After a significant amount of research (and debate), I have made the decision to perform a multi-stage Prolong Hybrid Battery Reconditioning service on my 2011 Prius. My car is currently at 170,700 miles and still functions acceptably with no fault codes. However, the Hybrid Battery has begun to show some signs of deterioration. For instance, driving in-town with heavy a/c use (during hot weather conditions) will cause rapid draining of the battery. The fuel economy has also slowly deteriorated, and when test driven against other Prius with new or reconditioned battery packs, the acceleration on my vehicle is noticeably weaker.
The theory behind hybrid battery reconditioning is that you are doing a deep discharge/re-charge of the NIMH hybrid battery pack. Supposedly, when a deep discharge is performed, you are draining the battery cells beyond their voltage depression floor in order to break down the memory effect within the individual cells. When this happens, the process will allow you to regain usable capacity. This service is marketed as an on-going service and is not an one-time event; the manufacturer of the Prolong system recommends performing a full reconditioning service 2x/year on aging/deteriorated batteries.
Earlier this week, I installed the harness onto the battery and also cleaned the Hybrid Battery Fan. The process was fairly straightforward and took about 90 minutes. Some pictures are attached below. The harness was $150. I am sharing the Prolong equipment with another person which helps reduce the cost of the service. My plan is to perform either two or three discharge/recharge cycles. I am budgeting 12 hours for the initial balancing step, 6 hrs for each discharge cycle and 24 hours for each re-charge cycle. So, this service requires the vehicle to be out-of-service for four to five days.
I am not expecting miracles, but I welcome any improvement in performance and added longevity. I fully recognize that at some point, I will need to replace the hybrid battery (current list price is $2,729.35).
I will keep this thread updated throughout the process. Any thoughts or experiences about this service are welcomed.
Photos:
1) Interior disassembled to gain access to the Hybrid Battery Pack:
2) Hybrid Battery Case is opened to install the wiring harness:
3) Hybrid Battery Fan is cleaned up:
4) Installation is mostly complete:
5) My parking spot for the next four days:
The theory behind hybrid battery reconditioning is that you are doing a deep discharge/re-charge of the NIMH hybrid battery pack. Supposedly, when a deep discharge is performed, you are draining the battery cells beyond their voltage depression floor in order to break down the memory effect within the individual cells. When this happens, the process will allow you to regain usable capacity. This service is marketed as an on-going service and is not an one-time event; the manufacturer of the Prolong system recommends performing a full reconditioning service 2x/year on aging/deteriorated batteries.
Earlier this week, I installed the harness onto the battery and also cleaned the Hybrid Battery Fan. The process was fairly straightforward and took about 90 minutes. Some pictures are attached below. The harness was $150. I am sharing the Prolong equipment with another person which helps reduce the cost of the service. My plan is to perform either two or three discharge/recharge cycles. I am budgeting 12 hours for the initial balancing step, 6 hrs for each discharge cycle and 24 hours for each re-charge cycle. So, this service requires the vehicle to be out-of-service for four to five days.
I am not expecting miracles, but I welcome any improvement in performance and added longevity. I fully recognize that at some point, I will need to replace the hybrid battery (current list price is $2,729.35).
I will keep this thread updated throughout the process. Any thoughts or experiences about this service are welcomed.
Photos:
1) Interior disassembled to gain access to the Hybrid Battery Pack:
2) Hybrid Battery Case is opened to install the wiring harness:
3) Hybrid Battery Fan is cleaned up:
4) Installation is mostly complete:
5) My parking spot for the next four days: