2007 Prius: Dead 12v battery, back door catch-22

This is actually an excellent post and would answer the many reports we have had of soft charges on the yellowtop. I myself had this too. And I agree about the car audio scene and even in tuner circles the Optima with weight/size to current capacity was real popular. I wonder if they went Chinese on there product?
Buy anyway thanks for the great insight!

 

It seems that Optima quality took a big hit when they moved their production operations from the U.S. to Mexico.

 

All the complaints I have heard seem to be associated with retailers that have stale stock that they have not maintained a charge on rather than a materials issue. The challenge for a speciallty battery, like the Prius model, is low inventory pull through.

Optima (@OptimaJim) should take some steps to make sure the specialty models get handled appropriately, maybe pulling 3 month old stock from generic retailers into higher volume Prius specialty retailers like elearnaid or local retailers with a higher registration of Prius.

 

In theory the Optima should be a great battery for the Prius, but I too am concerned about the reports of batteries shipped or purchased with a low state of charge or even being faulty.

I have been advocating the use of the Exide Edge battery for a while now as in my opinion this looks to be an even better battery both in capacity, guaranty wise, and value.

I know some people have said they cannot obtain the Exide while others do not have any problem, but it does seem strange that these batteries are being advertised in the UK for delivery from the US by companies like Sears.

I myself now do not use OEM Optima or Exide Edge but use a battery designed for mobility scooters/wheel chairs. These come with screw terminals but it is very easy to adapt the Prius terminals to fit (in the case of the positive terminal just remove the bolt holding the "c" clamp and screw strait to the terminal). They are AGM and the same size as the OEM but are typically 60 amp/hr capacity and designed to withstand continuously being deep cycled. They are also available in gell form for those concerned about acid splash in an accident.

The surprising thing about these batteries is that they are also cheaper than any of the above options probably because they are produced in greater numbers for mobility use. In some countries they also do not attract some taxes eg 20% VAT in the UK.

 

Sounds excellent! Do you have any more info (e.g. typenumbers) for this?

Also sounds like a GREAT idea to use deep-cycles. The Optima yellow top was/is a deep cycle which is sold as also being able to start, which is obviously great for a deep-cycle.

But the Prius doesn't even need this! Thin plates (standard in starterbatteries) that can warp, who needs them in a Prius!!! Does anyone know the specs of the original battery? Is it a regular car-starterbattery? Or already a deep-cycle?

My (probably) original battery is of medium quality, and since people state it can affect fuel efficiency, I think I should change mine in the near future. (A German in another post claims he regularly puts his foot down, >100mph and still gets better mileage than me , so maybe it's my battery).

 

I do not know what manufactures are available in the Netherlands. but look out for Platinum, Ritar, Lucas, Haze, MK, Leoch, Yuasa, Multicell, and Genesis in no particular order and there are others. The batteries you are looking for come in two different amp/hr capacities 33/35amp/hr and 55/60 amp/hr. The smaller battery size (varies slightly by manufacturer) is

Length 195 mm. Width 130 mm. Height 167 mm.
The larger battery.
Length 229 mm. Width 138 mm. Height 210 mm.
These sizes fit the Prius.

The Platinum, Ritar, Lucas, and Haze batteries are rated at a ten hour discharge rate. This is twice the rate that the others are rated at so you can safely add 5amp/hr to there capacity for comparison purposes making them 60amp/hr at 20hour rate.

Some of these batteries "but not all" are available in gell form as well as starved acid.

Look for batteries with vertical screw fixing terminals for easy and safe fixing also positive terminal on the left with terminals closest to you (most are but check before buying).

There are batteries rated at 44/45amp/hr but these will not fit the Prius as they are to wide at around 165mm.

Do a search on Ebay for "mobility batteries" or "12 volt agm batteries" to find best prices and they are often offered in pairs but you can buy them as singles.

If you cannot find any information PM me and I will give you some manufacturers part numbers.

Hope this helps.

John (Britprius).

 

on a 2007 you are due for a new battery. Same happened to me 2 months back. New Battery & everything is fine.

 

Britprius: thanks for the size-measurement!!!
There's a huge local batteryimporter, but only for companies, not private persons. But they do have a nice batteryconfigurator on their site (this is where your sizes come in handy) and my brother buys there (so I may be able to buy there after all)

He bought me a motorcycle battery: iirc 25euro's which normally costs me 90+ at the motorcycle store... It still sits in my closet with the acid still in separate containers, so I could possibly even use that one (14Ah) in case of emergency in the Prius

 

Mobility batteries come in sizes from 7 amp/hr to 220 amp/hr so there is plenty of choice even for motorbike users and as I said in an previous post are cheaper and better constructed.

The Prius size 35 amp/hr is well under half the price of the OEM at the same capacity, and the 60 amp/hr is between half and two thirds the price of the OEM at nearly double the capacity.

 

I haven't figured out how to search for mobility batteries at that site, nor how to find prices , but the link in my post above does shows their proposed direct drop-ins (45Ah)

Here's one I found (deep cycle Trojan 33Ah AGM) that seems to fit too. (Fit sizewise, it has screw-in terminals)

 

Just type in "mobility batteries" or "12 volt agm batteries in the search line at the top of the page. Batteries and prices will appear.

Trojan are very good batteries but tend to be expensive but exactly the sort of thing you are looking for. The one you have found is the same capacity as the OEM. Keep looking I see Varta on that page they do a standard lead acid for the Prius 45 amp/hr JIS posts with 4 year guaranty but not deep cycle.