Reconditioning Experience with Hybrid Automotive's Prolong System

Toyota would rather sell you a new HV battery if their special charger (if available) does not resolve the issue. It is more profitable for Toyota to sell you a new battery pack than to rejuvenate the old one.
For service shops, there is now the ProlongPro system that is quicker, but much more expensive.

 

Only one question, when one uses Prolong system to discharge do you discharge the whole pack or indvidual modules?

 

Through the method you describe above, the pack still stays within its design limits. The Hybrid Automotive equipment takes the pack outside of those limits.

While the equipment may not be unique, it is effective .

Hope that helps .

 

The whole pack while the battery remains in the car.

 

There’s hundred of posts about the prolong charger. Read up. It is not technically possible to do the same without prolong.
You cannot discharge the battery even close to 100% by running the car in n with ac on. The software will not let you run the hybrid battery lower than 20%. It also throws a nag on the mfd about your in neutral etc. you cannot brick the car this way.
Prolong is different in that you attach your charge/discharge cable on the battery side of the battery relay which allows you to manipulate the battery pack outside of the cars software parameters. You have 100% control of the pack. You can discharge it to 0 volts if you want and charge it up 100% if you want.
The cars software in normal operation will not allow you to charge it higher that 80% full. This 20 to 80%
Keeps the battery out of high heat regions. Prolong deals with these high heat regions by forcing the internal battery fan to run in high speed.This 20-80 region cannot be over ridden with techstream
With prolong you have complete control of the battery. It works good. I have one there first model. But really only if your battery is not out of delta to begin with. It will not repair a sick pack with one or 2 modules out of delta.

 

If you're clever with electronics, you could make your own grid charger by making a current limiting DC charger at the right current and voltage and keeping the battery fan running on high the whole time.

As for discharging using the A/C, if it was possible that would be suicide for the battery. The lower the voltage gets, the more you need to reduce the load to keep it from reversing the lowest cells. That's why the manual discharge method has you constantly changing light bulbs till you get down to 25 watt bulbs. Two 25W bulbs in series, when you're down to 20 volts, is really low current compared to the air conditioner. Maybe someone with more time available would want to do the arithmetic.

 

IOW, you could design your own system to compete with @jeff652 's Prolong or ProlongPro system.
Many people here would rather pay for a proven design rather than a DIY design that could be fatal either for you or the car.

 

Including me!!

I love to tinker & invent, but not on something that would cost me thousands of dollars if I goof.

 

Thank you for all the explanations.

One thing that Toyota service doesn't have (or is too expensive) is time for this type of reconditioning and as I read here you need a lot of time to do this properly.

 

You're welcome!
Yes, it's very time consuming. There are specialty shops in the US that do this service, but not a lot of them.

 

With ProlongPro, shops can supposedly charge a pack in 1 - 3 hours. and fully discharge in 2 - 4 hours.

ProlongPro Hybrid Battery Reconditioning System - Hybrid Automotive

 

It's probably not worth their while. They advertised heavily that the hybrid batteries were maintenance free and designed to last the life of the vehicle. I don't think they anticipated the cars would be as good, reliable and durable as they are. To be pushing a battery maintenance system of their own making destroys their credibility on that issue. One of the last things they want to be telling prospective buyers is that in 7-10 years they'll need to start bringing the car to the shop and leave it for a week, twice a year. They already know the vast majority of buyers aren't going to keep the car that long anyway; why bring it up?

Consider too that we are an incredible minority of people even doing battery maintenance. There are millions of Prii out there merrily cruising along on the original batteries without battery maintenance being performed on them. When the batteries do eventually fail, Toyota has a system in place for an easy replacement. Expensive, but easy. Dealers are much more interested in easy replacements than time consuming repairs tying up their shops.

They are much smarter letting the entire issue rest with aftermarket suppliers.

 

That means, by Toyota's definition, the vehicle's life is considered exhausted,

 

Yep. They can use that battery failure time point as part of the sales pitch to buy a new car.

 

I forgot about the Pro system. Good catch.

 

Thou shalt charge/discharge the pack, the whole pack, and nothing but the pack (…so help you, Gawd!). I think that part of the majik is the very low charge/discharge rate, particularly in the Thrid¹ Phase (17V)

¹ for any Burkiss Way fans

 

You either need a business deduction or a gold mine to afford it, though.

 

Any one here using the Prolong Pro yet?


iPhone ?

 

At $4295? Nobody except @jeff652 (since he designed it) and he has been too busy promoting it to post here.
The first 3 chargers rolled off the line in September 2017.

 

It would be very nice, but way too expensive for my shallow pockets! Hybrid Automotive Products are nicely made, and I'm sure will last a long time, but unless I was in the biz. I think it would be crazy for me to invest in the Pro-model. (…as my old Granny used to say "…it never ceases to amaze me as to what folk would rather have than money!" )

…and besides, the one I have (bought in early 2016, so it's one of the original "squaries" (i.e. not one of the cutesy pie-shaped next generation models), and teaches the user patience, and the truly zen-like experience of doing a full recondition (…I've just completed my fifth full-recon. over New Year holiday, and I do the balance/long-soak about every 2 or 3 months)