A few weeks ago I purchased a used 2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid(202K miles). It had no problem making it the 3+ hours from South Carolina to my house in North Carolina. Both propulsion sources were stellar from my amateur viewpoint. I bought it as much for a learning project as for a keeper or a flip; perhaps even more. It is presenting some challenging issues & however painstaking these may be, it does open the door to enlightenment. A few words about me may be in order at this point. I have an Associates in Electrical/Electronics & considerable industrial exp. at the 480volt level. I have PLC training & Exp. & much exposure to both digital(discreet) & analog field devices & instrumentation. I have had much electrical & other safety training to include formal arcflash. I got this for a song because it had developed a Check VSC/ Check Hybrid system alarm that flashed on my multi-info screen all the way home. As I said above it ran great. But braking was extremely labored. It needed a very hard press on brake peddle to cause a stop. A wise old instructor of mine used to say that when you don't know what to do, do what you know how to do. The owner had informed my that the brake fluid, pads, rotors etc. were all good. When I got it home I inspected anyway & found that the inboard pads were extremely worn. I ordered new pads. I also hooked up my OBD 2 checker & there were absolutely no codes(Green check mark). So the car sat in my garage for 7-10 days while I did some research & ordered parts. The 4th holiday passed & on July5 I decided to drive up to my local AutoZone to get a more in-depth code check. So I got in the Hybrid, pressed the brake & turned the key & the READY light came on & as in other timed the combustion engine started automatically after several seconds. I pulled it out of the garage(detached) & drove the 50ft or so up to the house. I needed to go inside & get my wallet. While in the house looking for the wallet the gas combustion engine turned off but the ready light was still on. I pulled out of my driveway & onto the street on battery power only(1st time doing that). I feel quite sure that the combustion engine came on when I got on the road but the 2-3 mile trip never needed more speed than about 40MPH. When I got to AutoZone, the first lady came out with a reader & there were no codes. But then a man came out probably with a different scanner & it rendered some ABS codes as I has expected. They are C1252, C1256 & C1259. But all that was to become my secondary problem. Because when I pressed on the brake & turned the key the red battery lights did not go away & thus no READY light. CRAP!!! I did not know what to do & it was about 95F here in Carolina that day so I called AAA & had it towed to the house. His ETA was about 45min late. I was hot, bothered & embarrassed; rotten day! My Hunch- The traction battery has discharged just below the threshold where battery alarms are not toggling away to give a READY signal. My next step is to remove the back seat & figure out how to measure & charge the traction battery. Prius info is all over the place. What charger do I need for my 2wd Highlander? Given Wednesday morning over again, I would have never have pulled out of the driveway powered by the battery only(combustion engine off). Can Maintenance Mode help? If you have any tips to help me recover please text Keith @(252)904-0365. Thanks!
I’m so excited to see 0-60 times and mpg results! Might have to get me a highlander now haha. In fact you should 0-60 test all your upgrades, might be good marketing for you if the results are good
Thanks a lot for this advanced presentation I have already got notifcation to change the existing batteris. Will it be convenient to power my 2007 Lexus RX 400h with Lithium set. My car is a US version but now located in the United Arab Emirates. Is it available to import the Lithium set and install ? Appreciating your advice
Probably just buy it when it becomes available again because chances are when you need it the price for lithium manufacturing will be twice as expensive because gas will be approaching $25 a gallon
M8 you are a legend... It is fantastic to know the pack can be upgraded. How much current can the motor drivers take was my concern? Also any luck with going EV mode for short distances?
cool! I was just looking at purchasing a highlander hybrid or RX400h. My biggest concern was the life of the traction battery and was looking for 'alternative' upgrade. I recalled all the Prius PHEV conversions 10 years ago with the upgraded/additional packs and was hoping something similar was still available. I like this elegant solution and would definitely consider this before buying a NiMH replacement. How reliable are Toyota hybrid systems? Can the motor generators and inverters take the extra load?
Awesome!! Can’t wait to buy one for my 2008 Highlander Hybrid. I know there’s still a lot of testing to be done, but do you have an estimate of when it will be available for purchase?
Add me to the order list! I just drove home in an 07 Highlander hybrid, and my very first thought was to add batteries and make it a plug in--but this is way better! Simpler, cheaper, more elegant. So 2 questions: first, when (of course), and second, can you add an option to charge the LFP battery from an external source to make this an actual plug in hybrid? And one last comment, you're awesome! This is such a cool project!
👋 I am working on a project for my highlander and was wondering if you could share the dimensions for each of the 3 modules. The internet has little info and I want to start the build prior to pulling the battery out of the vehicle. Thank you so much and Cheers!
Have you done an NX yet? Is the hybrid system in that able to draw more amerage for more power? How does the hybrid system handle the different voltage curves from the lithium vs nimh?
Was this Highlander all-wheel drive? My Highlander is all wheel drive and has a weak module. When the state of charge is low and I get heavy on the gas pedal it always throws a code and then I have to reset. All wheel drive Highlander is a very quick vehicle with an extra electric motor for the rear wheels! I really really like my Highlander. Good visibility, could sound system, good noise insulation, seats seven people, so many good things about it all except the stupid traction control won't let me go up a steep gravel Hill or a slippery grass hill.
put it in park, turn car off, hold brake pedal with left foot, turn key to "on" (not to start/ready), floor the accelerator 4 times, shift to nuetral, floor 4 times, shift to park, floor 4 times, then start the car. You'll be in 4WD maintenance mode with all sorts of warning lights lit up, but no traction control. Turn the car off & on to return to normal mode
@@jeff-g wow, that's an awesome trick. Would especially be good that time I couldn't get up the steep gravel driveway. Lol too bad drunk pulled out in front of me and totaled my Highlander.
@@hybridapp7158 I agree it’s probably better to pick up a secondhand Prius prime you think that you could upgrade the battery on a Prius prime to double the battery only EV range
@@hybridapp7158 Ok I am selling my base Prius and getting a PRIME - look forward to the upgrade Would love to see a 100 mile EV only range in the prime ???
Hello God bless you, I would like to ask you the following, I have a 2006 Toyota Highlander hybrid, it was stopped for a long time and they tell me the battery is low, I saw your video and I was wondering if you could make or rebuild a lithium battery for me so I could adapt it to my truck The problem is that I live in Mexico and I would like to know if you can do the job of making lithium battery packs for me and then I will go look for them and then, while I am here in Mexico, install them with a technician, my question would be how much would it cost me? did you do your job? I will be attentive to your answer, thank you.
Jack, you are the man. The pack I put in my RX 400h is awesome. So much more power. Thx so much.
DB
Any mpg bonus?
Can’t wait for it to be on sale!
lot of torture testing TBD
Jack!!!
You fixed the American flag on your shirt…!!!
You’re the man!!!
I always listen :)
A few weeks ago I purchased a used 2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid(202K miles). It had no problem making it the 3+ hours from
South Carolina to my house in North Carolina. Both propulsion sources were stellar from my amateur viewpoint. I bought it as
much for a learning project as for a keeper or a flip; perhaps
even more. It is presenting some challenging issues & however painstaking these may be, it does open the door to
enlightenment.
A few words about me may be in order at this point. I have an Associates in Electrical/Electronics & considerable
industrial exp. at the 480volt level. I have PLC training & Exp. & much exposure to both digital(discreet) & analog field devices
& instrumentation. I have had much electrical & other safety training to include formal arcflash.
I got this for a song because it had developed a Check VSC/ Check Hybrid system alarm that flashed on my multi-info screen all
the way home. As I said above it ran great. But braking was extremely labored. It needed a very hard press on brake peddle to
cause a stop. A wise old instructor of mine used to say that when you don't know what to do, do what you know how to do.
The owner had informed my that the brake fluid, pads, rotors etc. were all good. When I got it home I inspected anyway &
found that the inboard pads were extremely worn. I ordered new pads. I also hooked up my OBD 2 checker & there were absolutely
no codes(Green check mark).
So the car sat in my garage for 7-10 days while I did some research & ordered parts. The 4th holiday passed & on July5 I decided to drive up to my local AutoZone to get a more in-depth code check. So I got in the Hybrid, pressed the brake & turned the key & the READY light came on & as in other timed the combustion engine started automatically after several seconds. I pulled it out of the garage(detached) & drove the 50ft or so up to the house. I needed to go inside & get my wallet. While in the house looking for the wallet the gas combustion engine turned off but the ready light was still on. I pulled out of my driveway & onto the street on battery power only(1st time doing that). I feel quite sure that the combustion engine came on when I got on the road but the 2-3 mile trip never needed more speed than about 40MPH. When I got to AutoZone, the first lady came out with a reader & there were no codes. But then a man came out probably with a different scanner & it rendered some ABS codes as I has expected. They are C1252, C1256 & C1259. But all that was to become my secondary problem. Because when I pressed on the brake & turned the key the red battery lights did not go away & thus no READY light. CRAP!!! I did not know what to do & it was about 95F here in Carolina that day so I called AAA & had it towed to the house. His ETA was about 45min late. I was hot, bothered & embarrassed; rotten day! My Hunch- The traction battery has discharged just below the threshold where battery alarms are not toggling away
to give a READY signal. My next step is to remove the back seat & figure out how to measure & charge the traction battery. Prius info is all over the place. What charger do I need for my 2wd Highlander?
Given Wednesday morning over again, I would have never have pulled out of the driveway powered by the battery only(combustion engine off).
Can Maintenance Mode help? If you have any tips to help me recover please text Keith @(252)904-0365. Thanks!
Did you fix it?
I’m so excited to see 0-60 times and mpg results! Might have to get me a highlander now haha. In fact you should 0-60 test all your upgrades, might be good marketing for you if the results are good
Hahahaha Happy Jack, that was a good one.
Thanks a lot for this advanced presentation
I have already got notifcation to change the existing batteris. Will it be convenient to power my 2007 Lexus RX 400h with Lithium set.
My car is a US version but now located in the United Arab Emirates.
Is it available to import the Lithium set and install ?
Appreciating your advice
That’s pretty cool! The battery in my’12 Camry hybrid isn’t ready yet. But when it is ready to be replaced, I know that I’m going with the lifepo4
Probably just buy it when it becomes available again because chances are when you need it the price for lithium manufacturing will be twice as expensive because gas will be approaching $25 a gallon
M8 you are a legend... It is fantastic to know the pack can be upgraded. How much current can the motor drivers take was my concern? Also any luck with going EV mode for short distances?
Great test when can we see the MPG for the gen 3 test
Changing this car hybrid battery is easier than the camry right?
Can you provide explanation of that new gen cell?
cells are exactly the same as our Prius lithium cell, more information can be found at projectlithium.com/pages/faqs
cool! I was just looking at purchasing a highlander hybrid or RX400h. My biggest concern was the life of the traction battery and was looking for 'alternative' upgrade. I recalled all the Prius PHEV conversions 10 years ago with the upgraded/additional packs and was hoping something similar was still available. I like this elegant solution and would definitely consider this before buying a NiMH replacement. How reliable are Toyota hybrid systems? Can the motor generators and inverters take the extra load?
Awesome!! Can’t wait to buy one for my 2008 Highlander Hybrid. I know there’s still a lot of testing to be done, but do you have an estimate of when it will be available for purchase?
Add me to the order list! I just drove home in an 07 Highlander hybrid, and my very first thought was to add batteries and make it a plug in--but this is way better! Simpler, cheaper, more elegant.
So 2 questions: first, when (of course), and second, can you add an option to charge the LFP battery from an external source to make this an actual plug in hybrid?
And one last comment, you're awesome! This is such a cool project!
Add me to the order list, too. Very exciting, hope to see it developed soon!
Sept/ Oct is my guess
Fantastic! You are the man.
Can you please explain if this is using origninal bms?
👋 I am working on a project for my highlander and was wondering if you could share the dimensions for each of the 3 modules. The internet has little info and I want to start the build prior to pulling the battery out of the vehicle. Thank you so much and Cheers!
Have you done an NX yet? Is the hybrid system in that able to draw more amerage for more power? How does the hybrid system handle the different voltage curves from the lithium vs nimh?
i need some help which one is cell block 12. any info will be greatly appreciated
Jack, mine is a 2008 Lexus Rx400h, how can I get the Lithium battery to replace with NiMH
Was this Highlander all-wheel drive? My Highlander is all wheel drive and has a weak module. When the state of charge is low and I get heavy on the gas pedal it always throws a code and then I have to reset. All wheel drive Highlander is a very quick vehicle with an extra electric motor for the rear wheels! I really really like my Highlander. Good visibility, could sound system, good noise insulation, seats seven people, so many good things about it all except the stupid traction control won't let me go up a steep gravel Hill or a slippery grass hill.
put it in park, turn car off, hold brake pedal with left foot, turn key to "on" (not to start/ready), floor the accelerator 4 times, shift to nuetral, floor 4 times, shift to park, floor 4 times, then start the car. You'll be in 4WD maintenance mode with all sorts of warning lights lit up, but no traction control. Turn the car off & on to return to normal mode
@@jeff-g wow, that's an awesome trick. Would especially be good that time I couldn't get up the steep gravel driveway. Lol too bad drunk pulled out in front of me and totaled my Highlander.
will these be for sale again? would like to upgrade the wife's highlander
Brother i need this for my RX!!!!
when it will be availabled? how much for 2008 Highlander hybrid
I have the same question!!! My battery is bad now and it's sitting until I get to it to repair it. I'm not getting rid of it because I like the car.
I’ll be a tester for ya! Have a 2006 Lexus rx400h that’s a secondary car.
What’s the cost to build a battery pack?
Do you plan to do Estimas batteries?
But did it get better gas mileage?🤔
Take my money!
So are you gonna sell these?
Awesome
I would love to convert my Prius to Plugin with a big pack - is that possible???
Prius plug-in is very affordable car, better just buy a used one.
@@hybridapp7158 I agree it’s probably better to pick up a secondhand Prius prime you think that you could upgrade the battery on a Prius prime to double the battery only EV range
@@Edward3DFX future project for sure.
@@hybridapp7158
Ok I am selling my base Prius and getting a PRIME - look forward to the upgrade
Would love to see a 100 mile EV only range in the prime ???
Hello God bless you, I would like to ask you the following, I have a 2006 Toyota Highlander hybrid, it was stopped for a long time and they tell me the battery is low, I saw your video and I was wondering if you could make or rebuild a lithium battery for me so I could adapt it to my truck The problem is that I live in Mexico and I would like to know if you can do the job of making lithium battery packs for me and then I will go look for them and then, while I am here in Mexico, install them with a technician, my question would be how much would it cost me? did you do your job? I will be attentive to your answer, thank you.
Next goal: Lithium gen 1 RAV4 EV
need a beta test car :)
Let me know when you're ready to sell these
can you use it on 2008 rx 400h and how much do it cost
first and First to like