Battery ethics question (cobalt)

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by MarcelTheVirginian, May 9, 2026 at 11:15 AM.

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  1. MarcelTheVirginian

    MarcelTheVirginian New Member

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    I have a 2010 Prius II,
    and the hybrid battery has died and needs to be replaced.
    Per Wikipedia, the Gen 3 Prius uses NIMH batteries, though I read elsewhere that for the 2015 year, Gen 3 Priuses (Plug-ins only I infer), started using LION batteries.
    I like to think of myself as a conscientious consumer (at least within reason, I'm not going to pretend to be perfect or superior)
    So here's the rub - I know that hybrid batteries can use cobalt. For context, most of the world's cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where it is often mined under poor conditions (child labor among other things)
    I often read that LION batteries use cobalt, but do Gen 3 Prius NIMH batteries use cobalt?
    And would I even be getting a NIMH battery as a replacement?
    (For reasons of dependability, I'm probably going to be getting a new OEM battery. I hear iffy things about 3rd party refurbished batteries.)
    I know that the 2010 Prius came with a NIMH battery, but would the newly manufactured replacement battery also be NIMH? Or would they have upgraded the standard of the replacement part to LION?
    I tried looking up the part number that the dealership gave me, couldn't find any details as to the battery's composition. The lady in the parts dept. didn't know either.
    I bought the car used, so I didn't really think about these sort of questions at the time.

    I know that's a lot of questions in there :)
    But it basically boils down to, will I be getting either a NIMH or LION battery, and do either of those battery types as used in the Gen 3 Prius use cobalt, and if so, where does Toyota source their cobalt, and what's their human rights track record?
    Thanks for any assistance provided,
    Marcel
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    toyota started putting lion in their plug ins in 2012, and some of the gen 4's starting in 2016.
    idk if there is any cobalt in the nigh batteries, but if you start analyzing every potential purchase, you'd probably never buy anything.
    and I'm not saying it's wrong to question where things are made, how they're made, including raw materials, but I will say that it is hard to get accurate information, and also that you should do what brings you peace of mind, because you're not going to change anything, unfortunately.
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    according to google AI:
    Yes, Toyota Nickel-Metal Hydride (\(\text{NiMH}\)) batteries still contain cobalt.
     
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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  6. Brian1954

    Brian1954 Senior Member

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    You will get a NiMH battery if you buy it from a Toyota dealership for your Gen 3 Prius.
     
  7. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Replace it with the Sodium Ion battery pack. They you don't have to worry about
    all the other stuff.