Unbelievable MPG

To C Rider and Kens97. Please post the details of those new battery suppliers. $2k for brand new modules with a 48 month warranty sounds promising.

 

Years of watching this and other hybrid boards have shown me there are newbie phases of hybrid ownership that many folks go through:

First is the amazed/excited/happy phase to see the big FE numbers one has never encountered before.

Next is the confused/questioning stage of not really understanding how it all works.

Then comes the research/education phase when one learns the tricks.

This leads to the implementation phase of said techniques.

The next phase is dependent on the individual: either you hit the big numbers and are content or you become frustrated; either because of the application of said techniques is too difficult (tons of threads on this) or you don't hit the big numbers you've seen others post.

The next phase is where I am now: turn off the consumption screens and just drive the damn car.

 

This phase is the worst because if you were in a truck that gets 10mpg and you lose 5% of that due to factors beyond your control you might not really even notice... But when you get 50mpg and lose 5% of that it adds up real fast and you will notice, as well as get way too worked up due to factors, which might be beyond your control.

 

C Rider, please keep this thread updated in the future as I'm interested in how the battery works out.

Just as a general question, I'm a bit confused over the terminology. Is this battery considered new, but not OEM? Or new OEM, but installed via 3rd party? Or rebuilt?

 

I'll find out.. was a friend who looked into this.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

My friend says he thinks the name of company was Greentec

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Oh dear, Greentec don’t have the best reputation here.

All the best.

 

What were the issues? And were there any companies that had a decent reputation balance with decent price. The problem is you don't put $5, 000 into a $1, 000 car.
You can buy a reman battery from O'Reilly Auto Parts for $1500 I think.
Sold under the Dorman name.

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And, since Jan 1 2016, you can get a brand new OEM battery installed by a dealer for around $2,250. The economics of a refurb, together with all the trouble they bring, just doesn't make sense, if you are keeping the car for the medium term or more.

 

$2250 for a battery from Toyota?? Installed??
That's definitely a very decent price.. I'll let my friend know..
So far my own battery is doing OK. Capacity is showing 55% when I've tested it.
Not bad for 245,000 miles.

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I ended up having over 250 gallons stored in 5 gallon cans from my wic coupons I used at giant eagle in Bolivar. I used to live in mineral city ohio. My neighbors house caught fire and when I showed the fire department the loft of my garage they said I needed a permit and special insurance to store in access of 250 gallons. Not to get anymore. So I didn't dare show them the other 20 or so cans in my basement.

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Sounds like green bean...

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It was GreenTec I think..
We had already pulled his battery apart.. and replaced 3 modules. That fixed one issue, but then a thermal issue has shown up. Once the battery gets above a certain temp.. he get a warning, and the car is slow since it limits power from and to the battery.
We have tried this app.. that overrides the battery fan.. kicking it I to high at whatever temperature you want. That has helped..
But obviously there is an issue.
Cooler weather is coming soon.. so he's hoping to limp it along for a while to save up for the battery whatever he chooses.
We get 105F here.. and probably over 145-150 in the cars when they sit outside in the sun... That's when he has issues... Mostly.

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Assuming he's using the AC as well?

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Yes.. but when a car sure for a few hours it gets to 140+ in the car in summer.
So even with AC it takes a bit to cool off. And he's a busy guy so sometimes you need to GO.. not sit around for 10 min for it to cool off.
The app helps.. though.. called Hybrid Assistant. Has all kinds if cool things. It's free. And works with a Bluetooth obd2 device.

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I hear you on the heat. Short trips I don't bother with the AC, just runs my battery down. 5-10 minute rides. But 80-90 degrees in my area I can deal. Over a 100 is a problem. Lol
On the freeway is on.
Charging and discharging heats the battery up though too. So it's outside heat or usage heat.

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Or in his case.. BOTH. We get very high temps in the sunner. 105-110F. And the solar input is the real issue. Heats up the cars really bad..
He does not have issues once the cars is going and cooled off and on a long Interstate trip.

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I had an 08 Prius for 10.5 years prior to trading it in for my new Prius Prime...The 08 is a good Prius. The main battery was still kicking although I think at not quite the rate it was in it's younger days.

Now...in winter...the gas itself changes as 'winter gas' gets about 5% + less MPG than summer gas. So not sure when your area has 'winter gas' coming in.

Second....the MPG reading was about 1-2 MPG in my car above what it actually was at the pump. I wasn't aware of that bladder but always had the tank topped off, so not sure if that makes a difference.

Third...Tires....better tires allow you to coast more (coasting is the sign of a great Prius driver!)... so this will improve gas mileage for sure on the Prius. When I got new tires which I had at 40-42 PSI, wow....a huge difference in MPG by about 5 mpg.

Roads....as mentioned by someone else...a smooth road will net you better gas mileage so a bit out of your control.

Either way.....it is good to see the generation 2's still going strong. I am happy to have the Prime but the Prius 2 was a sold winner for 10-11 years. Frankly I think I got tired of driving a red car and not the car itself!!! jim

 

Multiple sources have reported on here:

Toyota does NOT sell battery parts to third parties.
AND
Toyota does NOT sell re-man'd HV batteries of any type.

NOW.....what individual Toyota SHOPS do might be another story.

Or maybe the corporate policy has changed......but I doubt it.