My 2004 Prius was recently totaled in an accident that was caused by someone making a blind lane change, but my father has a 2005 Prius that he isn't using for, reasons, with dead hybrid and auxiliary batteries. The auxiliary is easy enough to replace, but what's the best replacement for the hybrid battery? I've never been in a position to do a full replacement. I've read about refurbished NiMH batteries, new builds, lithium ion, and sodium ion, and I have no idea where to go from here. Which type, company, etc.? Any advice would be appreciated.
If you want to keep using battery chemistry that was considered the most advanced/modern in late 80's early 90's then stick with OEM. But if you want a future proof solution that will be the most advanced/modern battery chemistry of the late 20's and early 30's you want a Sodium-Ion pack which will improve your Prius overall performance in many, mnay ways. Just head to www.saltyhybrid.com and scroll down and find an installer near you who can order a pack and install it for you.
If you want to keep using the same battery chemistry that Toyota designed the car for, use NiMH. If you want to use a battery chemistry that the car was not designed for, use sodium-ion. Be advised that the company (Nexpower Energy) that supplies the sodium-ion battery is the same company that sold Nexcell LiFePo4 batteries which had many warranty claims and almost bankrupted the company. Nexpower did not fully honor their warranty for the LiFePo4 batteries. They only offered a partial warranty towards the purchase of a replacement sodium-ion battery. Nexpower is changing their business model from selling directly to consumers to selling wholesale to battery installation companies like Hybridgeek. So, the sodium-ion battery that you see listed on the Hybridgeek website for $2,795 installed, utilizes the Nexpower sodium-ion modules. Be advised that PriusCamper also aggressively promoted the Nexpower Nexcell LiFePo4 batteries and collected a referral fee. He no longer gets any referral fees for promoting the sodium-ion battery. You can do a search on PriusChat and learn yourself about the problems with the LiFePo4 battery or you can visit the FAQ page on the Nexpower website.
@Brian1954, yes, I’ll admit it — the lithium LiFePO4 chemistry was not the right solution for every condition. Some customers had repeated issues, and the warranty replacements nearly bankrupted the company. In late 2023, I had a choice: declare bankruptcy and walk away, or take responsibility and fight for a better solution. I chose to stay. I took a loan against my house, spent my last dollar on R&D, and started over. That work led us to sodium-ion. It was not easy. All my friends know that the stress and debt had broke me, I was hospitalized for months. But I survived, and I didn’t quit. Fast forward to 2026: sodium-ion has reshaped the entire hybrid industry, helped us repay the debt, some companies exclusively using only Sodium-ion battery. We start hiring, and begin bringing manufacturing back to the United States. We are now investing in CNC machines, laser welders, laser cutters, lathe and automation equipment to build battery right here in the US. Brian, you may not care, but I still want to thank you for your criticism throughout the years. It only made me stronger, without you we probably won't even exist in 2026! Best regards, Jack
Sodium Ion is the way to go. Great price, it's light, easy to install. Holds up in both heat and cold. You're mpg will improve, more power. Not a Huge amount of course, it is a Prius. But you will notice the improvement. You're also be able to run in ev mode a lot longer. Charges quicker, and holds the charger longer. You certainly do NOT want a rebuilt or refurbished battery. They don't last. Everyone has issues with them.
Full disclosure: ASRDogman purchased a Nexpower Nexcell LiFePo4 for his Gen 3 Prius. He installed it and used the car for some time. He then became a tester of the sodium-ion battery for Nexpower. He received free of charge the first version, which was a two piece design that used cylindrical sodium-ion cells. This is the version that had a few problems and Nexpower stopped selling it. He then received free of charge the GT version of the sodium-ion battery for testing. This is the version that he presently has installed in his Prius.
Believe it or not, I am glad that Nexpower is still in business. It is good that the company is growing and making investments for the future and customers have a option of different products to purchase. What I am trying to do, is give potential customers some background about Nexpower and the products that were sold and the people that are promoting the products. Informed customers can make their own decision whether to buy the product or not. Everything that I have written in this thread is the truth. I took notice that you did not refute anything that I have written thus far. If you think that I have written anything that is not accurate, please quote what I said and why you think it is not accurate. I will take a close look at it and reply. What I am not a fan of is having customers beta test your products. It happened with the LiFePo4 battery, and many customers got burnt. You were warned right here on PriusChat about trying to use the LiFePo4 battery chemistry in a Prius that was designed for a NiMH battery, and you did not listen. IMO, it is now happening again with the sodium-ion battery. You have not done enough testing before it was released for public sale, so the customers have become the beta testers for your sodium-ion battery. Since I have your attention, can you please correct an error on the NexPower GT Series Battery Health Check & Repair Service webpage. The first sentence states "After more than 3 years of selling the NexPower GT Series sodium-ion battery pack, we have started receiving requests for battery health checks, diagnostics, and repair services." As you are aware, the public sale of the sodium-ion GT batteries did not begin until the third quarter of 2024. So it has been just shy of 2 years, not more than 3 years. Can you please change the webpage from " mote than 3 years" to "2 years." Thank you. Yes, I am a very detail orientated person (I am a mechanical engineer).
Just keep this is mind, there are some on here that are on a hate march. They are very negative, and like bashing others. It seems there goal in life is to try to make others look bad. When I first gone onto Prius chat I saw a lot of people attacking Jack. When I needed a battery for my Prius, Toyota had stopped selling them over-the-counter to people.So I tried Jack. Put my name on a list, in a couple days later I got an email saying the battery was ready. So I ordered it and within two days he had shipped it and I got it two days later. He helped me with all my questions about installing it and how it's going to run. All the negative things written about him as far as I'm concerned are lies. It's been one of the best experience I've had with any seller of anything. Someone had mentioned to Jack that I might be interested in testing his prototype Sodium Ion battery and Jack contacted me. So I said sure. And he had me doing all kind of tests because it's hot here in Florida and very humid. I had driven the car with the windows closed and no AC for 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Not a fun task! When all the testing was done, he sent me the final version. And I'm still testing it. It has performed just like he said, and it's been flawless. He did not have to do that. And I feel very fortunate that he did that for me. Just remember, no one is perfect. MANY manufacturers have bad products that started out as good. The 3rd Generation Prius is a good example. Weak piston rings, oil burning, brake pumps and accumulators that don't last as long as they should. etc., etc. But they keep making them. The 4th generation seem to have improved on some of the weak points of the 3rd generation. Sadly, they did a horrible job on the looks of the body for the fifth generation. It's about the ugliest thing I've seen or at least right up there with. I highly recommend Jack for the sodium ion batteries. The whole experience working with Jack has been great. You can certainly find cheaper batteries and rebuild crap, and there's certainly nothing bad with going with a Toyota battery, if, you know for sure you're getting new cells and not rebuilt ones or remanufactured ones. There are a lot of businesses from my research that seem to be going over to the sodium. They cost less to manufacturer, they're safer, they're stronger, can handle the freezing weather and high heat and they weigh a heck of a lot less. And extracting chemicals and materials you need is a lot easier and safer to get to. The best thing is to not rely on others opinions, and find out first hand. That's what I do. reviews, good or bad, are just that.
Can you please point out anything that I wrote thus far on this thread that is not accurate? Just quote what I said and why you think it is not accurate. I will then reply to your post. I will quote some of what I wrote in post #7.
Completely agree with what @ASRDogman is saying here. It's near the exact same experience I've had with Jack... As for losers like @Brian1954 who literally keep track of every negative accusation that's ever been said about people/businesses on here and then rather then verify it as valid they regurgitate every last bit of it every time a new discussion presents itself in order to perpetuate as much negativity and hostility as possible. Perhaps most tragic is people like @Brian1954 are incapable of perceiving how others experience them and think their own ego can neutralize their awareness of the fact everyone experiences them as a cruel degenerate with no direct first-hand experience of which they speak and no proactive contributions to increasing knowledge, just close-minded parroted hate of everyone who is trying to expand the aftermarket options for Prius owners. The good news is that if you click on your username and then click on "people you ignore" and enter @Brian1954 and you never have to see their hateful negativity ever again.
