New Prius Battery Initial Thoughts

Hi all,

Been a long time lurker, but thought I'd give in my 2 cents about installation of the NewPriusBatteries and initial impressions.

I have a 2007 Prius with 175k miles that had a dying HV battery. Long story short, my prius sat for 2 months and the car would Ready, but the engine failed to start. Ordered the NewPriusBattery, and the instructions were easy to follow. Just make sure you read the email before starting (I didn't unfortunately) because at least for my prius, there were critical installation instructions that tell you which way the modules should be oriented in the battery casing. Installation itself was straight forward, took about 3 hours total. Car started right up when it was all done, and my MPG's significantly increased. I live in the Tahoe Basin area and I was averaging about 43 MPG with my dying battery, and now I average about 45 to 50 mpgs.

To anyone on the fence about picking up the NewPriusBattery, I'd say go for it. It's a pretty easy DIY project and helps you better understand the Prius. The only downside I'd have to say about this kit is that the battery disconnect wires, and the main positive wire are rough to deal with/install. The main positive wire is a little short, and while I saw some videos online of people having a new main positive wire come with the kit, mine did not. Also, the battery disconnect wires are a pain to fit in the case after installation. On mine, the battery disconnect wires were being cut into by the sharp edge of the casing, so I got some trim liner and put it on the sharp edges to prevent it from cutting into the wire.

As far as drivability, my Prius drives way better. It takes a lot more to get the ICE to kick over and run, and the battery pretty much stays 2 bars below full unless I'm climbing a mountain. The car is very responsive off the start and gives me good passing power on the highway.

In the end, I'm super pleased with this product and I'm super ecstatic about my big jump in MPGs. I've currently been driving my 98' Pathfinder which gets like 14 MPG and its going to be so nice to have a vehicle that gets 45 to 50 mpg that I can drive when I don't absolutely need 4wd. Big props to NewPriusBatteries and Nick who really put together a solid product that can literally bring your car back to life, and then some, while keeping prices very reasonable.