Hybrid Battery

Here are two possibilities:

 

Well, you can certainly trust me. I've been working on hybrids for over 10 years.
I also started the local hybrid car club here in 2004 and have been doing public education about hybrids since then as well. I am well know and respected in the hybrid community.

The good thing is that you are taking steps to educate yourself BEFORE you have a crisis. That way you have a plan when a problem arises.

I'm happy to chat with you via phone if you ever need a little direction or have questions.

 

Ok I'm confused. Are you telling us that you've already had to replace the traction battery on your 2008 Prius at under 20k miles - and that it wasn't covered by warranty? Or did you not realize that the post of Eric's that you replied to was talking about the traction battery and not the 12V battery?

 

her first post was about someone else's low mile battery that had to be replaced. so she was concerned about the future of hers.

 

Thanks bisco. Yeah I understood that, but if you look at the post I quoted this has now turned into "and receive my money --argh. was not covered by warranty!". So suddenly it's starting to sound like a first hand case, hence my confusion.

 

yeah, that was a weird one, hopefully, she'll come back and illuminate.

 

traction battery is aka high voltage hybrid battery, located behind rear seat in large rectangular sheet metal enclosure, in the hatch area. It can be seen when you remove the folding hatch floor.

 

You need to either connect the charger to the dedicated positive jumpstart terminal within the main relay/fuse box behind the driver's headlight in the engine compartment; or else directly to the 12V battery located in the right-rear corner of the hatch floor. The former is preferable because if any doors or the hatch are open, that causes more battery drain. Please do a search for more info.

 

btw, chargers are for your 12 volt, not hybrid battery. you only need it if you don't drive more than once a week or so.

 

Hi Lamjo. "Traction" just refers to a component that is used to provide motive power. So the high voltage battery is also known as the traction battery.

Referring back to your concerns about battery longevity, let me keep it really simple with this summary.

1. Doing low annual mileage can be bad for 12V battery (unless some form of external charging is used).

2. Doing low annual mileage is NOT generally harmful the high voltage battery.

3. One anecdotal case does not a theory prove.

 

1. Yes, if you wish to maximize the service life of the 12V battery. If you are good with paying $300 every 3-4 years to have your local Toyota dealer replace the battery, then no worries.