Reconditioning Experience with Hybrid Automotive's Prolong System

I have a Deluxe set for the 2004-2009 Prius I would rent out. I am in the Milwaukee, WI area.

Note: The discharger is the model for 2004-2015 Prius. The charger is for 2004-2009 Prius, but I read that it also will work on 2010-2015 Prius.

 

1) I'm also stopping between Cycle 2 and Cycle 3 (before the final discharge and charge). Should I recharge before the final discharge and charge, or can I just start the discharge?

2) My battery reaches 241v before leveling off. If I keep charging it, it will slowly reach 244v over a long period of time (6 hours), and will eventually reach 246v over a total 48 hour period (rebalancing).

At what voltage can I consider it charged for the first 3 charges (initial charge and first 2 cycles)?

3) It is recommend to wait 30-60 min after charging before driving the car. It occurred to me that plugging in the Discharger in Idle mode will run the battery fan during the cooling off period. Any problem with that?

4) What's the difference between the Charger for the Gen II and Gen III Prius? You have various "CO-PR" versions.

Thanks

 

Yes always charge at least a few hours after a discharge, or the battery not only can be too low in voltage to start the car, but can be damaged by the high amperage charging done by the car (High amperage charging should not be done to a deep discharged battery pack).

Once it reaches 241V and levels off, the charging is done and the balancing has begun. I recommend balancing for 4-6 hours for best results. Longer doesn't harm the battery, but the benefit delivered by the extra hours starts to taper down.

Yes you can plug the charger in. In fact starting a discharge and running it for 20-30 minutes is even better, becacuse that will pull the pack down into the 'normal operating range of the car' faster (which is the 80% - 40% SOC range)

The CO-PR is identical for Gen2 and Gen3 Prius. Our website has an issue that requires unique SKUs for every single product, otherwise they would have the same part number.

 

Is it difficult to build one yourself?

 

@jeff652 would say so. He has built his business around consumer and professional versions of the grid charger and discharger.

 

In theory, all you need is a charger (at a set voltage and amperage), a discharger (like the 2 light bulb one), and a volt meter. Then you can do it all yourself … manually.

If you want to avoid having to babysit the Prius, then you need a bunch of controlling circuits. That is where it gets much more difficult.

 

I'm looking for a Prolong Charger for my 2007, 216K, Gen 2 Prius that I'm trying to keep on the road for a much longer time!! Getting ready to replace the catalytic converter and O2 sensors to pass the state emissions and have noticed that my traction battery isn't as robust as it has been before.
If anyone has one they're not using anymore and wants to sell please send me a message.
Thanks!

 

These requests are usually posted in the Private Sales forum as "WTB" (want to buy)
Private Sales | PriusChat

 

Thanks for the heads up. I don't get on this chat group as often as I should. Lots of great info here that has saved my butt or given me the knowledge to make the right decisions!

 

Thank you @jeff652 , actually I was thinking of having you upgrade my four-year old Intelligent Discharger, but on the other hand, I might just hang on to it as it might eventually become a valuable antique which I might put on eBay? (…thanks @srellim234 )

 

Would be nice for someone who is tuned in to the topic just put a few lines ahead of the thread;
sorta' gist, ~"definitely not/necessary purchase", ~"...most people should get this and this option"; pay attention to that and this if you have such and such situation;
careful with "those nuances"...
etc.
Just quickly making your mind through 58pgs of the thread......
But very good reading. Thanks to all contributors

 

Some of us have tried to separate the topic out with our experiences:

2010 Prius II HV Battery Reconditioning

Another 6 pages of reading, but that’s my data.

Hope that helps .

 

Bonjour fellas. I just bought another cheap Prius, like $300 cheap. Of course it has a battery error. I'm going to try and put in on the HA charging system and hope it works. There's currently a 1.4v delta happening from 1 block, 2 are a tad weaker than the rest.
Is there a way to know if it can be saved or if it needs surgery?

 

It is pretty much a dead cert you need to replace the module that is low before you can try reconditioning/balancing. Reconditioning cannot bring back a module with a failed cell.

 

What's the tipping point from tired to dead?

 

A difference greater than 1.2 V usually indicates 1 (1.2 V) cell is dead.

 

On the HA website it states that the hardware can save a battery that has recently given an error code. Wishful thinking?
Perhaps I'll do 1 charge-discharge-charge session and do a force charge while doing a hybrid assistant battery monitor and see how if fares.

 

It can't hurt to try. Except for some time.

Pixel XL ?

 

It depends on the error code. If you read the HA site carefully, you will see very conditional language used and they do not guarantee to save all batteries in all cases.

As a matter of physics, you cannot revive a module with a dead cell, no matter how much wishful thinking you apply.

 

So is there a minimum voltage a cell should not go below to be salvageable? If so, what is it?