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I’m in Love, With Our New 12V Battery!

Discussion in 'Prius v Accessories and Modifications' started by jzchen, Oct 12, 2018.

  1. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Good luck with the lithium battery. Have you seen any of the advertised efficiency gains like a
    "hotter spark" creating better mpg? I would doubt that especially since the dc to dc converter is supply the 12v power at all times except when "starting".

    I also find the cycling claims questionable or irrelevant on a Prius for a couple of reasons. First we know that an AGM in this application is rarely discharged enough to be called cycled for more than a time or two per year, if that. Considering plenty of users get five or more years on the factory AGM (mine is working on its 8th year) with "starts" every day (in my case at least two a day for a minimum of 5800 starts), then cycles (full charge/discharge cycles) are not really happening. The lithium should do as well in this conditioned air operating environment but its hardly a selling point at the much higher price point.

    Now if you take a lithium battery and put it in a phone that often does cycle 300 or more times a year, it will be degraded in two years. Which has created a cottage phone repair industry to replace them.

    I do like the "emergency" battery function but to me its a costly add-on that still has to be accessed in the trunk. From one personal experience earlier this year I know the trunk will not open without the 12v operational. So a $59 lithium jump start box that will easily hold its charge for a year makes better sense to me (although I did not have one the first seven years). I used Toyota's under hood jump start procedure the one time I discharged the battery by leaving the headlights on. I have used the $59 jump start once in the last month for its nice built in light and the built in usb charger might come in handy during a future power fail at the house.

    As far as costs for Toyota AGMs, (or anything Toyota Parts sells), typically there is a 100% markup for retail customers but direct fit alternatives are easily obtained. A compatible unit is on the shelf at most auto supplies for $200 while online pricing might get you a $150 AGM plus shipping (unless you have Amazon Prime). But a discharged Toyota AGM is not typically ready for replacement. That may just count as one real cycle.

    Clearly an AGM or Lithium battery's normal aging is a matter of reduced cold cranking amps, In Prius applications it means how long it can take an off-state discharge.
     
    #41 rjparker, Dec 23, 2018
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2018
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  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    And a $20 glass sealed-beam headlight please.
     
  3. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    My apologies for not responding earlier. With respect to efficiency gains, it has been shown that a weak or poor 12 V taxes the charging system and causes poorer than normal MPGs, so in a sense being healthy longer does help with efficiency. My parents make short trips about 5 days a week, maybe 3 miles one way, twice a day, along with other mostly short trips. The quicker charge rate, (I interpret as less internal resistance), helps keep it charged. These short trips may even take it’s toll on a (faster charging vs lead acid) AGM.

    Recently learning about the costs of replacing an ABS module, I do not want to be taxing my DC-DC converter either. I have no clue how much one of those costs, cheap or expensive honestly.

    In the v I could fold down the back seats, and hopefully get to the battery for the emergency start button that way.

    So far so good. I wasn’t around when the battery died on my 80+ year old parents last time, so I am hoping the quality of the one I bought will lessen the likelihood of it happening again. There’s definitely a power density advantage that lithium battery can be made to last longer, just the electronics they built in becomes a concern, (“BMS” they call it), hopefully it lasts...
     
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  4. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    For some reason I thought today is the 1 year anniversary of installing the battery, but it looks like it was the 14th or 13th. One night I found a dome/map light left on (driver side), then I recharged at underhood points. So far no dead/no start issues, I'm happy to report. I'm now on the extended warranty that I purchased....
     
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  5. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    Thought I'd update as I pretty much drained the battery inadvertently, trying to charge it/top it off. Not driving a lot I started going around charging batteries. I also decided to try if Foxwell implemented TPMS registration on my somewhat new to me NT510 Elite.

    Method:

    Car is always set to Auto headlights.
    Car is parked with a sunshade on the front windshield.
    Decided to get in through the passenger side door so as to not activate ABS accumulator.
    Pop hood attach NOCO G7200 and set to Supply Mode.
    Go back in through passenger side cycled Ig-ON without pressing gas.
    Attempted to program sensor ID but failed, turn Ig-OFF then exit from passenger side. Switch G7200 to Li battery charging mode.
    Go in for a few hours.
    Come out to check if done and see the charge status at 25%. In my mind: (???)
    Come a little later to check again, maybe 20 mins, this time I notice the headlights seem to be glowing. They are on! (This was in broad daylight.)

    Go in through passenger side and toggle light switch to turn headlights off.
    Finally charger completely recharges battery and I remove the charger.

    Everything seems fine. I guess I have 999 drains to go before I break it....

    moto g(7) power ?
     
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  6. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    Two years and I'm still all smiles. (I wouldn't have bumped this thread but last time it was really hard to find it). I hope to wait another two years from now to update again, barring any incident/issue.

    moto g(7) power ?
     
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  7. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    Last week my 91 year old father complained that there was a door open light. My visiting sister-in-law sent me a pic to confirm as I was not home. I may have accidentally left the hatch door latched at only the first position not 2nd and closed it completely when I came home. Yesterday evening he told me the car battery is dead, probably "because I only drive short distance". In my mind I smiled as the Prius does not use the battery to crank the engine, and he sometimes notes the car did not start when the car goes into READY but is in EV mode.

    EDIT-. Opened the hood and measured the voltage at the prescribed jump points at 13.2x V. Battery is good. Blew the air conditioner intake grille of a significant amount leaves.

    REVVL V+ 5G ?
     
    #47 jzchen, Oct 25, 2021
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2021
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  8. Mirage42

    Mirage42 Member

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    @jzchen
    You shouldn't worry, this battery is a great buy. And lead-acid batteries are a thing of the past, even Optima.
    At first I didn't understand why you bought it, but short trips made it clear.
     
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  9. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    It's been 4 years. I plan on updating another 4 years from now unless it fails before then....

    I bought an 80D26L (BCI Group 24F equivalent) for our 2004 Toyota Sienna last year, but just kept it in the house as the van is not being used, and keeping it fully topped off is supposedly detrimental to their health.

    I am waiting for a 65D23R to arrive today. Going to install it with BCI Group 25 tray and hold down (cold weather size that came with Canadian models) in my '14 Scion iQ, which originally came with a Group 51 battery....
     
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    how's it working?
     
  11. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    Good, or actually great. Even with my mother retiring and the resulting less miles driven per year it has never failed to start.

    It doesn’t get extremely cold here but no problems in the milder winter (that did produce a couple of mornings with hail).
     
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  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i'm amazed the price has hardly changed in 5 years
     
  13. jzchen

    jzchen Newbie!

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    I haven’t looked since late last year when I bought the other car one, but they started selling them without the “dual” battery function, which is basically a two in one main battery and smaller emergency battery. I know the one in the Prius has this, but I got wiser for the other car with battery in the trunk and just got the cheapest starter battery. (Both don’t have manual keyholes on the trunk).
     
  14. Mr.Greenjeans

    Mr.Greenjeans Junior Member

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    Thank you for posting here, it has been very informative!