What Is The Lifespan Of A Lithium-Ion Toyota Prius Hybrid Battery Pack?

There I was, minding my business when my wifes' uncle came up and asked me about his Prius. More directly asked me about the battery in his Prius and what the life span of it is.

Being in the know, I proceeded to ask him if the battery was a Nickel Metal Hydride or Lithium-Ion. He said he did not know and would like to learn a few things about his car. We both wanted to check it out.

As a Prius enthusiast, I happily agreed, and we took a stroll over to his 2017 Gen 4 Prius. Now, I knew that Toyota had started putting Li-ion into Prius in Gen 4, but I also knew that NiMh came in some trim levels. He was wanting to know how to tell if the battery was going to fail.

With my curiosity piqued, we pulled up the rear seat and found Uncle Wayne had a 2017 Toyota Prius with a Lithium-ion battery pack. What came next was a barrage of questions.

How Long Will My Battery Pack Last?
Well, Uncle Wayne, here is what I can tell you about Li-Ion. Your battery is more energy-dense and powerful than the nickel-metal predecessor. Li-Ion has also been through quite a bit of development and torture testing over the years.

Li-ion has weak points, heat and cold. If the battery gets too hot, it can cause it to weaken and shorten the life span and affect capacity. If it gets too cold, electrons cannot flow well and can also shorten the battery's life. Simply put, there are lots of other factors that go into this, so just relax before you try and beat me up over it.

I then told him why Tesla, GM, and other liquid cool their battery packs. The key to long life on a lithium battery pack is thermal management.

So, Uncle Wayne, to answer your question, it largely depends on how well you treat your car. However, I do have some supporting data to understand better when your battery could be faulty.

Replacement Time In For Battery In Miles
Luckily I have access to all sorts of repair information. TIS, Mitchell 1, and no, please do not ask me to print anything. I will be happy to send you PDF information, though.

To give all my readers (and Uncle Wayne) a better idea of when you could see the need for a replacement. Take a look at the attached chart and see for yourself.

Most of the hybrid battery (Li-Ion) repairs are taking place between the 150 to 200 thousand mile mark. This data is for a 2017 Prius, which essentially is any Gen 4 with Li-Ion.

Conclusion
Well, Uncle Wayne, there you have it. Your Prius battery should last you at least another 100 to 150 thousand more miles from where you are currently (he is at 55k right now).

For anyone else who would like information on what I have provided here today, please reach out to me on social media. Find The Hybrid Guy on Twitter or find me in one of the Prius Facebook groups.

Happy Monday, everyone, and I will see you all in the next story. How The Toyota Prius Changed The Taxi Industry For The Better

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Peter Neilson is an automotive consultant specializing in electric cars and hybrid battery technologies. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Automotive Service Technology from Weber State University. Peter is also an Instructor of Automotive Technology at Columbia Basin College. Peter can be reached on Linkedin and you can tweet him at The_hybrid_guy on Twitter. Find his page on Facebook at Certified Auto Consulting. Read more of Peter's stories at Toyota news coverage on Torque News. Search Toyota Prius Torque News for more in depth Prius coverage from our reporters.