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Bad Lithium Ion Battery

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by bairdente, Jun 5, 2015.

  1. bairdente

    bairdente Junior Member

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    I have a 2012 PIP with just over 2 years on the road (it sat on the lot for a long time ((six months))). It just turned 50K. I have been plugging in and charging, getting 11.2/13.2 miles on EV according to the charging indicator on a regular basis. I drive as much as I can on EV and turn it off when I get on the highway, saving the EV miles for later in the trip. I drive it like a Prius (this is my 3rd) and have been very happy with both mileage and performance. I am over 60 and drive like it. I am not in a hurry. I use the timer to charge it just before leaving in am. I drive w/out climcate control when possible to maximize mileage.

    Just recently I started getting 8.4/10 miles on the charging indicator after completing a charge, a loss of over 30% overnight. I brought it in to Toyota and they could not pull a code so they said there was nothing wrong. They did give me the number for Toyota but I got the same response. They did offer a complimentary retest at another dealership but I have not gotten any further response (nor the contact information).

    Has anyone else had a similar problem? I expect some loss of battery capacity over time but not 30 % overnight and a just 50K. At this rate I could be down to no EV capacity by 100K and that would not be considered a warranty issue for Toyota. Given that I paid a premium of basically $1,000 for every mile of EV charge I now get at 50K it sounds like a horrible trade.
     
  2. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    You said it sat on the lot for some time. Do you know if it was plugged regularly during that time?
     
  3. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    50k total miles but how many are on EV? You can check the EV Ratio screen.

    It doesn't sound normal.
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you really need to give us an actual ev driving comparison. although the ev estimate drop isn't normal, it doesn't mean your actually getting less ev distance or mpg's.
     
  5. gallde

    gallde Active Member

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    What do you mean by "30% loss overnight"? That implies self-discharge. Have you really compared the estimated miles just after charge complete and then hours later with the car being left OFF? If you're just referring to a drop in the estimated miles after full charge compared with earlier history, be aware of what might have changed: Have you started using the A/C? Have you recently been climbing more hills, or driving at higher speeds? These can drastically affect estimated miles.
     
  6. giora

    giora Senior Member

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    To me, the acid test is actual EV miles you are getting on your commute or regular trip, do you encounter a sharp drop in actual distance of regular trip?
    Mine is firing the ICE like a clock coming to a traffic light 2 km from home in one of the regular trips all year round except winter.
     
    #6 giora, Jun 5, 2015
    Last edited: Jun 5, 2015
  7. mrbigh

    mrbigh Prius Absolutum Dominium

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    We need more information to compute......:censored:
     
  8. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    To my knowledge we have had no reports of PiP lithium batts failing or being replaced. Some reports of modest loss of EV miles.

    What state are you in by the way and where did you get the PiP?
     
  9. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    Maybe he left the car on, overnight.
     
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i suspect the o/p ran out of juice in the middle of the mojave desert. talk about range anxiety...
     
  11. kiwi

    kiwi Member

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    Hey guys, there were no wrecked PIPs in Auckland, NZ yet for me to test. Not Prius Plug-Ins, not Nissan Leafs.
    I would be keen to test for the benefit of the common knowledge the remaining capacity of used Li batteries in those cars.
    Personally very sceptical about claims of 80% remaining capacity after 10 years for Li (in Leafs) or the lifespan of the battery for the whole life of the Prius Plug-In (which in Japanese realm means 10 years).
    Usually we get second hand Japanese imports 3-5-7 year old with low milage (<80000Km) in here.

    Anyone can share close-up photos and dimentions of individual modules in PIP?
    Photos of the assembles pack are here:
    ESQ - Toyota's First Production Lithium-Ion Drive Battery

    In case NZ readers are here: will buy Li battery with known age/milage from EV for testing.
     
  12. rxlawdude

    rxlawdude Active Member

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    When you say you're skeptical, you mean "they will not last that long," or "they will last much longer than that?"
    The Leaf's had epic battery degradation issues, probably related to very minimal battery thermal management. I would draw ZERO conclusions from anything other than a PiP with a known usage pattern (EV ratio, mileage, age).
     
  13. kiwi

    kiwi Member

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    I like your attention to details. What I meant was - I am skeptical to claims from manufacturers that they will still have that much capacity after that long. Unless I test and see by myself (one of Toyota TPS principles) I would assume nothing...
     
  14. DadofHedgehog

    DadofHedgehog Active Member

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    38 months of PiP ownership here in the mid-Atlantic area... 65k miles on the odo... many multi-state road trips... daily commute of 15+ miles round-trip... continual L2 charging, often several times/day on weekends... zero actual measured mileage degradation.

    I frankly learned to not even "see" the dashboard "EV Miles indicated" fantasy number because the actual odo-measured EV mileage appears to be all or 90+% about how the user drives the PiP and how the user plans their trips.
     
    giora likes this.
  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    what is toyota's claim regarding the pip battery lifespan, does anyone have a link? i certainly don't expect it to be the same after 10 years as it was when new. of course, we all know that how you care for it and mileage will also have an affect.
     
  16. rxlawdude

    rxlawdude Active Member

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    Toyota's only statement is in the Owner's Manual. It is vague but gives TMC the ability to demur replacing the drive battery if EV mileage drops 50% (or more) over the warranty period.
    That's an IF.
    However, I note that none of the NiMH versions of the Prius have this warning. Perhaps TMC isn't quite as confident about LiIon technology.
     
  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    agreed, i'm not sure what kiwi is referring to. leaf is a different matter and beast.
     
  18. giora

    giora Senior Member

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    The reference you have cited describes the Lithium battery of the pre-production test model and not the battery of the production model on the roads which has (out of memory) 56 cells of 3.7V for a total of 207.2 Volts.
     
  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    not sure about the o/p who hasn't responded to any posts.
     
  20. kiwi

    kiwi Member

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    If in doubt, check the source:
    TIS
    346 V Li-ion - model 2010
    207.2 V, Li-ion - model 2012