Charging Prius Battery - Trickle?

Welcome.

I don't think I can have used enough chargers or trickle chargers to be specific. But I would advise that you make sure it is compatible with AGM batteries like the one in the Gen 3 and earlier Prius.

Also, there are two angles to consider. A charger for at home is important. But it's also nice to have a lithium booster battery for those times the kids kill your battery while you're in the store. It'll get you home so you can finish charging and you won't have to wait for AAA or risk them hooking up the jumpers backwards and blowing out your very expensive inverter.

 

@Mendel Leisk is our 12v charging guru. he'll give you enough options to set your head spinning

 

Some would hope for action.

Head spinning is I guess one outcome.

 

The 12 volt battery is very small and requires attention to not get discharged by accident. One of the ways this happens is by placing the start switch in the accessory position, (pushing the power button once without pushing the brake pedal), to power things such as the radio etc. Instead of this place the switch in start(pushing the power button while holding down on the brake pedal) if parked, but using electrical power, and when the battery starts to discharge the Prius will start its engine to recharge said battery. My advice is to concentrate on keeping your cell phone battery charged and if you have problems do call AAA. That is what you pay them to do.

 

Neither does that person at Toyota.
Cheap trickle chargers run continuously and eventually can damage the battery.

What you need is a "smart" automatic tender type small battery charger; something in the 2 to 4 amp capacity range.
They can be had where ever car parts are sold, including places like WalMart. Should run around $35.

 

BUT.....there is a limit on their "prepaid" service calls.

Letting a battery go flat repeatedly makes it age faster.
It is better to keep it up.

 

I'm using a CTEK 4.3. Our use of the car keeps dropping, and really took a nose-dive with COVID. It's worked very well for me. It's a "smart charger", can be left on indefinitely (which we pretty much do now). It's rated 4.3 amps, which is about the max amp rating recommended by the owner's manual.

Maybe 2 years back I got tired of dealing with alligator clips (at the under-the-hood fuse box jump point), wired in the quick-connect cable that came with the charger. At the top of the gen 3 maintenance forum there's a pinned thread linking @NutzAboutBolts videos. There's one on accessing that point where you can wire in a quick connect. It's a little tricky, you could DIY, or ask dealership.

Here's a direct link to that video:

Another option, one I've been considering, is the 4 amp Noco charger. To back up a little: the CTEK is an "external" charger, it's outside the car (typically). You run leads to the car's battery, and a power cord back to an AC plug in. On the other hand, the Noco charger, the whole thing, is typically placed in the engine compartment, somewhere adjacent to the battery. Two leads are connected to the battery, and the power cord is run out to the front grill, kind of like a block heater.

 

I see NO advantage to carrying the charger hardware around with you all the time, especially not IN the engine bay.
A simple SAE battery connector can accomplish the same thing and you can carry the charging electronics in the glove box or trunk.......if you really feel a need to have it with you.

That also allows you to use the charger on more than one "vehicle".

 

I Use Battery Tender, I bought at Wal-Mart for $50 and it has a Good Warranty. It does a Great Job!!

 

My research also convinced me to go with CTEK, although I got a deal on the next model up;

https://tinyurl.com/yb7fljh6

Despite my dome lights being set to OFF and puddle lights removed, somehow I run down the battery when leaving a door open, even with ignition OFF.

 

Puddle lights being those ones in the door panels? There's maybe also little lights in the footwells (pretty sure there would be, with a 5). Also, I have a hunch even if you tracked down and turned off all the lights, it's using a lot more than background milliamps with a door open, just wakes the car up.

 

'ohhhhh, dirty maggiemae, they have taken her away, and she won't be down on lyme street anymowa.

the judge he guilty found her, for robbin' the homeward bounder, that dirty rotten no good maggiemae.'

 

Maybe she had to get back to school.