That Prius v 12V battery doesn't look like it is designed to last 10+ year (looking at the size of it). Since I'm in Alberta and sometimes the winter can be a bit nippy, I plan to run run extension cord inside through one of the plugs in the battery compartment and plug it nightly to trickle charge the battery. Only time will tell how long the battery will last. The "Extreme charger" I just connected to the battery it is using "pulse charging" to maintain the voltage @ 13.3V The car will be driven sometime only 5-10km a day so it might not be enough to recharge the battery by ICE. It seems to me that battery is powering a lot of accessories + my wife likes to listen to the radio whenever she has a chance (ICE running or not) such a small battery might not last long without extra help :-/ The other day I've seen small Honda (new one) lady couldn't start the car, it turns out she drained the battery by waiting at the school and listening to the radio for over 30min. (in winter time).
prius hybrid battery runs the accessories and if you leave it in park, engine will come on to keep it charged. 12v only boots up computers. should last 4-5 years average. all the best!
Plan on 4 years. When you replace it, consider a Optima Yellowtop Optima DS46B24R Optima battery direct fit replacement for Prius 2004 + If you charge it, be sure the charger has a max amps of 2 amps or less. Try to convince the wife "you always put the car in READY to use anything electical"
Yes, Optima Yellow top is good one, my current one is 13-years and still going. Though, I speculate that by 4-year time Optima (or other manufacture) might come up with some kind Li-ion Nickel Metal Hydride type 12V battery. They will not be cheap but will be smaller and longer lasting.
Good suggestion. How long the traction battery will last? Especially when in ready mode "daytime running lights" are ON ; outside is -20C + all the computer electronics are ON. I think in this mode ICE will start automatically when traction battery is low.
Battery life is subjective but if you never kill it completely and drive normal distances you will be surprized how long it will last, the 2004 Prius that we just traded for the 2012Prius v had the origional 12 volt battery in it, purchased on the 26 of November 2003. Just never pulled right down flat. My 2003 Prius 12 volt was changed in 2009 not because it was bad but I was going on a trip to Calgary and didn't want any surprizes. I use a Shumacher 12 volt maintainer charger when I'm not driving it for more than 6 days. If you mount your charger under the hood and connect the output to the booster connector in the fuse box on the drivers side and leave it connected and hook the 120 plug into the one with the block heater both heat and charge.
proly 15-20 minutes and yes, the ice will start. but it won't charge it up much. just a little and the ice will keep starting and stopping like when you're in traffic going very slowly.
Make sure the charger won't overcharge the batteries. That will for certain kill the battery quickly causing sulfation. Most trickle chargers can kill a healthy battery if left unattended for long periods. (I've done it!) A healthy battery will hold its charge and not freeze up to I believe -72F. I have 12 v batteries that do ok all winter sitting idle. I test them periodically and charge if needed but I have found that is needed when the battery is getting old. Our winters aren't quite as harsh but not too far off. I would be more inclined to charge it for and a few hours when it tested low. If concerned carry a jump battery box. I do and jump others far more than myself. I would do some reading before hooking one up. I'm far from an expert but have done a lot of reading on this topic. W
I have also found that listening to the radio for 30 minutes in winter runs the 12V battery low in UK winter. I trickle charge it through the jump-start connector in the engine bay fuse box. So far so good. 2007 car, original battery.
I use Optima 3+ and 4 smart chargers to maintain the 12v batteries when we're away for extended periods. Those chargers come with a pigtail with an SAE connector. You attach the pigtail to the charging terminals for easy plug-in and removal of the charger.
Does a charger that gives only up to 4A can be considered a trickle charge? May that connector jump-start in Gen 3 be used for it? Sorry, the manual does no specify that...
Good pointer. I was researching for a good battery charger and Xtreme Charger seems to have a good reputation. In addition I have found this link on prius forum: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...ner-charge-discharge-behavior.html#post890393 Standard (cheap) trickle charger from local out parts store charges at 0.10 to 0.22amps it tops the battery to 14.5 volts and turn off till the voltage drops to 13.1 V and the cycle is repeated up to ~14.5 V and down to 13.1V The extreme charge is charging the battery at 0.03 to 0.05 amps (that is what my meter is showing) and when the battery is charged it goes in to a pulse mode and the voltage stays at ~13.38V
Thanks for the Optima tip ! (me) 2004 w/29,000 I've been a member an forget to seek the sage advice. gotta check what else you can help me with. I've got the Bentley manual and thinking of doing my own 30k Maintenance. I'm also thinking a new Plug in would be nice. thanks again vonrock
