I only drive my Prius 3-days a week, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It sits on the driveway 4-days a week, Monday through Thursday. Is this okay or do I need to get a battery-tender? Also, is there a way to connect a battery-tender under the hood? Using the jump terminal in the fuse box? Thanks!
Some chargers come with quick-connect wiring, which you can use in place of the alligator clips. They’re more convenient and secure. Here’s where to connect positive at the under hood fuse box: For neg you have lots of options. our useage is very infrequent and I have it on charger all the time it’s sitting.
The battery shouldn't lose much charge in only 4 or 5 days. In rough numbers, 0.02 amperes standby drain × 100 hours = 2 ampere-hours, vs. about 40 ampere-hour capacity of your battery. Why bother with the tender?
In general the people who drive their Prius everyday can go way longer before hybrid battery pack fails. People on here who have multiple Priuses (so they aren't driven every day) have replaced their hybrid battery early under warranty. So it's something to plan for happening sooner than later. And because OEM Toyota hybrid packs are hard to find due to supply chain issues you might want to upgrade to a project lithium pack before they run out. They just launched their pre-order for a last small batch of the year and if you use my affiliate link to buy I'll provide unlimited online tech support: https://projectlithium.com/?ref=9qLPw
How long is it on? 10 minutes? 1, 2, 3, hours? How old is the battery? If you don't drive long, you should check the voltage maybe once a month? If it's getting low, put a 4 amp or lower charger on it on one of your days off every 3 or 4 weeks. Better to be safe than sorry. You may go out there and it won't start one day. Then you'll have to jump it, and if you don't drive it long enough for the hybrid battery/inverter to charge it back up, you'll just have the same problem. If you drive for an hour or so that should be enough to keep it topped off.
Hybrid pack will be fine for this short period of rest. Your 12v battery will have a longer lifespan if kept fully charged 24/7. Sulfation starts when a lead acid battery is not in a fully charged state. I would use a tender...
Just check the voltage with a multimeter occasionally to get a feel for how low it gets. If you are comfortable with it, don’t worry about it. Mine sits like that and is fine (which is exactly what Toyota says in my owners manual). Regarding the hybrid battery, Toyota states in my owners manual that it will be fine, especially with your use.
Whats your experience with the aftermarket lithium battery? Stronger than OEM? Better range and power like a PIP?
Yes, all of the above... In few weeks I will have had the Project Lithium protoype pack in my car for two years! This time of year I like it because Air conditioner works a full capacity because the computers sense plenty of amps still available from the battery pack. And on road trips climbing mountain passes I'm no longer in the slow lane with one bar, but in a faster lane with 3 bars of power still available.
Im sure the OP was asking about the 12v. No one needs to put a battery tender on the HV battery. Having a bad 12V especially in this heat will also drain the HV battery more as it sits unused. If its an old 12v then replace it. As far as another HV battery, well there is nothing better than Dr. Prius Lithium pack. I have been using it for 2 years and I live in the high desert with high temps. The AC does work better and I remember noticing that when I first installed it. Also it is lighter than any HV pack. I can sit in this heat for over 30 minutes before the ICE kicks on to charge it. The lithium pack also charges up very fast. Check out my profile for helpful links.
@AzusaPrius @PriusCamper Was the install pretty straight forward? Is it plug and play or do I need to calibrate it with an OBD? I’ve cleaned the HV fan before.
