Is Your Battery Balanced
Hybrid batteries fail for a handful of reasons. Often they fail because individual cells are not balanced with other cells.
For example, a typical 20-series Toyota Prius has 28 individual cells with around 6500 mAh, or milliampere hours. The battery’s capacity will breakdown over time to as low as 1500 mAh.
The breakdown, however, does not happen evenly all the time. Some cells may drop as low as 1500 mAh, and others could still be as high as 5000 mAh.
If you have unbalanced cells, the hybrid battery will fail you more quickly than if you have a battery with balanced cells.
Toyota Highlander Hybrid Battery
The Highlander Hybrid’s nickel-metal hydride battery:
- Features a metal battery casing
- Delivers 288 volts at high voltage
- Provides variable voltage of 280 to 650 volts using the boost converter
- Is 18 percent smaller than the Prius battery
- Sits under the rear seats
Each battery module features its own control system to monitor the battery and manage cooling. This manages the discharge and recharging process to provide the vehicle with a constant level of energy.
Toyota Prius Hybrid Battery
The second-generation Toyota Prius features a nickel-metal hydride battery pack that:
- Has 28 Panasonic modules
- Includes 168 total 1.2-volt cells
- Produces 201.6 volts
- Sits behind the back seat
- Offers discharge power of 20 kW at 50 percent state-of-charge
The battery’s capabilities decrease at lower temperatures and increase at higher temperatures. The Prius features a dedicated computer that keeps the battery at an optimum temperature and charge level. A 12-volt blower along the rear tire well supplies the battery with cool air from the cabin as needed.
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Charging Of Prius Hybrid Battery
But can the Prius hybrid battery be fully discharged? If you are using it properly, no it cannot.
The plug-in hybrid version of the Prius represents the ability to charge the car even in your home. It takes 3 hours to charge. In fact, the process itself is extremely simple, just follow the next steps:
- Plug the end of the original charging cable into an electrical outlet, allowing electricity to go directly to the battery itself.
- Next, access the charging port on the vehicle. The charging port is located on the seat behind the driver. Then press the panel door to release and open it towards you.Next, remove the cover from the port on the left side of the panel, with the cover holder on the right side.
- After that, remove the protective cover from the charger head and push it into the open port, where the charger head should snap, which means that the cable is connected correctly.
- When the cable is connected, it is necessary to press the trigger with your thumb on the back of the charger head, which will turn on a small green light in the lower part of the charging board.This means that your car is actively charging. If nothing happens, it means that the charger is not connected properly. Try again slowly and carefully.
- Wait for the battery to charge. The number of hours of charging depends on the voltage of the socket.
- Finally, pull out the cable by pressing a small button on the charging board and dispose of it taking care not to damage it.
What Drains A Prius Battery
The most common reason of a Prius battery dying is that the cells have lost their capacity to retain a charge after lying idle for too long. If youre going to be gone from your automobile for a lengthy period of time, ensure sure the battery is completely discharged and recharged before leaving town.
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Complications And Decisions Associated With Prius Hybrid Battery
Sadly, even the new age hybrid battery can make problems for which determine longevity, durability, and quality of performance.
The first most common problem is related to the state of charge of the battery itself with electricity in relation to its rated voltage.
It is important to know that there is a difference between the measured voltage of a battery and its capacity.
Another important problem may be the state of health of the battery, which shows the effectiveness of the battery in the medium or long term.
A hybrid battery can only work fully if all the cells and modules in it share both charging and discharging equally.
Every malfunction or irregularity in any cell has an equal and direct impact on the operation of the entire battery.
If a different voltage, resistance, temperature, or other parameter occurs in only one cell of the battery and it deviates from that in all other cells, the ability to charge/discharge the whole battery will be limited to that damaged cell. It is a form of protective measure.
There are many possible reasons for this, as a production defect in the cells themselves or differences between cells than poor electrical connections between cells, or abnormally high or low battery temperatures, etc.
Also, hybrid batteries are mostly weaker than standard ones, so they need to be replaced more often. Her life is not always trusty and she can cancel earlier.
How To Check Prius Hybrid Battery Health
Whenever you want to repair your Toyota Prius Traction Battery, you should be aware that there is various method you can do it.
However, in case you are at home and youre a DIY kind of person, then you can fix and balance your battery within a few days and save a couple of dollars for yourself.
But in case you are someone who doesnt have any idea about how to fix your battery, then our post today will help you on how to check Prius hybrid battery health.
Indeed, one of the hardest things is to know when a car battery is in its pre-failure stage, and you dont have any clue.
Also, you dont have clue if it is failing, or its modules that are failing which need to be replaced.
We believe that this article will give you the guidance that you need on how to check Prius hybrid battery health.
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A Stunner Is Born: All
- Sporty New Design with Sleek Silhouette, Larger Wheels and Modern Interior
- Most Fuel-Efficient Prius Ever with up to 57 MPG Combined Manufacturer Rating
- More Powerful Hybrid System Delivers 60% More Horsepower with up to 196hp
- Upgraded Electronic On-Demand All-Wheel Drive Available
- Toyota Audio Multimedia Standard with Available 12.3-inch Touchscreen
- Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 System Standard
DEL MAR, Calif. The Toyota Prius enters the 2023 model year as a completely transformed model. With a sleek new exterior design, a reimagined interior and an amped up hybrid powertrain, this new Prius is built for style, performance and efficiency. It is the hybrid reborn without compromise.
Designed to capture drivers hearts at first glance, this all-new 2023 Prius brings sporty style with a coupe-inspired shape. Its sleek silhouette, low roofline, smooth body panels and widened rear are proportionally balanced by available 19-inch wheels and the interior features a clean, modern design combined with high tech displays and ambient lighting. Altogether, its a progressive, sporty new Prius, thats designed to inspire the senses.
Sporty Yet Comfortable
Built on the second-generation TNGA-C platform, the 2023 Prius brings a new look thats both cool and functional. The TNGA-C platform has a lower center of gravity, reduced weight and increased rigidity compared to the previous generation. The result? A wider stance and a lower driving position that feels nimble, yet comfortable.
Basic Things To Know About Hybrid Batteries
Hybrid vehicles have become more advanced, but they’re still behind in availability and affordability. Hybrid cars offer the best alternative to cars with internal combustion engines. Hybrid vehicles bridge the gap between electric and gasoline powertrains.
Hybrid vehicles offer obvious perks like sleek electronic gauges and outstanding fuel economy, but many consumers are unaware of just how these engines work and what makes them so great for the environment.
Motors that run exclusively on electricity accelerate efficiently and produce maximum power when accelerating from a stop. Unfortunately, these batteries must be large and costly to be able to travel long distances. Battery-only vehicles have a limited range of just 70 to 250 miles, according to Consumer Reports.
When combined with a gas motor, electric engines become far more functional. Automakers can install a small, highly efficient gas motor to supplement the power from its electric counterpart. With backup power available from an internal combustion engine, it’s possible to use a smaller and more affordable electric motor. These two systems combined offer the best efficiency and reliability.
The drawback to this setup is that the overall design is still expensive because of the dual motors. Though each individual motor is smaller, including both adds weight to the vehicle and takes up a significant amount of space.
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Additional Signs That Your Prius Hybrid Battery Is Failing
In the previous section, we explored all of the main battery failure symptoms you may experience in your Prius hybrid car.
We consider them to be the primary symptoms because theyre easy to notice, even without any additional diagnostic equipment or software.
Still, there are several additional signs that your Prius hybrid battery is failing. For some of these other symptoms, youll require an aftermarket mobile app that provides you with diagnostic information about your car.
Typically, they include a mobile app thats compatible with an onboard diagnostics adapter that plugs directly into the car.
That OBD adapter or device will send critical information to your phone, so you can look for additional battery failure symptoms.
Lets take a closer look at some of these additional hybrid battery failure symptoms that you can look out for with the help of such a device.
How To Diagnose The Health Prius Hybrid Battery
Back in 2012 I purchased a well used Gen II Prius. It was a high mileage 2006 with about 1 year of service history missing. So, you could say it was a bit of a gamble.
Last weekend I received the dreaded P0A80 error code, while at the same time my entire dash was illuminated with every warning light available to the Prius computer. You could say, it was a bad day. You can read more about what exactly occurred in a post I will be adding shortly. Ill link it here once it is complete.
The purpose of this post is to provide, what are now glaring signs that my Prius traction battery was having issues. I now have a brand new battery which I installed myself, and this is why these signs are appearing to me.
Just to clarify before we begin, the traction battery is very different than the 12V AUX battery. The AUX battery is a user replaceable item, that is located in the far rear corner of the Prius trunk. It is used for initial startup operation as well as operating the vehicles 12V items radio, lights, etc., much like a regular non-hybrid car. Whereas the traction battery or hybrid battery as some call it, is used to power the electric parts of the Prius electric motor.
After driving with my new battery for less than a week these are the night and day items that stand out to me, as well as some more general items to look for
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How Do You Tell If Your Prius Battery Is Going Bad
In case you just bought a new hybrid car, you need to understand some of the signs of your hybrid car. And whenever this hybrid vehicles battery starts to go bad, then note that its symptoms are quite different than those of a conventional gas combustion engine.
Here are signs of hybrid battery failure
1. The Fuel Economy Decreasing
In case you are not getting enough gas mileage that you should, then its likely indicates that your car battery is getting bad. Its the job of the hybrid vehicle battery to provide enough energy to fuel your car. This means that when the battery starts to go bad, your car will revert to relying on the gas combustion engine as the only power source. Visiting the gas station regularly is a sign that your battery is failing.
2. Having Fluctuations In Charging State
If your car displays an erratic charge or it indicates that your battery is fully charged in a little while and then extremely low after a while, then your vehicles battery could be overcharging or unable to hold onto a charge.
3. Your Car Battery Will Not Hold A Charge
Whenever your car is parked overnight and you left it fully charged only to return in the morning and see it low again, then its a definite sign your hybrid vehicles battery needs diagnostic attention.
4. Your Internal Combustion System Will Run More Than It Should
5. Getting Strange Noise From The Engine
Elm327 Obd2 Adapter: The Clone Wars
Nothing can be worse than waking up in the morning and seeing a one-star review from a user claiming my app isn’t working. Luckily my friends and loyal users help me identify that 90% of the problems are caused by bad clones out there flooding the market, those bad clones lure users with unbelievable low prices but the results never end well… at least for Dr. Prius App and other hybrid-specific Apps like Hybrid Assistant.It’s a misconception that whatever works for Torque App should also work for Dr. Prius, the reality is, to get to the battery specific information, the OBD2 adapter must have the ability to “set message header” to a different ECU address, while other generic Apps only targeting the main ECU to retrieve very basic vehicle information like speed, rpm, coolant temperature.. etc. So with that, I decided to buy all the cheap clone adapters and see for myself, you, my friend, just sit back and enjoy the show.PS: Most of the adapters are for Android only, iOS users please jump to the bottom of the page.
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So How Do I Check The Health Of My Hybrid Battery
If your battery is already 8-10 years old , youll end up seeing warning lights on the dash. These warning / check engine lights are always generic. So, to get specific info about what those lights mean, you can go to your local repair shop, dealership, or auto parts store to get the OBD trouble codes read. On-Board-Diagnostic trouble codes are part of the system that monitors and identifies issues with your vehicle. For example, when this system sees an issue with your hybrid battery, it turns on the check engine light and records an OBD code. The trouble codes are very specific issues about whats going on with your car. These codes are accessed by plugging a code reader into the vehicles OBD port. Some places might charge for the diagnostics, others like the auto parts stores, will do it for free. And some hybrid owners might opt to do it themselves and buy an OBD reader. Once you have that information, call Green Bean Battery with a list of your trouble codes, and well guide you through the battery replacement process.
Average Life Expectancy Of A Hybrid Vehicles Battery
Two of the biggest differences between a hybrid battery and a conventional battery are cost and life expectancy. While a typical car battery may last about five years on average, its also relatively inexpensive to replace. Prices vary, but you can expect to pay somewhere around $120 or less.
A hybrid battery, by contrast, can cost as much as $3,000 to replace. Theres much more involved than simply replacing a battery. The hybrids system consists of an entire package of batteries. Before you break out in hives and require oxygen, listen to the good news that accompanies a hybrid.
Hybrid batteries are usually guaranteed by the manufacturer for 80,000 to 100,000 miles, which equates to about 10 years depending on your driving habits. Should your battery die within the warranty period, replacement costs are covered. The Toyota Prius, for instance, guarantees their batteries for the life of the vehicle, which can mean well over 200,000 miles.
A second factor in the hybrid battery department is that you can often recondition rather than replace it. A hybrid battery may consist of 28 separate modules. Instead of replacing the entire system, you can identify and replace the faulty module for a fraction of the cost. A reconditioned battery may run you in the ballpark of a more affordable $700 or $800.
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Dont Buy A Prius Or Camry Hybrid Battery
The day has finally come. Your dashboard is lit up like a Christmas tree and your Prius and Prius Battery is around 10 years old. Youve got a sinking feeling that the battery is going or has gone bad. No problem, you think. Ill just head over to my neighborhood Toyota dealer. And after a diagnostic scan and a P0A80 code, the maintenance department at Toyota suggests you have your Prius HV battery replaced with a new one. How much? you ask. We can fix that right up for ya just $3200. Or between $2200-$2600 BEFORE LABOR something like that. What the??? you ask, how that can that possibly be?! My car is only worth $2000. Well, they explain, the price is the price.
New high-voltage hybrid batteries are usually overkill for your used Prius or Camry. We believe we offer a more appropriate solution for your 10+ year old Camry or Prius
But isnt that just a Band-Aid? Wont my car be on borrowed time? Of course, your car is on borrowed time. Its a CAR and cars eventually breakdown. So the question is, how long do you plan to drive your car? Are you wanting to keep it for the next 10 years? And do you think your already 10-year-old car will actually last that long?
There you go. Thats our two cents after repairing hundreds of these from our shop in Indianapolis, IN.