Will the Prius warn me on my dashboard that the battery is about to die

Which battery are you referring to? The 12V aux battery or the HV battery?

You never know precisely when a cell in a 12V lead acid battery will fail on you. Once, the 12V battery in our Chrysler minivan died just after my wife drove it off of the driveway. That was weird - enough power to start the van and died within 25 feet afterward.

The HV battery most likely will give you much more warning time that that. Usually when the HV battery is getting weaker, you'll notice a decrease in mpg on the highway when you're on a long trip (100+ miles). You'll also notice that the % state of charge will fluctuate more than it had previously. A HV battery in good condition will tend to maintain a narrow range of 50 to 60% SOC when driving in town with stop signs and stop lights. On the highway the SOC range will be tighter still if driving in an area with relatively flat terrain.

Your Prius is way too young to be concerned about the HV battery dying on you any time soon unless you have more than 100K miles on it already. The 12V battery may or may not have a lot of life left in it - some last only a few years, some last 10 or more.

 

no. welcome to priuschat.

 

Actually Rachel, either battery could make your car dead if either fails spectacularly - which has happened to a few. Much more likely to be the 12V but a really bad HV battery can stop you also if warning lights are ignored - some have done this as well.

You might notice the decrease in mpg if you find you need to fill up more often than in the past. And you might not be aware that Priuschat attracts many O/C people. I, for one, MUST know what my car's mpg was on every fill up.

 

if the yaris battery died, that only has a 12 volt. that is the battery that starts the engine. however, in your prius, the 12 volt only boots up the computer, and the hybrid battery starts the engine when necessary, as well as providing motive power.
unfortunately, the prius 12 volt battery is quite small, and even more likely to give you trouble than the yards battery. you don't need to worry about the hybrid battery.
the best thing you can do is learn to test the battery yourself. many people get stranded because their car batteries die for one reason or another.

 

Unfortunately Rachel, there is no monitoring system that can predict when any battery will die. The good news is, these batteries are highly reliable. If you want to be proactive about it, I recommend replacing your 12v battery after five years of service. As for the HV battery, you will likely sell your car before it goes bad.

 

from what i understand, the upcoming hyundai will not sport a 12v battery.

 

[QUOTE="rachel kodner, post: 2351180, member: 144933"I just dont understand why the car can't warn us with a dashboard notification ahead of time.[/QUOTE]

Well, because the technology hasn't advanced enough yet. There are a lot of ways a battery can fail and no way currently to monitor all of them. Eventually these "unreliable" devices will be made obsolete by a technological breakthrough. Be patient.

 

be thankful it's not your pacemaker battery.

 

Rachel, welcome to Priuschat.

Most, if not all cars, don't have reliable battery monitoring built-in.

If you're going to worry about being stranded, get a portable jump pack and learn how to use it properly before you need it. Learn especially how not to connect the jump pack in reverse polarity, which can cause thousands of dollars of damage to your vehicle. As long as you charge the portable jump pack periodically, and carry it in your car, you will never be stranded due to a dead 12v battery.

 

No, you are describing jumper cables. A jump pack is a portable battery that is used, on it's own, no other car required.

As long as you know how to use it, and to connect it properly, it will get you out of a dead battery situation. Here is an example of a portable jump pack:

Cheap peace of mind if you ask me.

 

Thanks b, that got me wondering.

Living with a Pacemaker FAQs
General Guidelines and Precautions After Surgery
After surgery to implant a pacemaker, most patients return to their everyday activities after a short recovery time. However, each person’s experience with a pacemaker is different. Recovery periods may vary as patients gradually return to their daily activities, and your doctor will schedule regular follow-up appointments to make sure the pacemaker and leads are working properly. Explore our FAQs about life with a pacemaker for some general guidelines and precautions to consider following your surgery.

How Long Does a Pacemaker Battery Last?
Your pacemaker is powered by a lithium battery, sealed inside a titanium case. If your doctor finds that the battery is low, he or she will discuss a replacement procedure with you. Because the battery inside the pacemaker cannot be recharged or replaced, a new pacemaker must be implanted, which on average occurs between 5 and 10 years.

What Things to Avoid with a Pacemaker:
Anything with electricity gives off electromagnetic energy (EMC), which can disrupt your pacemaker functioning. But most energy fields are too small to be of concern.

Hmm, maybe that's why Chuck McGill is so cautious......

 

That small charger is a good idea. The 12v battery on my Camry went out 3 times... with no warning whatsoever. One day you go to start the car, and nothing. Just dead. The Sears Diehard batteries I bought usually lasted 3 years.

 

someone had a unit that plugged into the cig lighter to read the 12v status. that would be helpful, but you'd have to extrapolate, because the car has to be on.

 

I'm going to buy the model that's a little more powerful. $89. (16800Ah, and 800A peak current.) My friends and neighbors who have large SUV's with a V8 engine can use it too.

 

12 volt is cut from the car's "cig lighter" type outlets when it's off, and when the car's running you'll get falsely high readings, so those readers won't work.

Careful: read the Owner's Manual regarding max amp hour when charging. 3rd gen was something like 4.5. Maybe 4th gen is higher; it is a more robust looking battery, FINALLY under the hood. But check on that.

I'm currently using a CTEK MULTI US 4.3 (max 4.3 amp), find it quite good. It allows you to charge at the full 4.3 amp, or at 0.8 amp, say for a motorcycle. It has options to charge at slightly higher voltage for coil style AGM's (like the Optima Yellow Top), and you can add an extra "conditioning" phase, say once a year. Have also their older 3300 (you can never have enough chargers, lol) which I used for a lot of years, also good.

For battery assessment, besides digital multimeter reading of at-rest voltage, an analyzer is good. I've got the Solar BA5. You typically input your battery type and the rated CCA or CA (Cold Cranking Amps or Cranking Amps), and tester lets you know the actual CCA, and voltage, and with rudimentary lights says the battery is either good, good but needs charging, or hooped.