Stage II & stage III interchange

[ibiwisi]

I have an 03 (stage II) with 146k miles. My brother just totaled his 07 (stage III). I have been trying to find out if his Lith-ion Main pack will physically fit and work in my stage II that has the nickel-Hydride Pack. I believe the Stage I (NI-Cad) and Stage II (ni-Hyd) are interchangeable but the dealers can't even tell me if 04 to 07 changed the voltage on the drive motor or if the Lith-ion pack will work in my 03. My pack was replaced in 04 on the leackage recall. Any help is greatly appreciated. ED

[Danny Hamilton]

Originally Posted by ibiwisi

I have an 03 (stage II) with 146k miles. My brother just totaled his 07 (stage III). I have been trying to find out if his Lith-ion Main pack will physically fit and work in my stage II that has the nickel-Hydride Pack. I believe the Stage I (NI-Cad) and Stage II (ni-Hyd) are interchangeable but the dealers can't even tell me if 04 to 07 changed the voltage on the drive motor or if the Lith-ion pack will work in my 03. My pack was replaced in 04 on the leackage recall. Any help is greatly appreciated. ED

There are no Lithium-Ion High Voltage batteries for the Prius yet.

I didn't think that there were any NI-Cad High Voltage batteries for the Prius (Are you sure about that?)

As far as I know all the High Voltage batteries for the Prius have always been NiMH.

That being said, the newer "hatchback" version of the Prius (Model year 2004 and after) have a different voltage (I believe it is a smaller voltage) than the older non-hatchback version of the Prius (Model years prior to 2004).

Edit:
According to this link at wikipedia:
Toyota Prius - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The pre-2001 model year had 288 volts, the 2001 to 2003 model years had 273.6 volts, and the 2004 to present model years have 201.6 volts.

[ibiwisi]

Originally Posted by Danny Hamilton

There are no Lithium-Ion High Voltage batteries for the Prius yet.

I didn't think that there were any NI-Cad High Voltage batteries for the Prius (Are you sure about that?)

As far as I know all the High Voltage batteries for the Prius have always been NiMH.

That being said, the newer "hatchback" version of the Prius (Model year 2004 and after) have a different voltage (I believe it is a smaller voltage) than the older non-hatchback version of the Prius (Model years prior to 2004).

Thank you. I read about the stage I, II and II in an internet article (I am a new owner). It may have come from misinformation. Possibly the NI-Cad's were the experimental stage. Don't know why it said Lith-ion. I am trying to find it again but if voltage is different then they definately will not interchange. Many thanks. ED

[bwilson4web]

Originally Posted by ibiwisi

I have an 03 (stage II) with 146k miles. My brother just totaled his 07 (stage III). I have been trying to find out if his Lith-ion Main pack will physically fit and work in my stage II that has the nickel-Hydride Pack. I believe the Stage I (NI-Cad) and Stage II (ni-Hyd) are interchangeable but the dealers can't even tell me if 04 to 07 changed the voltage on the drive motor or if the Lith-ion pack will work in my 03. My pack was replaced in 04 on the leackage recall. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Hi Ed,

The short answer is no:

You'll notice the older battery on the top has two toe anchor nut-plates and the new NHW20 battery only has one. Also, the interlocking dimples and bumps are different so the batteries won't stack together. You'll also notice the NHW20 battery has more plastic, a more solid body, which will give it a longer life.

Also the orientation of the temperature probe lock has changed by 90 degrees and if you check the terminals you'll find the new ones are a little lower and further out:


It also looks like the newer NHW20 modules have a stronger terminal installation:


It may be possible to make a custom, NHW11 battery pack using the modules from two, salvage NHW20 packs. If so, it would be an awesome hack. However, it would entail addressing a number of technical problems including matching the cells.

Bob Wilson

[ibiwisi]

Originally Posted by bwilson4web

Hi Ed,

The short answer is no:
<IMG style="MAX-WIDTH: 800px; ; WIDTH: expression(this.width > 800 ? 800: true)" alt="" src="http://hiwaay.net/%7Ebzwilson/prius/pri_batt_110.jpg" border=0>
You'll notice the older battery on the top has two toe anchor nut-plates and the new NHW20 battery only has one. Also, the interlocking dimples and bumps are different so the batteries won't stack together. You'll also notice the NHW20 battery has more plastic, a more solid body, which will give it a longer life.

Also the orientation of the temperature probe lock has changed by 90 degrees and if you check the terminals you'll find the new ones are a little lower and further out:
<IMG style="MAX-WIDTH: 800px; ; WIDTH: expression(this.width > 800 ? 800: true)" alt="" src="http://hiwaay.net/%7Ebzwilson/prius/pri_batt_100.jpg" border=0>

It also looks like the newer NHW20 modules have a stronger terminal installation:
<IMG style="MAX-WIDTH: 800px; ; WIDTH: expression(this.width > 800 ? 800: true)" alt="" src="http://hiwaay.net/%7Ebzwilson/prius/pri_batt_140.jpg" border=0>

It may be possible to make a custom, NHW11 battery pack using the modules from two, salvage NHW20 packs. If so, it would be an awesome hack. However, it would entail addressing a number of technical problems including matching the cells.

Bob Wilson

Thank you very much Bob. Answer is greatly appreciated. I am 68 years old, retired Mechanic (Not Tech) and don't want to even attempt that Mod. With 146k, I'll drive her till she croaks and (at 5000 mi a year) I probably will be ready to also. Thanks again. ED