What's this hole with the rubber stopper for? I used it, and the stud which seems welded in, to anchor a second 12V battery in the empty space on the left side of the back. Curious minds want to know. I'm sure Toyota uses the same basic frame and body for different setups in different countries. For example, I've heard that in Japan, you can order a 100V inverter built into the car. Does it go into this space? Is this hole for a vent tube for a second AGM 12V battery? What is the other hole with a rubber stopper (on the left) for?
That’s in drivers side rear corner under hatch floor; stud is for securing a black plastic cubby/tray thing that drops onto it.
Why would there need to be such a solid (welded?) stud to connect the plastic tray, especially since the tray has a plastic hand-tight nut? Methinks Toyota put the tray there for USA cars, but that the original purpose of that space is for something else, such as the Japanese 100V inverter? A second battery (maybe that's the hole with the rubber seal, for the vent tube)? Does anyone know what that space originally was made for?
I already know what is there on the USA Prius. That's a photo of my Prius, with the plastic "bucket" removed. What I'd like to know is what is that space used for in other countries, like in Japan, where there is (was?) an option for a 100V inverter? Or did Toyota actually just plan for the small plastic tray/bucket and felt that it needed a solid stud welded into the bottom to hold it? Especially since so many other things are just clipped in? And why the two holes with rubber stoppers? And why is there a flange which sticks out with a hole in it? What's supposed to be screwed into that hole? Come on, you're smart people. Yes I know there's the bucket/tray there in the USA Prius. But what are all those holes for? What's the stud for? Why did Toyota design that space that way? Just to give us sleepless nights? There must be a good reason...
It may be difficult to answer your question without information from Toyota’s proprietary design and production engineering documentation. For example, some of the holes might have been made for use in manufacturing, perhaps to allow robots to handle and position the parts accurately for welding. Catalog Figure 58-01, Floor Pan & Lower Back Panel shows that the main part seen in your photo is the rear floor partition panel sub-assembly (58303-47030, replaced by 58303-47031). This part is also used, at least as a service part, on first-generation Prius Plug-in (ZVW35) and Prius v/Prius+/Prius α (ZVW40/ZVW41) models. On Prius Plug-in cars, the No. 1 hybrid battery carrier bracket (seen in catalog Figure 82-01, Battery & Battery Cable, part name code G92K3) has supports that extend down to the partition panel sub-assembly, and it could be that some of the holes and bosses are for those. As far as I know, no Prius car has a second auxiliary (12-volt) battery, unless you count the small inverter battery in the center console on some fourth-generation models. I believe the 100-volt inverter goes in the space used for a spare tire on other versions of the car.
Thanks! That's interesting about robots holding parts, that makes sense. And thanks about suggesting that plug-in cars might need some of that space. Do some countries (other than the USA) skip the spare tire? I've always felt that the "donut" spare is dangerous, and for some car purchases I've made, I've insisted that a full-size spare be included. I've never had a flat, but my wife has had several.
