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Another battery for the Prius.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by Britprius, Jun 13, 2012.

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  1. Tony D

    Tony D Active Member

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    Whilst on the subject of 12v batteries, has anyone used a solar charger to keep the 12v topped up whilst sitting for a time?

    Can you charge using the solar charger whilst the battery is in place? When using a battery charger normally I would remove from the car, but as the Prius isn't as straight forward ..... just thinking lazy ...
     
    #41 Tony D, Nov 12, 2014
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    #42 Mendel Leisk, Nov 12, 2014
  3. nh7o

    nh7o Off grid since 1980

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    Yes, no problem to leave the battery installed. Just make sure not to overcharge. That means there would need to be some sort of charge controller as well, unless the panel is quite small. That also depends on whether the sun does actually come out from behind the clouds in Ireland.
     
    #43 nh7o, Nov 13, 2014
  4. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Tony any solar panel that will fit in the car will not over charge the battery. The one shown in the link above is rated at 1.5 watts in full sun. This is an output at 14 volts of 0.1 amps I know because I have two of these connected to my sit on mower to maintain the battery over the winter. This charge rate over the daylight hours "about 8hrs a day, but overcast sky's will reduce the output" is just enough to overcome the internal losses in the battery that was fully charged before it's winter rest. Also remember in the car as the sun goes round the panel will not be in full sun.
    Dividing the wattage of the panel by the charging voltage of the 12 volt battery "about 14 volts" will give you the output of the panel in amps "or fractions of".
    This also may be of interest to you as I believe you have Aldi in Ireland.
    Smart charger in the UK for under £13
    John (Britprius)
     
    #44 Britprius, Nov 13, 2014
    Last edited: Nov 13, 2014
  5. Fostel

    Fostel Member

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    I found that those Exide batteries were not that long-lasting.
    2020-11-02_21:52:30.png
     
    #45 Fostel, Nov 2, 2020
  6. mr_guy_mann

    mr_guy_mann Senior Member

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    The thread might be 6 years old but I agree, haven't seen great results with Exide (I call them "Oxide").

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #46 mr_guy_mann, Nov 3, 2020
    SFO likes this.
  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I agree that the Exide battery longevity is not uniformly high. The battery I bought in May 2013 for my daughter's 2007 failed in late 2014 and I got a warranty replacement. The second battery lasted without problems through 2020; I replaced it this summer as a preventive measure (buying a GS Yuasa battery with the TrueStart label from a local Toyota dealer) and the Exide is now sitting on the garage floor. It still holds a charge fine.
     
    #47 Patrick Wong, Nov 3, 2020
    m.wynn likes this.
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