Hybrid battery dead, now what?

Your Prius will not be operational, after parts of hybrid battery module totally failed..

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

that would be a very unusual situation, although, not unheard of.

 

a lot of people feel that way after getting burned on expensive hybrid components, because they purchased a hybrid thinking they would save money. but it is really a commitment to the environment more than anything else.
4k is pretty high, i would shop around. some are as low as $2,250. the battery itself is only $1,750. at some dealerships.
how many miles on your car, and why are you anticipating battery failure?

 

I agree with @bisco, shop around. $4k sounds quite high for that work. It's an easier job than with the bigger Prius although the smaller c battery inexplicably costs a bit more.

in terms of savings? A c can absolutely save you money vs. the Yaris... but only if you are driving enough miles for the relative difference in fuel economy to cancel out the periodic cost of battery replacement.

...And that's a tough needle to thread. Our rolling average has declined to about 1250 miles per month which means a gas car would have saved us money.

On the other hand, we still haven't seen a nicer subcompact hatchback. Sometimes we just want nice things.

 

There are much cheaper alternatives than the dealer. And you won't get another 8-10 year warranty on the replacement battery from the dealer, so it makes no sense to pay more. Check out Green Bean Battery. It's a refurbished battery, but the warranty is 3 years, costs less than half what the dealer quoted you (including installation), and they do the replacement at your location. There are others as well. Search around.

 

It's not nothing, that's for sure.

But if you want to dig deeper into the accounting then you should think about the brake parts rarely needed, and clutches and automatic transmission fluid that were never needed, the reduced emissions & disposal related to its tires and gas engine being smaller than what other same-size cars needed. Heck, there's some real savings in hardly ever having to get any service or repair at all.

There's definitely give and take with a hybrid. But the bottom line is that if you are driving a lot of miles, you will eventually save enough gasoline to offset hybrid costs. Most people aren't interested in doing the math to prove it in either direction. They just want to feel smug when they save money or feel victimized when they get a big bill. Sometimes both.

If you get one new or close to new and drive more than 2000 miles per month then the Prius is extremely likely to save you money, even with battery replacement costs.

If you get an 8 year old and only need to drive it 350 miles per month, then it's really going to sting when that battery bill comes in.

 

In the USA, Toyota dealer parts departments are the only place you can get a genuine Toyota brand new battery pack with a warranty. It's the real deal. A dealer near me is listing a new battery for USD $2456.74. I'm not sure how different it will be in B.C. but it isn't always as simple as currency conversion.

You don't need a Toyota-branded mechanic to install it. They will need to know hybrids, so check first.

 

And don't forget the other parts you'll never need to replace, all of which could easily strand you somewhere when they break: Starter, Alternator, Belts.

Another little annoyance that is spreading around to gas only powered vehicles is the engine start/stop system. Especially painful if you live in a hot climate and have to put up with the air conditioner stopping every time you're waiting at a red light. Since with a hybrid (at least Toyota hybrids) the AC runs off the hybrid battery, it doesn't shut down when the engine stops. Also, since you have the electric motor, you don't have to wait for the ICE to start to begin moving when the light turns green.

As for harm to the environment from disposal of hybrid batteries mentioned by Andrew Facchin, while I can't speak for other makers, I know that Toyota recycles all the parts of their batteries. And to encourage shops and junk yards to return them, they will pay $200.00 for any battery, even if all the cells are completely dead.

 

they only sell new batteries. unfortunately, idk how prices are in canada, but likely higher than here.
i would definitely go with a new battery on such a low mileage car. the c battery doesn't seem to last as long as the liftback for some reason.

 

probably only need $60 worth of used/good modules.

 

I drove 20k miles per year. With hybrid and mix 50/50 driving, I save about $500 a year compared to similar size car. Camry vs camry hybrid or prius vs Corolla. So, in 10 years 200 k miles, I saved 5000 and can buy 2x new battery. So, it is still more economical and environmental friendly too. Unlike BEV, HSD is not disposable.
It applies even better for countries with gasoline price $7 per gallon. The saving can be as high as $1000 a year.
Hybrid battery cost is in par with Diesel emission control DPF Bluedec etc. Yet, HSD is still way more reliable too.
My prius battery died once, Christmas tree for a month but it still runs fine but much slower. I got a new battery for $2800 installed brand new from Toyota. 240k miles/12 years is more than enough for me.

 

Curious, is there a way for us to find out or get tested of where our Hybrid battery is at right now. I'm going seven years but I only have less than 45,000 miles [I saved a lot during covid years due to work at home].

 

In the past I have described hybrid batteries as being a bit like an ice cream cone that you bought while walking through a park: nobody is forcing you to consume it immediately, but there isn't any practical way of saving it for later. It's on you to figure out how best to manage that.

There are phone apps which (in combination with cheap bluetooth dongles) can make estimates of battery health. I've never used these and can't endorse any.

Toyota can make a technical report of battery health for you.

Neither of those methods are bulletproof or frankly even that easy to read.

Personally, I look at it in simple terms:

Toyota promised us all 8 years on the Aqua/c battery warranty.
They haven't had to pay for very many premature failures.
They're pretty good at doing this.
The big-body Prius batteries have 10 year warranties and most of them are lasting a bit longer than that.

So I anticipate that we will need to replace the battery in our car around the 10 year mark.

Thanks for posting your parts links. I love the wacky accessories you can get for these.

 

Take a look at the Dr. Prius app. There is a website for the app. Just do a search.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Checking a battery without first restoring its residual capacity is a useless job. What will it give you? By this you only see how bad the condition of the modules are.
From the moment the battery is installed at the factory and during its operation, it loses its capacity, which needs to be restored and how often depends on the condition it was used at. This usually needs to be done at least every 3 years.

 

The problems with battery is mainly on the electrodes. They are eventually eaten up from cracked and all kinds of degradations and it is just the time when one fail, the rest are also on the last legs.