy a good fresh battery the day you need one. The one you have may still give years of good service.

    Compound interest ages better than NiMH batteries.
     
    #14 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Jul 17, 2021
    dubit and Aaron Vitolins like this.
  15. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2015
    1,953
    1,797
    0
    Location:
    Southern MN
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    II

    It is an extremely good deal.. I think the yard is pretty motivated to get rid of it.

    However, the fact it has sat on the shelf for 2 years or so seems pretty concerning based on a comment in post #3 ( 'Backup' Hybrid battery? | PriusChat ). If the battery modules are truly discharged, then I'm not sure it's worth it? What I want to know is if discharged modules can be 'resurrected' or not. Appears not...but I'd like some experts to chime it. (n)
     
    #15 farmecologist, Jul 18, 2021
  16. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    110,134
    50,050
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    there's a thread here somewhere about reliquidating them
     
    #16 bisco, Jul 18, 2021
    farmecologist likes this.
  17. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2015
    1,953
    1,797
    0
    Location:
    Southern MN
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    II

    Interesting...I haven't found it yet. Any idea where it's at? (y)
     
    #17 farmecologist, Jul 19, 2021
  18. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2017
    5,302
    4,241
    0
    Location:
    Northern California
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    This thread will get you started : Re-hydrating the battery modules. | PriusChat

    Would've poked the bear directly, but he is already spun up elsewhere ;)
     
    #18 SFO, Jul 19, 2021
    Raytheeagle, bisco and farmecologist like this.
  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    110,134
    50,050
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    thank you sfo!
     
    #19 bisco, Jul 19, 2021
    Raytheeagle and SFO like this.
  20. topshot

    topshot Member

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2017
    144
    57
    0
    Location:
    Midwest
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    If fully discharged (0V) then no. If at least a few V then maybe (the more the better). Check the voltage of each cell and decide from there if it's worth your trouble and money.
     
    #20 topshot, Jul 22, 2021
    farmecologist likes this.
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)
Page 1 of 2