PiP long term storage

welcome! trickle charger is a good idea for the 12v. make sure you get the right kind. (search threads for advice) charge the hybrid battery about half full and unplug it, do not leave it charging, the owners manual covers this. all the best!

 

you also might want to fill the gas tank with a high quality gasoline with a stabilizer added.

Personally, I would arrange for someone to drive the vehicle a few miles every month to flex the tires, lube the engine, exercise the batteries, etc ...

 

yes, if you can't get someone to drive it, the stabilizer is a good idea and pump up the tire to max sidewall pressure.

 

actually, the manual recommends discharging the EV portion of the battery completely so that the car exits EV mode and drives in HV mode only.

 

really? i missed that, thanks!

 

Yup, I recall reading that in the manual as well.

 

is it in the faq?

 

Nope, because I suspect few people store their cars for months without driving

 

good question. mine will be on ice for a month.

 

I had to store my 2 month old PIP for 4 weeks. I left it with 1-2 miles of EV. I had someone come start it for a minute and then turn it back off after 2 weeks. The battery drained by ~0.2 miles I think.

Mike

 

thanks. i won't have anyone start mine. i've left my 04 and 08 for upto 6 weeks in winter without any issues, i don't expect any with the pip.

 

I appreciate all the posts on long-term storage. I'll be storing my PIP for 8 months in a home garage. After reading all the posts, it looks like you should store it with no or very little EV miles, gas stabilizer and full-tires. There seems to be a difference of opinion regarding the 12 volt battery. Some say hook up a battery saver (
Battery Saver
) or trickle charger. Others suggest disconnecting the 12V battery.

What are the issues either way (battery saver or disconnect)?

 

I would use a battery saver!
8 months is a long time, you may come back with a dead 12 volt battery. Be safe.

 

Would the 12v lead acid self discharge in 8 months if left disconnected? I don't think so.

 

Lead acids self discharge. Li-ions don't, but they do age quicker if left with a full charge, supposedly. Thus the manual recommendation.
A 'battery minder' type of charger would be a good idea for the 12 V battery. I'd disconnect it too for good luck.
Stabil in the gas would be good also.
Running an engine for just a few minutes is a bad idea. The exhaust system and engine do not get up to temp and condensation will be on the inside of everything the exhaust gases touch.
Either give it a good drive at power on the highway or let it hibernate.
A bag of desiccant pouches can be taped to the exhaust and inlet openings if you want to get fancy.
This is called 'Pickling' in aviation engines.

 

"Long Term Storage" with trickle chargers connected "on vehicle" can be used, but requires periodic monitoring for failures and/or power outages. Absent that, they should be only be used with the 12v battery disconnected and removed from the vehicle.

 

OK, thanks. Just wondering why to disconnect the 12v battery and remove from vehicle? Is it a safety issue?

Also, what data will I lose if I disconnect the battery?

 

Disconnecting my 12V for up to a few hours at a time when working on the car has resulted in my needing to reset things like the calendar and clock, perhaps the default-EV/Eco-mode-on-Start setting. Also, your trip odometers will get reset (not the main car's odometer). Strangely enough, it doesn't seem like I've had to re-enter AM/FM station presets or BT cellphone pairings, which I had expected to need to do. Not sure if that will be true for a months-long disconnect.

But with 12Vs, seems ideal to maintain the charge level and voltage when not used.

I remember Li-Ion batteries for laptops typically came with 40% or so charge level--stated as being best for preserving their remaining "lifespan" during any kind of storage--hence why so many similar batteries need to be charged up before first use. The hybrid battery on my PiP is Li-Ion (not sure if it was NiMH at any point before), so I imagine the reasoning is something similar.