generation 1 prius with gen 2 modules

I'd recommend sending an e-mail to them or giving them a call. I get the impression they have some floating inventory.

Bob Wilson

 

Hi Bob, What do you mean when you say "floating inventory"

Peter Buell

 

Hi Pete,

I think that Bob is referring to an advanced exchange type of program, where you can receive the refurb battery pack first, then turn in the original failed one later to receive a core credit. Maybe you can have the refurb battery shipped to you now, then return the failed one while you are taking your vacation trip, to save the return freight charge.

Suggest you plan to spend 1/2 day on the project, one time-consuming part is removing all of the trunk trim and the rear seat surrounding the battery. You'll find the battery assembly is pretty heavy, it would be good to have two people available when moving the battery around.

You'll also need to investigate whether you'll have to swap the traction battery ECU and system main relays from the original to the refurb battery case, or if those parts are already included. That activity will take more time.

You can find Toyota repair manual info at techinfo.toyota.com which is a subscription website. All of the safety precautions listed there should be rigorously observed for the sake of your continued good health.

 

Ok, that clears things up. I was aware of re-involt needing my battery. I wish they weren't so far away from where I live.

 

Hi hybriddriveguy,

It appears that you are associated with Re-Involt. Can you let us know what is involved with your company's remanufacturing process?

I think it makes sense to consider your company for a G1 traction battery replacement. However, regarding G2, what value does your company add, compared to buying a 2G salvage battery and taking your chances?

Thanks.

 

Hi Patrick, I have tried to stay away of promoting my company on here, but since you asked, I will run through it with you so everyone will be informed.We begin by purchasing Gen2 battery packs that have less than 50k on them and disassemble and clean everything. We are using the good Gen1 modules in other applications that are not as critical.We then install new redesigned busbars that are more corrosion resistant than the originals.We repair all wiring harnesses and replace any wires and terminals that have been affected by corrosion.We modify the case for clearance with the Gen2 modulesWe install the modules in the case and run the entire pack through numerous heavy load and charge cycles while monitoring module voltages.We reject any marginal modules and then charge and balance the entire pack with equipment that we designed and built for this purpose.We install a tested SMR, ECU and harnesses.We install the completed pack in our 2002 Prius and clear any trouble codes and then drive the poop out of it for a total of about 20 miles combined driving and then run it through a final load test in reverse before shipping the pack out.We place a 1 year/unlimited mile warranty on each pack.We offer tech support to any customer either planning to buy or having already purchased one of our packs.We have begun offering re-manufactured Gen1 and Gen2 inverters, Gen2 battery packs and Gen1 steering racks. We will be offering re-manufactured Gen1 and Gen2 transmissions later this year. I hope this was not too much of a sales pitch. Thanks for asking.Here is a link to a PBS story about our company that will help everyone to get to know us better:

 

That's a nice overview, thanks for providing it. How about G2 batteries?

Do you do the same testing: "run the entire pack through numerous heavy load and charge cycles while monitoring module voltages. We reject any marginal modules and then charge and balance the entire pack with equipment that we designed and built for this purpose."?

Do you road test the G2 reman battery in a G2 Prius?

I'm also interested to hear that you will be offering reman G1 transaxles and steering racks for sale. There is a pretty good need for that, if your price will be attractive compared to buying a new one. Hope your website will provide some details regarding the process that you go through.

Thanks again for providing insight into your company's offerings.

 

I am sorry I skipped the G2 part of the question. Yes, we put the Gen2 packs through the same tests that the Gen1 packs go through. We upgrade the busbars as well and test them in one of our Gen2 Prius.

We will be posting some more info on our website once we have enough cores available to build up a reserve inventory of the racks, inverters and transmissions.
We are striving to offer all these parts at 1/2 the price of the new Toyota parts and offer the same 1 year/unlimited mile warranty. Since Toyota does not make repair parts for most of the problems we are seeing, we have to produce our own, which gets expensive.

Thanks again for asking. It is really hard to get the word out otherwise.