Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Mechanic
And the rebuilt-recycled battery packs aren't lasting nearly as long as the originals. Weren't they supposed to last 30 years.
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30 years is a very long time for a battery pack ... especially with over 15C Discharge rates and over 7C charge rates in all the various hot and cold climates .. with a fairly minimal BMS... That's a fairly rare / difficult achievement... for anybody.
AFAIK the OEM NiMH were originally intended for a MTBF of ~8 years ... under the expected HEV operating conditions ... the later extensions for CARB , law suits , etc ... were not part of the engineering design.
Battery pack rebuilds will only be as good as the rebuild itself ... no straw to gold here ... The better quality the testing and rebuild process the better quality and durability of the finished rebuilt pack....just like rebuilding anything else with re-used materials.
If you don't want to 're-use' the old batteries there are numerous options for new batteries ... Bumble Batteries ... make a A123 20Ah LiFePO4 battery ... etc ... etc.
Or ... don't ... Thankfully .. the Gen1 is fairly unique as HEVs go ... it is a fairly simple and very low cost mod to be able to run it without the High voltage HEV battery at all ... or even leaving a failed HEV battery in pace ... It also includes a redundant 12V starter already installed and ready to go... it is fairly easy to mod the car to run as ICE-Only .. if you want to put off fixing the HEV system.
Of course the other option ... is to not look for a 100% condition Gen1 ... but instead look for a good 'shell' ... and use that as a good base to build your own custom project DIY car ... The Aluminum construction will save you weight , and the base starts off with fairly good aerodynamics.