Featured The Best 12v Battery Option For Toyota Prius

I'm in the same boat. New Optima about 4 years back and the OEM Yuasa still in the garage. I charge it very occasionaly, and checking with a Solar BA5 recently it's CCA was slightly below spec. Which is borderline, but in a pinch it could be used. Dealership said they'll recycle it if I want to get rid of it.

 

can you send it here please?

 

I realize this thread is old but I've been running a lawnmower battery on my Prius for 2 years now.

 

Pics please.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Yeah, details. Car and battery.
The Prius doesn't need much in way of battery for starting, but things like SKS mean higher vampire load.

 

I measured 16~18 milliamperes phantom load, with spikes every 5~6 seconds to around 40. The spikes didn't seem to coincide with the blinking security light, but I could be wrong; seems a likely suspect.

 

The gen2 had a reasonably accessible button for turning off SKS. The system pings, looking for a fob, when movement is detected nearby. That's my guess for what you are seeing.

Turning it off was recommended for long parks. Newer systems are more efficiency with auto energy saving modes.

 

I never followed up but did buy a 12V photocell, tickle charger. The challenge is the need for an 'always hot' lead to the 12V circuit. I didn't want to risk my OBD connector 12V lead.

My last thought was to tap the fuse block as there are some always hot leads. This keeps the wiring in the cabin and the solar cells can be mounted on the sun-side of the dashboard.

Bob Wilson

 

Connect it directly to the under hood jump terminal? Run the wire on the same path the main 12v power cable uses to enter the fuse box, up from the bottom then a 90 degree turn to the stud. You could put a small ring terminal on it, slide it over the stud and add another nut to lock it in place, that way you don't disturb the main 12v lug and nut.

 

On our Prius 2 when my original battery went out I replaced it with an Optima yellow top. I'll save the horror stories about dealing with Optima and their product quality and just jump to the countermeasure I took.

Because the battery had trouble maintaining a full charge over time I hooked up a supplied pigtail (from BatteryMINDer) to the battery which is of course located in the trunk/cargo area. The battery minder simple little charger I bought would then plug into the pigtail. The pigtail was small enough in diameter and long enough that it extended past the rear hatch when hatch was closed. So- when I noticed the windows were a little slow operating I would simply plug in the BatteryMINDer and then overnight the battery would charge back up to full power. This seemed to help my battery and it eventually would have to be plugged in only in the winter months infrequently. This model charger also reconditions the battery as well as charges it

BatteryMINDer Model 1500

Here are some pictures of the set up. Back when I bought it it was less than $25.

BatteryMINDer with SmartTECHnology (good for AGM or Traditional batteries)

 

SIGH.
Regardless of the source of power, a dumb trickle charger is NOT a good thing to be using for a long term connection.
And if it is a "smart" charger, then "trickle charger" is not the right term to call it by.
The difference is important and using the wrong term to describe it just confuses people.

 

The other day someone used the term "tickle charger".

 

OH.....TICKLE charger.
Sorry I mis-read that.
Whole different story.

 

Seen solar maintainers with both the12v plug and alligator clips.