There are many things hybrid vehicle owners should be aware of to prolong the life of their hybrid. Battery life is one of the most crucial features of having a hybrid. In this post, we’ll go through the benefits and drawbacks of hybrid car batteries in general and whether you should condition or repair your own.
In This Article...
Recondition or Rebuild
The diagnosis is really the only way to know which choice is best for your battery. It’s important to take your hybrid to repair professionals, much like going to the doctor to see whether you have the flu or anything else. They’ll explain the distinction between a battery rebuild and reconditioning to you and show you how to make the best decision.
Diagnostics and techniques such grid charging, discharging, balancing, and cycling are used during the reconditioning process. It is intended to separate faulty or damaged modules or cells for replacement and frequently aids in returning the battery to a more useful state. Reconditioning can be your best option if you drive your hybrid less than 6,000 miles per year or if your battery is less than 7 years old.
- Fuel efficiency declines. If your engine runs more frequently than it used to, you’ll discover that your MPG is decreased. This is a red flag for a weak battery that needs to be examined.
- Rapid battery charging and discharging. A weak battery may cause the hybrid battery level indication to fluctuate sharply. It simply means that the battery can’t maintain a charge as long as it once could.
- Hybrid system warning light: check. This is a clear indication that shouldn’t be disregarded. It implies that the hybrid battery requires inspection and perhaps reconditioning. Failure to do so puts additional strain on the hybrid vehicle’s parts.
Rebuild is the process of replacing and repairing damaged or dead cells in your hybrid battery pack, either partially or entirely. Additionally, upgrading bus bars is an option if necessary. A step in the procedure involves computerized battery pack matching and balancing for your hybrid battery.
The symptoms of a battery that needs to be reconditioned are similar to those of a battery pack that needs to be rebuilt. The simplest approach to tell the difference is to arrange for a hybrid battery specialist or repair business with a good reputation and plenty of experience to conduct a state of health check.
Pros and Cons of Recondition or Rebuild
The best course of action when assessing your hybrid battery options is to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of each service. Reconditioning and rebuilding batteries for your hybrid are both less expensive than buying and installing brand-new ones.
- Spend less. Reconditioning or rebuilding is the best option if, like the majority of people, you don’t have $250$4,000+ lying around to spend on your hybrid battery.
- Warranty (limited). A limited warranty is frequently included with a reconditioned or rebuilt hybrid battery.
- Restoration of MPG. Without having to spend $250$4,000 on a new battery, you can get your hybrid’s fuel efficiency back to normal.
- environmentally responsible. Environmentally speaking, rebuilding or reconditioning is significantly better than replacing the complete battery pack.
- Cells are still dying. The remaining cells will eventually expire even when the unhealthy ones are replaced during a reconditioning or rebuild. Each cell will be fresh if the entire battery pack is replaced.
- a challenge for the home mechanic. One of those services that you can readily administer at home using YouTube instructions is not this one. A qualified specialist is needed to finish it.
Can the Prius battery be fixed?
You have options for Toyota Prius hybrid battery repair from coast to coast. What they can do for you is as follows.
Toyota’s Prius is reputed to have a battery life of well over 250,000 miles. If you own a Toyota Prius Hybrid, you could discover that the battery requires a little tender loving care at some time far into its natural life. Your local Toyota dealer is the best place to go if your car is still covered by the hybrid warranty. They will swiftly and cost-free fix the issue and get you back on the road. You shouldn’t go to the dealer, though, if your Prius hybrid has a battery problem and vehicle has passed its warranty period. Instead, you must resolve the problem more affordably. The expensive replacement of the battery is Toyota’s suggested fix. The battery is repairable, though, and can usually be done for a very low cost. single hundreds of dollars as opposed to several thousands.
You could panic if your Prius alerts you that the hybrid battery has failed and fear the repair will cost more than the car is worth or that it would be so expensive that you cannot afford it. Typically, this is not the case. Additionally, the car can usually be driven. You can go home, but we can’t speak to whether the car is safe to travel great distances or how much performance will be lost. How are we aware? We talked to a ride-sharing driver who had driven various hybrid vehicles with more than 250K miles and had accumulated over 1 million miles. He admitted to us that he had frequently driven Prius vehicles with dead batteries.
Numerous distinct battery cells are present and peacefully coexisting inside a Toyota hybrid battery. When they malfunction, it usually happens because one or more of the cells can no longer maintain the appropriate level of power. They fall short, in other terms. They can be changed, which is fantastic news. The bad news is that not every owner can handle this task. Many owners who are confident working on electronics and doing simple auto repairs rebuild the battery on their own using Prius hybrid battery cells they order online. Typically, each cell costs less than $50. These people have countless YouTube videos where they explain what they did and how you can fix your Prius hybrid battery.
How much does a Prius battery rebuild cost?
The Prius battery is no exception to the rule that hybrid and electric car batteries are more expensive than gas-powered automobile batteries. A new Toyota Prius battery can run you anywhere from $2,200 to $4,100.
Remember that even a used Prius battery costs roughly $1,500 when calculating the cost. You’ll be looking at a substantially bigger bill once labor costs and additional charges from your mechanic are taken into account. To maintain the lowest pricing possible:
- Comparative-shop for batteries. It’s unlikely that the first battery you come across will be the lowest choice.
- Obtain price quotes from mechanics. Prius frequently need specialist work, but every mechanic will charge labor in their own way. A different store might have a better offer for you.
- Think about switching to a different model. A new Prius can run for years without any problems, but you will need to pay the difference in price between it and your old one.
Although replacing the battery in your Prius is expensive, Jerry can help you save money on your auto insurance. The Jerry app, a certified broker, assists customers in saving an average of roughly $900 annually on auto insurance. Jerry can assist you in finding and comparing inexpensive quotes from more than 50 leading companies, including Progressive and Travelers, for free when you provide your information.
What is Hybrid Battery Reconditioning?
In order to reverse the aging process and recondition the battery, hybrid battery reconditioning combines the charging and balancing procedure with deep draining. This procedure eliminates voltage depressions and crystal forms that develop in the modules or cells of NiMh batteries.
How do you Recondition Hybrid Batteries?
Green Bean Battery stands out from the competition by producing a dependable, reconditioned hybrid battery. Green Bean returns the used hybrid battery from your car to one of its two reconditioning facilities where we put it through our unique reconditioning procedure. The first step in the procedure is to load test the battery to determine its general condition. Following the battery’s disassembly, Green Bean’s machinery is used to exercise the battery’s modules or cells, restoring its capacity to store electrical energy. The modules are then tested to establish their capacities, and those that pass the test have similar power and capacity are grouped together. The battery is then constructed around the healthy cells after a final charge and testing of the modules. To assure appropriate operation, the remaining electrical and wiring components are examined, repaired, and tested. To avoid corrosion, guarantee optimum performance, and extend battery life, the battery connectors, or “Bus Bars,” have been improved with nickel plating. The battery pack is then fully rebuilt and put through a load test. putting the pack under the same strain as driving in the real world. Before being put into your car, every Green Bean battery must pass strict performance requirements!
At Green Bean Battery, we not only created the procedure for reconditioning the batteries, but we also constructed the tools to do so. All of the reconditioning equipment was created in-house, including with the technology and original software. We will demonstrate our hybrid battery test, hybrid battery cells, and hybrid battery reconditioning in this video on our hybrid battery reconditioning process. We’ll also explain why our method yields a reconditioned hybrid battery that is well-balanced and precisely matched.