Exclusive Look at Toyota Prius Hybrid Battery: Learn About Replacement Options (with Video)

I cannot tell you how beneficial it is to have a hybrid expert on our Torque News staff.

Peter Neilson has studied hybrid technology for years and shares his knowledge and resources both at Torque News / Toyota News and on his YouTube channel.

I encourage everyone to subscribe to “The Hybrid Guy” on YouTube.

Toyota announced last month it plans to produce a phenomenal amount of hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles in the next decade and moving forward. Up to 40% of all sales in 2025 will come from these types of vehicles. This number increases to 70% of all sales by the year 2030.

If you are a Toyota fan, you may want to start thinking at least a little bit about hybrid technology. Soon it will be most of the cars, trucks, and SUVs that Toyota offers.

With hybrids becoming so prevalent these days, Peter and I will be collaborating on several upcoming videos on each of our channels about Toyota hybrid technology. We hope to educate and dispel many of the concerns about hybrids people might have.

We shall start by giving you a guided tour. Below you will find Peter’s tour of a Toyota Prius traction battery.

Toyota Prius battery

Toyota hybrid vehicles, including Toyota Prius and RAV4 Hybrid, are powered by a combination of traditional gasoline engines and electric motors.

These work together with the hybrid battery, or hybrid battery pack. In a Toyota, this can be either Lithium-ion or Nickel-Metal Hydride.

Toyota hybrid vehicles use different hybrid traction batteries based on the type of vehicle, typical types of driving, climate, and other factors. For example, the 2021 Toyota Prius utilizes both Nickel-Metal Hydride and Lithium-ion batteries in different trim levels. Toyota RAV4 Hybrid uses both batteries also. Camry Hybrid only uses Lithium-ion.

The battery pack is divided up into many different sections including cells, modules, and blocks.

Toyota Prius Hybrid Battery Replacement

A concern for many Prius owners deals with hybrid battery replacement. If it ever goes bad and starts to fail, do you replace the whole entire hybrid battery, or can you replace just individual sections?

As Pete The Hybrid Guy explains in the video, there are two schools of thought.

Although replacing the whole hybrid battery is more costly, owners know the entire battery is fixed and ready for hundreds of thousands of more miles for drive time.

You definitely can replace only the individual failing modules at a much lower cost. To me, replacing just one or two modules at a time is like replacing the batteries in home smoke detectors. If you replace the battery in one of your smoke detectors at a time, there is no way to tell when the rest of the batteries will need to be replaced. Same goes for more modules in your Toyota Prius or RAV4 Hybrid or Camry Hybrid. They could last a long time, or they could also fail within a few weeks or months.

It is a difficult choice for many people.

Toyota Prius hybrid battery video

In our provided video, Peter does pretty much all the work and I just ask the questions from readers and viewers. I think I would make a fine talk show or game show host. I would love to tell contestants about the Turtle Wax and Rice-a-Roni they won as parting gifts.

Learn the various parts of a hybrid battery (in this case Peter used a 2009 Toyota Prius). Other topics covered are Toyota hybrid battery repair and replacement, whether they are safe, and how to know when your Prius battery is failing.

This information can be applied to other popular Toyota models like RAV4 Hybrid, Camry Hybrid, 2021 Venza, Highlander Hybrid, and more.

We hope you find this helpful and entertaining.

Time for your Toyota Prius and hybrid thoughts

Thanks for reading everyone.

Do you own a Toyota hybrid and what are your experiences and impressions so far? Feel free to share how many miles you have traveled.

Have you had to replace part or all if your Toyota hybrid battery, whether in your Toyota Prius or RAV4 Hybrid or something else? How costly was it?

READ MORE:
- Take a Tour of a 2021 Prius engine / electric motor
- How comfortable is 2021 RAV4 Prime
- Possible colors for 2022 Toyota TRD Pro

I am also wondering if you are in the market for a new vehicle. If so, will you consider a Prius or RAV4 Hybrid or another Toyota hybrid?

If you are not thinking you would consider a hybrid, what reasons do you have for staying away?

See you next story when I discuss 10 cool upgrades for your Toyota 4Runner.

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