Prolong Battery conditioning kit

welcome!
let's ask the expert, @jeff652 .

 

TractionBattery works much better when kept cool, I've noticed that the TB in my 2009 Gen II depletes much quicker when I have the A/C running, but I the fact that it only takes a couple of miles of driving to recover back to 65% SoC indicates that the TB isn't in bad shape (for 123,000 miles). Also I recently added the ChargeDelta (csd) X-Gauge to my ScanGauge-IIs and I've noticed it is always showing 0.0% (A Good Thing, apparently!). The regimen I use is FullRecon (3 phases) every 6 months and QuickieRecon (1 phase) every 2 or 3 months. I've had the Hybrid Systems Prolong set up for about 18 months. It's simple to use (even easier with the 5' extension cord) and @jeff652 is very helpful, and runs a tight ship, their customer support is first class! (BTW, I do not work for Hybrid Systems, neither do I have stock in that company nor have any association with them! )

 

You need to have some real data to look at to see what is going on.

- Voltage for each of the 14 blocks
- State of charge of pack data
- Voltage for the whole pack

Can see all this data with your android phone, the Torque Pro app ($10), and an Elm 327 OBDII Bluetooth Device ($15).

 

For the Gen 2 and 3 Prii it is around 240-241 volts.

 

When using the Prolong System, I've seen max of 240V, however sometimes during regular driving, I've occasionally seen 260V for a moment or two (I have one of my X-gauges set to btV (volts on TractionBattery))

 

I am interested in hearing how it works for you. I have read the testimonials on their site but hearing from an actual user community is always better.

 

Too bad none of you are part of the Insight community.
They were on there for many years before coming here to PriusChat.

Good folks.

 

That's the one thing @jeff652 mentioned when he installed the harness on our 2010. Been there for many years and he has owned over 27 insights.

The Insight community is more accepting where the Prius community is not as much .

I have seen the benefits and will continue the battery conditioning process every 3 months.

 

As a preventative measure, I liken the idea of grid charging to a gas engine and oil consumption. If you catch it towards the beginning of oil burning, you can add a quart now and then and keep the level up but if you want too long and it's nearly bone dry before adding a qt you've not helped it much for the long run. Sure that will keep it running.......for a while.

For older cars, the sooner you start preventative care, the better.

 

I'm just getting started with the Prolong system but I've been very pleased so far. I used it in June prior to our July vacation trip, a 6,500 round trip drive from coast to coast. The SOC on the MFD screen didn't fluctuate nearly as much as it was previously and the battery didn't drain as quickly as it used to on the high speed climbs with the a/c on. We drove it down to and around San Diego yesterday (262 miles total) and the car was the strongest it's been on that drive since we bought it last year. Previously were hearing and seeing lot more dependence on the gas engine to get up the hills. The battery pack no longer drops into the purple range within the first block of driving in the morning, too.

I agree with the assessment that it is preventative maintenance. Balancing the pack won't repair a bad cell but I do believe it will keep a weak one from deteriorating as rapidly as it might otherwise.