Social distancing might be a good thing for mankind right now, but it’s proven to be troublesome for some hybrid vehicle owners. More specifically, it’s led to issues for hybrid owners working from home or staying home more often without properly maintaining their hybrid battery.
According to Dave Callari with DC Battery Hub, a leading supplier of aftermarket hybrid electric vehicle battery packs, inactivity is a killer for hybrid batteries.
“As we have been stating since day one, inactivity kills a hybrid battery,” Callari said. “Vehicles are sitting for long periods of time and some have a low amount of miles driven in the last year. This does not bode well for the life and performance of the hybrid battery. They need to be ‘exercised’ to maintain their optimal performance.”
What is meant by exercised?
To maintain optimal battery performance, the batteries must be used.
This can be done by driving the vehicle, but there is also a maintenance process you can follow. This consists simply of putting the car in “ready” mode for about 60 minutes once per week. Toyota highlighted this process in a recent post.
To maintain proper charge, simply go through the normal start procedure. Press the “start” button with your foot on the brake and ensure that the “ready” light is illuminated on the dashboard.
There’s no need to keep your foot on the brake after the “ready” light comes on, but you need to ensure your vehicle’s transmission is in “park” and that the parking brake is engaged.
Toyota and DC Battery Hub both recommend keeping the car in “ready” more for about 60 minutes before switching if off again. During this time, you may feel the internal combustion engine kick in…this is a normal part of the the self-charging process.
A couple other tips:
- Resist the urge to turn on the radio or other systems as this will consume power.
- Make sure you’re in a well-ventilated area.
- Repeat this process once per week.
There you have it. A small amount of time spent maintaining your hybrid battery can save you big headaches later.
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I have to sit two times a week for at least one to two hours in the car trying to stay warm. I’m using my phone and my laptop making calls while I wait for the wife shopping. But I have to stay warm as well in the winter time here in Canada. What’s the best way to stay warm and still preserve the battery. On my gas car previously I would turn it on warm up the car and seats and then turn it off for 15-20 minutes before it gets cold again to restart for a short time and repeat. What about a hybrid Elantra?
Thanks a lot. needed this for a friend who’s going on vacation and may leave his hybrid idle for over a month.
Ok. I think I did this accidentally. Came home,unloaded car re Rav hybrid cruiser, cant remember pressing off button. Went upstairs to kitchen which sits directly above garage,put keys on kitchen bench. Went to garage 3 hrs later, keys still on bench. Opened garage door & car Parker’s were on & then engine started. I was startled. Not sure what caused it. Not sure if headlights or Parker’s were on
You do not put an EV in a garage,especially under your home, they catch on fire, and as you say start on their own, battery bicycles have burned down apartment bldgs.
[…] I left out from hometime on Thursday afternoon. My father and I drove out to the terminal where the truck was parked with all of the stuff necessary. It took rather longer than usual because being a Thursday afternoon there was all sorts of rush hour traffic and such to deal with. We loaded things into the truck and then my father drove my car back home, where he can use it occasionally while I am over-the-road so that it doesn’t suffer from being parked and idle. […]
I’m looking into a Kia Niro Hybrid. I work as a private investigator in FL ( hot as hell ) most of the time I leave the vehicle running in idle. Can you recommend a vehicle this won’t be an issue??
[…] Batteries tend to lose their voltage over time even when they aren’t being used. This is more so for older cars with older hybrid batteries. […]
I have a 2010 Toyota Prius. I bought last year with over 200k miles. Was maintenanced well from a reliable dealership. Ran great the whole time I had it (a whole year) never had to replace anything. Just oil changes and new tires. Anyways… I ran out of gas and the battery died from it being out of gas and not being driven. Was like that for about 4 months. Then when I put gas in it and jumped it with regular jumper cables and a truck to assist .. it won’t hold a charge. Drove for Abt 10 miles then cut off while I was driving. Tried to jump it several times. The battery level on (system reader) says normal. But it keeps dying and won’t hold a charge. Any idea what I should do besides buying a new battery? Is there anything I can do to charge the battery so it runs like it use to? Please in desperate need of insight. Thank u !
[…] With all the confusion surrounding COVID-19 quarantines, travel restrictions, and closure of schools, social distancing was a good thing for humankind. Still, it has proven to be troublesome for some owners to utilize their hybrid vehicles effectively. The travel restrictions meant that most vehicles remained idle for a long time. According to Dave Callari, a prominent aftermarket hybrid electric vehicle battery pack dealer, “inactivity is a killer for hybrid batteries” [8]. […]
How oftrn to you have to use battery reset button
So, we are in a picnic park enjoying our lunch and scenery, along comes an EV/hybrid??? They park 7 feet from our picnic table, get out and go down to the water for half an hour, meanwhile this car is running with an irritating noise,going on and off, screwed up our whole picnic. Due to my job in the military I have super sensitive hearing. Imagine a picnic parking lot full of EV’s/ hybrds,re=charging.