Hi,
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Orcrone
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1. Since the major portion of a car's 12 volt battery function is not required (starting the engine) does the 12 volt battery last longer than in non-hybrid cars?
2. Normally the battery is charged by the alternator. What charges it in the TCH. I assume it's either MG1 or MG2.
3. When a battery dies it's too weak to generate the power necessary to turn the starter fast enough to start the car requiring the jump-start. What causes the 12 volt battery to be considered dead in a TCH? Is it when it cannot power the computer adequately? It seems that it can be "deader" and still work since it doesn't have to provide the power necessary to turn a starter motor.
4. On a related note when a battery dies you have to jump-start the car, allowing the other vehicle's battery to do the work for your dead battery. What are you doing when you jump-start a TCH? Are you providing power to adequately power the electronics?
5. It's pretty obvious by the sound of the starter trying to turn that the 12 volt battery is having problems in a non-hybrid car. Since the car "starts" without the ICE running how does it manifest itself in the TCH?
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1. Life - assuming ordinary use, it does last longer. However there are latent battery loads associated with the key-less access system that put a small but steady load on the battery. The recommendation is to disconnect the battery if the car won't be started for more than three weeks. Worst case I've read about was a car that self-discharged over a month or so in the winter and froze the battery.
2. Charging - the power inverter provides 12 VDC. In the case of my NHW11 Prius, up to 1 kW, ~70 A. The power comes from the traction battery which is charged by MG1 when stationary and MG2 during regenerative braking.
3. Definition of dead - when the control electronics won't work. I don't know of any tests to identify the minimum battery voltage but I've had my Prius down to 11.48 VDC and it kept working.
4. Jump start - there is so much FUD so I'm loath to answer. IMHO, the safest way is to use the jumpers to put a charge on the dead hybrid battery. Then remove the jumper cables before attempting to start the hybrid. The reason is we don't know the quality of power from the source vehicle and there is a risk of voltage transients when disconnecting jumper cables. Caution first.
5. How to tell if weak - it looks to be a binary situation, either the control computers work or they don't. I'd use a VOM and measure the voltages.
Bob Wilson