How long do you guys plan to keep your Gen 2?

@Texas Hybrid Batteries: I take it you buy your new oem battery packs direct from a local dealership - you don't need to answer if you don't want, but do you get any discount?

 

I think there is some misstatement here.
You seem to be confusing the GreenBean premium battery with the similarly named GreenTec battery.
GreenBean offers a so-called ‘premium battery’. Greentec does not.
GreenTec although reusing other components replaces cells with new ones. They are not ten years old.
Yes I know it is not an entirely new battery, but it is better than what GreenBean and others do in recycling old cells that will likely fail sooner rather than later. A new OEM battery is always going to be technically the best but some people can’t afford it and I know from personal experience that the new cell GreenTec battery for a Camry was a good choice years ago for me. The new cell GreenTec is $1750 installed. Four year warranty. Nationwide installation centers. And no I don’t work for them.

 

And I would make a small wager they are NOT brand new Toyota/Panasonic battery modules.

 

That's correct. We have a wholesale account with a local Toyota dealership and they sell us all of our new batteries and other parts at a discount. Most wholesale pricing is set at a percentage over dealer cost. Typically 5% to 10%. A lot of people assume that we get new batteries at half price, that's not the case. We pay the same price that you see a lot of people talking about on PriusChat, around $1650. That works out to around 5% over dealer cost and it's a very typical wholesale price.

 

How much do you sell the batteries for? Or do you just charge cost and then make your money from installs?

 

I wasn't confusing GreenTec and GreenBean even though they are basically the same to me. The tricky wording example that I gave was something that GreenTec did some years ago but it looks like they don't anymore. It was just an example of how companies can mislead buyers.

I rarely go on any of their websites to see what they are offering but I went and checked out GreenTec's for this post. For a Gen 2 Prius they are offer 3 different batteries. The two lower ones are just normal reman batteries with used oem modules. The only difference between the $995 battery and the $1550 battery is the extra 12 months of warranty coverage. If you're buying a reman battery it would probably be smart to get the extra year of coverage for $555. You will likely need it.

The new cell battery for $1750 definitely has new cells but here's the tricky wording again. They aren't new OEM cells, Toyota doesn't sell modules to GreenTec or any other battery company. The fact that they boast "High-Performance Cells with greater capacity" is also a good indicator that they are using non-OEM batteries. They are implying that their new batteries are better than Toyota's new batteries. Those are going to be the new aftermarket Chinese prismatic modules or the stick packs similar to the kits that you can buy on eBay or from NPB. Those new aftermarket batteries are certainly better than a pack of old modules but they can't come close to the quality, performance, or service life of the oem batteries. I know this because we have seen several of the new chinese kits fail around the 3-4 year mark already.

I understand that some people can't afford a new OEM battery but the price difference between the new oem batteries and the new aftermarket batteries isn't really that much. Why would you go with something completely unproven that probably won't last near as long in order to save $500 on $2000 repair. If a person was going to DIY install a battery they could buy a brand new OEM battery from Toyota for the same $1750 that GreenTec charges for their new non-OEM batteries.

Matt

 

We sell the new batteries for $2250 out the door. That includes the install, tax, and a 4 year warranty. We don't break down the parts and labor but essentially the customer pays our cost for the battery plus $450 for the delivery and install.

 

Reasonable! What about core return - if a customer does not have the original pack, is it still $2250 out the door?

 

Yes. About the only thing that we can't turn into Toyota as a core is a painted case. Orange, green, black, take your pick. We also can't turn in the chinese stick modules. Luckily we have enough spare cases and old module that I can make a core if the customer couldn't provide a good one.

 

I could hypothecate and surmise like you folks of what may be or might be sources of cells or whatever or I can simply tell you of my excellent first hand experience with Greentec batteries. Maybe instead of supposing if you were really interested you would call them and ask. I’m not their salesman just a satisfied customer.

 

With respect, the likely reason Toyota OEM batteries are now $1750 is because the Chinese cylindrical cells brought competition to the marketplace where there was none. They used to be well over $3000.

 

As long as possible... at least until it start making bigger costs >€500, then I will investigate if the car is still worth it or not. Has only driven 172k km so still quite low for its age (2007). Most common things I can repair myself but electrics is not my field of expertise and afraid I break something that can lead to serious danger... mechanical stuff I'm not afraid for to repair.

Verstuurd vanaf mijn SM-G935F met Tapatalk

 

Competition is a good thing and it is why the prices on OEM have declined.
BTW, Greentec price is installed. Not DIY. At the time I bought from them for a Camry, it was a huge price difference between them and OEM, about a $2000 difference. Given that my Prius is nearing 200k on its original battery and the price declines in OEM, I’d opt for OEM when the time comes.

 

You can get today a brand new OEM Toyota HV battery at $1530.
https://parts.passporttoyota.com/p/Toyota__Prius/BATTERY-ASSEMBLY---HV-SUPPLY/63533084/G951047031.html

 

yes, before 2016 it was more than 2500 . there are posts all over this board about it. 2016 is also roughly (give or take a few years) around the time the Chinese alternatives would become available.