Does anyone know the facts on storing a TCH for long periods? I am a Florida snowbird and wondering what would happen if I left it in the garage for five months or so. Would a battery tender keep it charged up? Has anyone seen any documentation on this subject? I have two cars and I'm trying to decide which to take, the TCH trunk size is an issue for this trip.

Bob

 

I don't believe a battery tender will work for the HV battery, only the 12 volt. It is suggested by Toyota's Technical Service Bulletin to operate the hybrid system a minimum of once every two months for a period of 30 minutes to keep the HV battery charged, so I think 5 months would be out of the question.

Do have a neighbor who could operate it for you? By the way where in Florida do you live? I am in Citrus County.

 

You know, I'm quite surprised that they don't have an option to have the car start itself to keep the batteries charged. I realize this wouldn't work all the time for all people (for instance, if it's parked in a non-ventilated garage), but it would be a good option to have, and it seems to me it wouldn't need to run the gas for all that long to get the batteries up to a safe charge level.

 

Have you thought about mailing the non essential things to free up enough trunk space before you take your trip? You would have to pay for shipping but you could take your TCH and not have to worry about the batteries discharging. This is what I would do unless I needed a 4X4 when I got to my destination.

Edit:
you would also need to mail the items back when you return

 

What gets me is that this limitation wasn't mentioned during the sales pitch. (Of course, I seldom here problems mentioned while trying to pitch anything.)

Most "normal" people normally wouldn't have a problem with starting the car every 1-2 months. For more than 20 years, I wasn't "normal". I was in the Navy and my ship was underway for 6 - 9 months at a time. Since I'm single, this meant putting my car in long-term storage inside a fenced and gated lot.

I always disconnected the positive cable before I said good-bye to my car. Never had a problem with a discharged battery.

If I was still in the Navy, I guess you could imagine the colorful language I would use after spending $30K on a car and THEN being told that I could look at having to have my car towed to Toyota and have the traction battery recharged. . This would need to be done after finally returning to my homeport and anxious to get home!


I realize there is/was a "shorting plug" somewhere in the car to keep the battery from discharging on the trip from the factory/plant. Not sure how long that will keep the battery charged or if it is safe for a user to install it.

 

To answer some questions. I am located in Lee county about 15 miles South of Fort Myers in a place called Estero that no one has ever heard of. As far as shipping goes, I have just purchased a new (to me) condo up North and want to bring my Air Compressor, nail gun, tile saw and lots of tools. Shipping on all this stuff would be prohibitive! I have a neighbor who says he would start the car but I guess I'm just a bit leery about a non-hybrid owner messing with it. Paranoid I guess. Another choice is to drive both cars but its a long drive (1500 miles) Still considering all options at this point.

Thanks for all the help

Bob