Is it time to replace the hybrid battery? Toyota Prius, Auris, Lexus, Citroen, Peugeot, Nissan Leaf, Porsche Cayenne, Ds Automobiles…
Today, a customer with a 2009 Toyota Prius Hybrid came to us with battery problems. He has had this car second hand for 8 years now. Is it time to replace the hybrid battery? A prius has two batteries, a 12volt auxillary battery used to power electronics and start the car and then there is a bigger 200+ volt hybrid battery located behind the rear seats. This is a nickel metal hydride(NiMH) rechargeable battery and is used to power the electric transaxle drive generators of the prius. The battery consists of 28 Panasonic nickel-metal hydride modules, each of these have six 1.2 volt cells. They are connected in a series and will produce a total of 201.6 volts and weighs 53.5 kg.The hybrid battery should not be touched up unless the service plug has been pulled from the hybrid battery.
How do you know if your hybrid battery life is not healthy and needs to be serviced? Here are some common symptoms when a hybrid vehicle´s battery begins to fail.
1.You notice a decrease in fuel economy and increase stops at gas stations. The purpose of the hybrid battery is to provide energy to fuel your car. If the battery is bad, your car reverts back to relying on gas combustion engine.
2.There is erratic charge. Your car display indicates battery is completely charged in one instance and moments later extremely low.
3.You notice the battery is not holding a charge or decreased battery charge. Your battery charge goes down when it´s not in use.
4.Increase use of internal combustion system.
5.If you hear strange engine noises or car struggles to accelerate.
A Toyota Prius’ battery life is not definitive, it will depend on factors like where you, how far you drive and the conditions that you drive it in. Most Prius have an 8 year or 100,000 km warranty but many people drive their cars much longer than that; especially Toyotas. So if you own a hybrid vehicle, at some point in time, you will need to replace the battery.
Back to our customer, indeed he was experiencing the above symptoms. We test his hybrid vehicle battery and results indicated that the battery needed to be replaced. We safely removed the old battery pack from the trunk of the car and replaced with a brand new NiMH battery. Once the switched was completed, we test the new new battery to ensure all was well.
Let the professionals at Servomotorsadjust help you keep your hybrid vehicle moving.
