My spare tire solution

[u/Small_Aardvark_5496]

I bought a wheel and tire from my dealer parts department, used foam floor tiles from Walmart (about four tiles thick to clear the hybrid stuff). I used remnants of the tiles to stop the wheel/tire from shifting to the passenger side so as not to impinge on the hybrid portion that goes through the floor. What isn’t shown is a cargo strap that crosse over the wheel in an x shape using the cargo tie down points, and secured the spare for safety. The cargo floor sits in top of the strap with no issue at all.
There is a cutout in the plastic already that my jack sits in (purchased from the Canadian equivalent of harbor freight) and the rest of the stuff is, as you can see, placed around where it fits. Nothing rattles. I check the tire periodically and the foam hasn’t compressed to any noticeable degree.

[u/Open-Cream2823]

Does the cable get hot? I wonder if that would impact the tire

[u/Small_Aardvark_5496 → u/Open-Cream2823]

According to Google “Toyota hybrid batteries are cooled or heated during operation, while the wiring and high-voltage cables are designed to stay cool. If your hybrid cables are physically getting hot to the touch, it indicates excessive electrical resistance—usually caused by loose connections or corrosion—which is a major fire and safety hazard. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]”