I purchased a 2010 Prius, according to the previous owner the hybrid battery was changed at some point. I thought cell/modules were original ,until I removed the battery and put eyes on it. Unsure if The car remained parked for a long time and discharge due to non use. I plan to recharge or rebuild and balance the pack after determining which module is bad. I want to charge and discharge 3 times and record the mah on each cell. I purchased a Tenergy T180 charger to help. Discovered the cells are cylindrical in shape and green and 14 total. Each section say 6.5AH and has 4.4V stamped with “Electron electric vehicle experts.” Appear to be 3 rows tall in each module. I’m trying to figure out the following: 1. What voltage to charge each individual module? And how many Amps? I read online it might be 14.4V but want to confirm nothing indicate on the battery. Other than 4.4v and 6.5ah 2. What amp to discharge and to what voltage to not damage the cell/module? I’m including pictures of the current voltage after being removed without charged. I just realized I labeled them backwards 1 should be closed to the fan.
there are lots of threads here with all the info you need, plus youtube videos with step by step instructions watch watch watch prius-hybrid-battery-recondition-guide.223892 all the best!
Thanks for the response. All of these video work with stock cells(28) per pack. I have updated cylindrical cells that are 14.4V and consist of (14) total with higher voltage in each. similar to this upgrade. Cannot seem to find a video of a rebuild or any post outlining reconditioning. Here’s a photo of the pack - all help is appreciated . Do I charge to 17.0v-18.0v @ 6500 MAH .8 amp? Discharge at 1 amp to 12.5V ?
@spgview211 I recommend doing a consultation with @ericbecky. He has a ton of experience with hybrid batteries.
Appreciate the insight, I’ll tag him and see if he can offer pointers. I looked him and he’s on the East coast. I set my charger to .8 amps and it charged to apx 17.0 V @ ~2500 mah before timing out (200min safety). I increased to 2.0amps @ 600 minute safety cut-out. @ericbecky Quick question: Do I set my charger to 6500mah or higher to 8500mah? I plan to discharge at 1.0amp (or higher based on feedback) to try and recondition these cells and figure out which one is bad before rebalancing/ rebuilding.
IMHO; your best bet is to try to find OE markings on the battery modules and do a search for their specifications. There were several iteration of after market cylindrical battery systems made, so the only way to get accurate specs. is to contact the seller of that pack - if they're still around. I personally wouldn't consider a cylindrical module pack to be an upgrade when compared to Toyota's track record of their traction packs. The worse news is that you have an INVALID traction battery core, if you decide to buy a new one from Toyota. Toyota won't accept it, so you'll also lose your core charge in that transaction. FWIW; the gen1 Honda Civic Hybrids used cylindrical modules too; I got about 70K miles before it needed replacement - luckily still covered under warranty due to CARB rules. Good Luck.....
Looks like Electron Automotive kit. You could give them a call and ask for advice: Electron Hybrid Solutions | Hybrid Battery Replacement Toyota Prius (2010-2015) Brand New Hybrid Battery Rebuild Kit - ELECTRON
Tempted to go the used route with a JDM battery and buy the Prolong battery charger to fully charge or balance the pack prior to install, if I can’t get this functional in a week or two. OEM more than likely has better chemistry than these cells, to your point maybe it’s a downgrade and not an upgrade….
JDM wouldn't be wise when battery cores can be had for only $200... And if you want to have a rebuilt pack on the shelf and one in the car that could work, but its a steep learning curve to rebuild packs well and with each rebuild it becomes less viable. Even the best rebuilders can onlymake money on 3-year warranties. Of course if you get good at finding packs for cheap and enjoy the rebuilding process you can make money helping out friends and family. I ended up with lots of spare OEM packs thanks to being an installer of Sodium-Ion packs... I usually sell them to rebuilders but always have a spare lying around. As with all things, the more involved you get with stuff like this, the more opportunities arise at a great price. But if you have a spare couple thousand bucks, just get something new and forget about it and don't bother with rebuild learnings.
@PriusCamper @BiomedO1 I’m still trying to piece this together and appreciate the insight and help. Literally, bought it disassembled and in pieces. A few weeks of charging all cells, and got it running finally with traction lights,abs, red triangle;unsure if traction pack is working entirely. And have more test to run in Dr. Prius- all lights went away after a drive and obd II reset except P0A0D. Initially had codes P03BD,U029A; cleared these and drove it more and now triggered P0A0D. Reset it again. Checked the “Main safety battery Interlock Disconnect” and the lever was engaged to the right as others suggested this would trigger that specific code. Watched a video of removal, and noticed under the disconnect there is a 2 pin wire below the interlock. It’s also connected. Any other ideas to check in case it reappears?
If you have an active/current P0A0D code, you would not be able to start the car. Maybe the code is historical? What scanner or app are you using to read codes.
Where can one get battery cores for $200? I would get one, if for nothing else than to learn to refurbish and balance.
it could’ve been now that I think about it, I was using the Dr. Prius app and a Launch X431. Will drive today and see
Finding them isn't easy because of the safety issues that businesses who don't know much about these packs have. Also some states treat them as hazardous waste and some don't. California originally considered them hazardous waste but then lobbyist got involved and rescinded it, but many people with access to junk hybrid cars never got the memo. If you're a battery rebuilder like Oregon's Trusted Hybrid Battery Supplier: 2nd Life Story you buy them by the truckload and they cost between $200-$400. This is also who gives me $200 per pack when I upgrade people to Sodium-Ion. But that's what a wholesale buyer pays. However if you find a business that scraps hybrid cars at scale you might be able to get your foot in the door, but you'd likely need to buy more than one. Also there was a time back in 2018 when my local Pick n' Pull had years of battery packs piling up and they were selling them for $50 because nobody knew they were available in the back of the shop. But those days ended real quick because corporate contracted with a Nickel metal recycler. So I went to the corporate office (subsidiary of Schnitzer Steel Industries) and tried to see if I could line up less than a thousand per year for 2nd life battery mentioned above but they ignored us because we were too small of an endeavor and they preferred doing business with a single buyer who could harvest metals from thousands of them per year. Wish all those packs could of been used longer and not scrapped.
