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Lithium 12 Volt Battery On The Way

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Hybrid Hound, Apr 26, 2021.

  1. Hybrid Hound

    Hybrid Hound Junior Member

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    I am posting this comment here again because there has been been a lot of interest in these batteries and I read as much as I could find about them on here. I replied to a previous post but wanted this to appear in a newer one. Here it is:

    My 2015 has the original battery. I have been getting readings at the battery of 11.9-12.3. The charge seems to be staying at about 14.5 when the car is in ready. This September the battery would be 7 years old, all in the Florida heat. The best battery I could find as to CCA/price/warranty was at Batteries Plus. 219 minus 10% for online order then pickup at store. Plus sales tax and they want my old battery. I decided to go with the OHMMU Lithium after reading many reviews. 349. (Current sale price). Free shipping. No tax. I keep my old battery. When it arrives, I will do the install and after a month or so will review it here. 10 pounds less weight. If I sell or trade my car (not likely with 43K on it) I will put the old one back in with a good charge on it. Meanwhile, I can use it for emergency lights and fans with my inverter for power outages if I keep it on my battery maintainer until needed. So, I guess since the net cost difference in my case was about 139, I hope it will be a good investment. I really do like this car, and am not crazy about the style change in the next generation, so we may have it a while. And...the consistent 50+MPG has been a blessing during the pandemic since it means (for us) going to the gas station much less.
     
  2. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    so which bms will you use to manage the lithium battery?
     
  3. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    It's a drop in replacement with it's own BMS per website.

    Nice option thanks for sharing!

    BTW-. Weight at 11 lbs means about 17 lbs weight saving, which is huge!

    moto g(7) power ?
     
  4. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Soooo, if you sell the car, you'll throw the old battery back in it???
    I hope you'll be honest and tell the potential buyer that!
    10#'s of less weight is not alot for a car. Maybe for a dog, a cat, or person. :)

     
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  5. Hybrid Hound

    Hybrid Hound Junior Member

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    Yes, If I sell the car, there will be full disclosure (Matt. 7:12). Really, the weight was not a factor. Just wanted to "get the lead out" and try something new. I have lithium tool batteries that still work well after 7 years, so hopefully this will last. The 5 year warranty is full replacement, so that is a plus. Should be in this week, so will let all know how it goes.
     
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  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    nice website. they seem very upfront about everything, including the smaller size.
     
  7. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    Didn't catch that, it's not an exact fit? I'll stick to the eBay ones...

    moto g(7) power ?
     
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    said it's smaller. i wonder if it fits the non sks model.
     
  9. Hybrid Hound

    Hybrid Hound Junior Member

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    I did read on the OHMMU site that the battery for Prius is smaller. I figure I will measure it against the OEM unit and cut a piece of dense foam I have for the side and maybe put a pad of fatigue mat foam on the bottom. That will get it nice and snug in its little niche. The weight difference is better than I thought. I misread the specs. Closer to 20 pounds lighter, it says. That is about equal to all the "necessary stuff" I have in the tray below the cargo deck cover. I will get out my trusty scale and check it when it comes in, and weigh the original while I am at it. What is a "non sks model" ? One thing I like too is that the posts are already sized and placed correctly for the car. I thought at first of stating it was for a 2016 model in order to get the free battery hold down strap that is included for later models, but thought it might not work anyway tucked way back in the corner.
     
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  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    2016 woud not fit, and neither would the hold down. your hold down will work fine, even with a smaller battery, it's the tray that is too large.

    gen 2 (2004-2009) had two models sks (the fob can stay in your pocket) and non sks (you put it in a slot in the dashboard)
    because sks is always searching for the fob unless you shut it off, the put a larger battery in as the draw is higher with the car off.
    in gen 3, all have sks, so they retained the larger battery only.

    gen 4 is under the hood, and altogether different.
     
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  11. Hybrid Hound

    Hybrid Hound Junior Member

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    Read more here on what SKS is. Thanks all for info.
    Battery arrived Friday afternoon. Ordered last Sunday night. Comes VIA UPS. Ground all the way due to being lithium, no air travel allowed.
    It does indeed weigh 11 pounds. Wow. Picked it up by the built-in handle and just could not believe it. Nicely packed with foam all around. May use some of this to snug it up in the corner. Measured 13.2 volts out of the box. Will report back after the install.
     
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  12. Hybrid Hound

    Hybrid Hound Junior Member

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    Just finished the install this morning. I will just paste the email I sent to Ohmmu and you all can benefit as well. If they reply, I will let you know. Also, I will attach the pic I sent them. Email:
    20210503_104527.jpg
    Install went fairly well, but I wanted to let you know of a few things that you might pass on to other buyers.
    1. The battery posts are not placed in the same position as the Prius battery. They are 3.5" back from the front edge of the battery. The OEM battery posts are 1" from the front of the battery. Which means:
    2. You will need to snip off the gray plastic "grabber" that comes down over the OEM battery on the front edge in order to keep the cable in the same orientation as the OEM.
    3. The positive battery post cap is a real tight fit underneath the gray plastic "cage" that surrounds the OEM. It takes some pushing and fitting to get it tucked in. You can see from the enclosed pic what I am referring to. The OEM battery post position allows the cap to fit right in the center of this opening.
    I do like the lighter weight and the nice handle that helps lower it in place. I think it will work out quite well in our car. Thanks for engineering a product that helps..."get the lead out"!!
     
  13. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    So it's not a replacement battery, it's just a battery that more or less fits.
    If you have to fight it in there so much, hopefully it hasn't damaged the battery...
    PS: Which is fine if it works..... but if they say it's a direct replacement, then it ain't so. :)
     
    #13 ASRDogman, May 3, 2021
    Last edited: May 3, 2021
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  14. Hybrid Hound

    Hybrid Hound Junior Member

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    You are right on. It does fit, but a non DIYer might not want the hassle. Not that it was difficult, 1 on a 1 to 10 scale. But...you are correct, not an exact fit. I did end up trimming the plastic of the protective cover to fit around the positive terminal. Now it looks factory. This battery is shorter, by about 2 inches, but the hold-down clamp really snugs it up. I also put foam at the bottom of each end to wedge it in. Not that I was worried much about it moving, but..just in case. I was real careful with the battery, so it was not hurt a bit. Will be interested to see what Ohmmu says. If they could center the posts on the top at each end, all would be well. But, they might use this battery for other applications so that is why they are placed where they are.
    One question on my old OEM battery. Does anyone know how to tell when it was made? The car was made in August of 14', but I saw tiny numbers on top that say "0416". Date code? The letters "MF" are right above that. If so, it was never recorded on the CarFax (that I know of). And since it is a Toyota battery, I would think the dealer would have noted that on a repair order.
     
  15. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    April 1916.
     
  16. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    1 out of 10?! 1 of 10 should be plug n play.