Las Vegas - No Electric Drive on very Hot Days - 100F+

Can you hear the battery cooling fan running? It's behind the small grille on the right side of the back seat.

Do you transport dogs? Check that grille for hair.

 

Even though it's low mileage, your hybrid battery is probably having some aging issues. Desert heat can hurt these batteries.

Since the fan is clean, one preventive maintenance thing you can do is change your inverter coolant, assuming it's original. (It's probably okay since you don't see any warning lights.) Another thing you can do is look into "grid charging." Several threads will pop up on this site. Otherwise it might be wise to start budgeting for replacement.

Also don't neglect engine tune-up items like the air filter.

I lived a few years in desert mountains in Prescott AZ and my battery started failing fairly early.

 

what is the history of your car?

 

In Florida I learned real fast that cabin temp attacks the Hybrid battery. If you don't have a real high quality tint job and use a Heat shield in the windshield religiously (sold here at PC shop) you have already cooked the Hybrid battery. The cabin will reach extreme temps due to its big windshield. I went one step further and put an insulation layer on top of the extended package rack. No tint and package rack not extended the back area where the Traction battery lives see's constant direct sunlight. Vegas sunlight. Broiling. The fact that your seeing regular Hybrid battery fan activity should have clued you in. A low miles 2006 is sometimes worse than a high mileage car in that it has not seen regular everyday use with consistent daily battery charge. So the battery has sat for intervals just discharging. Very bad.

Start saving up for a new Hybrid battery.

 

It seems like the battery is just getting old. Nothing you should do until it dies. Batteries aren't meant for baking in the sun. There's nothing you can do about it though. The battery fan works so that is the only thing you should worry about now. If the battery fan stops working (which would probably be hard to know when it does) the battery will probably be damaged. It's an old car, it still works. It's an aging issue, not mileage.

 

Very interesting. I always wondered how the hybrid battery would perform, and how reliable it would be in hot weather states. (And I'm curious to hear from Gen4 owners who drive in extreme heat, and see how the new Lithium-ion batteries are performing.)

 

I'm guessing they will perform MUCH better. Aren't the Li-ion larger? Take longer to charge and discharge? That would probably mean more engine use though.

 

Physically larger, I don't believe it is. It's smaller and lighter. And capacity wise, I seem to recall reading that the new L-ion is very similar to the older version battery. Maybe someone can confirm, or deny.

'Lectro, mine recharges very fast in "normal" driving and weather. And it never seems to drop below the 2nd bar on the meter. It's been great so far. And I have the AC blasting every day.

 

it's less about driving, and more about where you're parked, as ed mentioned. still, everyone's covered for a minimum 8 years, 100,000 miles.

 

A vehicle parked in Vegas can heat up to 300F, so battery's can be affected, they don't like heat. Was the battery replacement new from Toyota?

 

The batteries can take super high temps, but they don't like it. It does take age off of them. Seeing as how this is a new battery anyways, I don't think it is dead. It is just hot, that's all. This is the car protecting itself. If the battery is hot, and you start using it it will just get hotter because of the internal current flows. So the car prevents this extra heating when it has deemed the battery already hot by limiting the output.

As you already have guessed, it is just a hot battery. Since it is hot ambient that is all perfectly normal.

Preventative would be to stop the battery from getting so hot. A good dark ceramic tint or some sunshades will help greatly. Even just cracking a window helps a whole bunch. If you can pre-cool the car, then I would. Start it, set the AC for the cabin and walk away until the battery is cooled.

When my battery gets hot, it is because I am subjecting it to extreme duty cycles going up and down mountains. As long as I am going down the road with airflow, I don't use the AC and instead roll down the rear passenger window to funnel air into the fan vent. Yes it goes the wrong way, but it still blows cooler outside air over the battery. This is in the mountains where the temps are low, may not help in Vegas.

I would just put up some sunshades and pre-cool before you start going.

 

agreed, if it's a brand spanking new toyota battery, it's just protecting itself. if it's a remanufactured whatever, it might be going south.

 

Did you look at the bottom of the filter?? If you have logged 20K miles on that filter the bottom will be pretty nasty-looking by now.

 

Yes, but it stretches credulity to think they'll behave and last the same, regularly subjected to either extreme.

 

Oh ok your not the usual dope we see here. Sounds like you know what your doing. I talk to Vegas almost daily as we have a control hub there. Its been a cruel year so far temp wise.
You did not respond to my question about a good tint job preferably as dark as possible and a heatshield in the window. I have only heard the fan come on once in 9 years and that was when I parked in the sun and forgot the shield. Cover the back area. If not going to rain crack the windows. Makes a huge difference.

I'm IT too. We just demoed an Optiview XG. Trying to talk my boss into it as I am getting tired of using my own stuff. I have a couple of Optiview III's. We had a national control hub inside this data center in Vegas. Armed guards escort you to your area and back. Last year we moved the hub out to a less tactical site in Vegas (think less $$$$ lol) . Ever been here?

SUPERNAP Data Centers
Gallery

 

wow! amazing facility for something so easily hacked.