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New Hybrid Battery made by Dr. Prius, apparently.

Discussion in 'Prius c Technical Discussion' started by Sonic_TH, Oct 27, 2021.

  1. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    I was looking around the internet to see if there was an alternative for a hybrid battery, cheaper but still good, aside from using revived modules which are going to fail in a short period of time, or to buy a brand new battery from Toyota, which is a scam honestly, way too expensive considering how long the Prius has been around, i don't see any logical reason for the price to stay that high even after all these years.

    I found this video


    It seems like these packs are way easier to install, and based on the tests done in the video, it seems like these are really going to increase MPG significantly due to these modules having more capacity and having a more stable voltage while being discharged, the modules are significantly less heavy too. Have any of you here tried these out yet? they seem to be really new, made by Dr. Prius after 7 years of testing, that's what they say on their website Toyota hybrid battery upgrade pack – NexPower Energy (projectlithium.com)

    They also have this video about how to install the new modules
     
    #1 Sonic_TH, Oct 27, 2021
    Last edited: Oct 27, 2021
  2. AzusaPrius

    AzusaPrius Senior Member

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  3. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    May i ask you when you got it? was it long ago? how is it performing to this day?
     
  4. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    50+ mpg in colder temps

    Can you clarify this? What range of temperatures do you consider cold? Aren't you in Southern Cali?
     
  5. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    He also calculated the possible lifespan of the battery
     
  6. topshot

    topshot Member

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    I wonder if a c version will be released?
     
  7. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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  8. royrose

    royrose Senior Member

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  9. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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  10. AzusaPrius

    AzusaPrius Senior Member

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  11. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    It looks interesting...especially since there is a Prius C option.

    However, I'm wary of the performance in *really* cold temperatures ( like here in Minnesota ). (y) We are talking down to -20s F sometimes during the winter. The original battery does just fine in these conditions.
     
  12. topshot

    topshot Member

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    I doubt it's "fine". You just don't notice anything. Li-ion is superior to NiMH for cold performance but neither is that good. They have even made some special lithium batteries to work in the Artic. The big issue is charging. You shouldn't charge any of the traditional Li-ion or NiMH below 0 F. I'd expect the Prius computers take battery temp into account, and even if the battery was below 0 F on startup it would warmup pretty quick so maybe it really isn't that noticeable since the engine runs much longer than normal after startup on cold days.
     
  13. royrose

    royrose Senior Member

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    No problem, just wanted you to know
     
  14. farmecologist

    farmecologist Senior Member

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    Hmm...Everything I have read in the past points to NiMH being better in extreme cold. It is a pretty well know fact that NiMH are more stable in extreme cold than Li-Ion. Lots of discussions around PriusChat too if you search around a bit.

    Also note that many vehicles with Li-ion batteries ( mostly BEVs and PHEVs ) have active warming to keep them from getting too cold.

    This (admittedly old) article is pretty interesting

    /http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1120320_lithium-ion-vs-nickel-metal-hydride-toyota-still-likes-both-for-its-hybrids

    "On the other hand, Toyota’s all-wheel-drive hybrids, like the 2019 Toyota Prius AWD-e introduced last week at LA, will for the foreseeable future use NiMH—because it can withstand extreme cold far better, and perform better in the cold temps where you’d expect an AWD vehicle to be used."
     
  15. topshot

    topshot Member

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    I would say that quote is marketing BS (or maybe they have a unique perspective on what defines "better" or maybe they developed some "special" NiMH like has now been done for Li-ion).
     
  16. TheChip

    TheChip Senior Member

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    I've had my Dr. Prius lithium pack in for almost a year as well without issue. My MPG has gone up and I've been really enjoying driving around with the additional capacity from the lithium pack. It really helps that it seems to charge faster than the stock battery and certainly lasts longer.
     
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  17. AzusaPrius

    AzusaPrius Senior Member

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    The climate I live in is extreme in both directions.
    Can snow here below 32F and also gets very hot over 100F.

    A good test is the 15 freeway north in traffic on a hot day.
     
  18. royrose

    royrose Senior Member

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    Please cite your sources that Li-ion batteries are superior in cold weather. I agree with farmecologist that the most common opinion expressed on PriusChat is that nimh is superior in cold. That alone doesn't mean that you are wrong but you can't expect others to just take your word when you are outnumbered.

    FWIW, Toyota put Li batteries in some Rav4 hybrids last year in the U.S. but not in Canada. This year all Rav4 hybrids in North America have nimh.
     
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  19. topshot

    topshot Member

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    Maybe I should have written Li-ion is certainly not inferior in cold weather performance to NiMH as was intimated. As I wrote, neither is that good in it's traditional composition (see below). Li-ion is superior because of it's lighter weight, smaller size and charging capacity (not including sub-zero where both are bad).

    I was hoping to find some research that actually compared the two directly but was not successful. I did come across some cool items though, no pun intended.

    Thesis to study Li-ion performance below -20 C (to operate an electric snowmobile down to -40 C)
    Thesis showing poor Prius winter fuel economy is mostly due to HVAC usage (study only goes to 20 F though)
    Paper on new Li-ion that works at -70 C (not likely practical for cars, but also not likely to see NiMH advance anywhere near that)
     
  20. Sonic_TH

    Sonic_TH Active Member

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    And how is the voltage difference between the modules?
     
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