Featured NIMH Prius models a better value than Lithium models?

There are no cases when lithium batteries need to be restored. At least if something happens to lithium batteries installed by Toyota, it is very rare.
When lithium is installed by private companies, it can have consequences, up to and including a car fire.
NiMH is much simpler, it is less susceptible to temperature processes and can be replaced by a non-professional.

 

Lithium ion batteries slowly lock up the lithium ions in the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer. It is just built-in to how past and current batteries work. In contrast, the NiMH batteries use hydrogen ions that are not fixed in the battery.

The NiMH problem is gas generated, internal pressure. As the gas, especially a small amount of hydrogen leaks out, the battery electrolyte dries out and eventually a small part of the plastic separator melts and shorts the cell. We saw Toyota address this problem:

• Gen 1 - single inter cell connector and weak terminal "O" ring. If driven to avoid drawing high currents and air cooling adequate, they have a long life.
• Gen 2 - doubled the inter cell connection to reduce internal resistance and much stronger terminal "O" rings. At one time there was a home business of repurposing salvage batteries to make Gen 1 battery packs.
• Gen 3 - even more robust but the end of the line of NiMH batteries (I think).

High pressure hydrogen is a difficult gas to keep from leaking out.

Bob Wilson

 

NiMH batteries are better in cold weather generally speaking. Lithium-ion has other advantages in other ways, but they don't like being charged in freezing temps.

A typical Prius c battery is good for about 10 years out of the factory before it needs anything. Other models of the Prius can go a bit longer before they need help, but their batteries are larger and more expensive, so there's the trade-off.

When you evaluate the economics of a Prius, get the youngest one you can afford, and remember that the only way they save you money is by burning less gasoline. If you don't drive many miles, it won't save many dollars.

 

Adding to the fleet, or jumping ship on the Prius c?

 

I haven’t seen any cases of Toyota lithium having problems with the cold, or needing to be rebuilt/replaced yet, and we’re talking 13 years now , and 10 years of gen 4

 

Gen 4 - Toyota claims to use a better nickel alloy. Trim 2 and, I think Trim 1 (fleet/rental) had NiMH. 3 Eco and above had Lithium Ion.

 

Toyota has been trying to use up their nimh supplies for years, are they still putting them in AWD models?

 

All 2025 Camry, incliuding AWD are Li-Ion

 

You will be sorry and it won't be the hv battery alone sucking up many thousands of dollars.

Still out there even in the new Crown from their standard 236 hp version to their 340 hp drivetrain.

 

AWD, or other models as well?

 

All Crown and Rav4 hybrids are awd. The lower three Rav4 hybrids are nimh while the higher six are lithium.

 

Are they using the bipolar battery?

 

I wouldn't be swapping any Nickel batteries for lithium. The engineering may be different.