I can only seem to find topics about making the prius a plug in and then changing the battery. I've wondered about making a custom battery out of li-po batteries or Sub C, C, D, F, M size Nimh batteries. Perhaps adding a capacity increasing battery to the original, to work in parallel or something. Currently my traction battery is working, but I feel like it drops bars (In the odo display) when it gets to about half change. So I'm not to serious into changing the battery in my prius, but if it fails, I would like to know more. I've essentially found the options of buy new, buy reman, replace a bad cell. I know battery tech has gotten at least somewhat better in the 8~ years my prius has been around (2nd~ owner) I was curious if I could get a lighter or higher mah/ah capacity battery, or make one myself. I just don't know if lipo batteries would be safe and I also don't know what battery cells would be cost effective. If I were to make my own battery. Does anyone know where to look, to find out about a custom traction battery? (electric motor battery) Without going electric or plug in only? Thanks, Higgins909
People build their own batteries because they want to. If the process was cost effective someone would be trying to make a profit out of it. In addition to the cells for the battery you will need a new controller that will fool the rest of the Prius' systems into working with the new pack. The best one can do is 2k1toaster's cylindrical cell replacement pack. OEM performance for about the OEM price. If you want to talk about batteries contact me through Home and I'll put you in contact with a number of guys that have wrestled with batteries over the years as hey built their conversions.
It is a completely worthless adventure to modify the battery outside of Toyota specs unless you're also adding a plug. If adding a plug and doing some "out of fuel" trickery to make it more like a PHEV it can be a fun side project, but also a completely worthless adventure. I and many others have "been there and done that". The Prius was way ahead of its time and because of the ingenious HSD, allowed for a very crippled yet awesome pure EV in a time that none existed. Fast forwards a decade and a half, and you can buy a Nissan Leaf for the same price as you'd spend ripping apart the Prius. It's just not worth it. Lithium pack prices have plummeted and PHEVs and BEVs are everywhere now. All the hard stuff is done and it is done for way cheaper than you can ever do by yourself. There was a cool experimentation reason to do it in 2004-2008. There was little reason to do so in 2012. And there is no reason to attempt this in 2018. As to modifying a Gen-2 to put in new batteries to make it work just like it rolled off the showroom floor, I've also been there and done that and it is a worthwhile adventure for me. But I also have years of electronics experience and factory operations at my disposal that the average Joe just doesn't. As I mentioned in my thread, my "custom pack" was tens of thousands of dollars for my one pack. You could literally buy a brand new top of the line Prius for the amount it cost me to make a new custom pack for my car. I imagine it would cost an average person more to do the same unless they have similar connections, skills, and supplier networks.
