 NOTE: These instructions are meant to be a guide for Hybrid Automotive Hybrid Battery Maintenance Charger Balancer users. Every hybrid battery is different and will exhibit its own unique charging/balancing patterns. Your experience may vary from what is listed below. We offer no guarantee that the below instructions will work for you and/or not destroy your hybrid battery. Use at your own risk. Safety Precautions:
- Never Grid Charge when ambient temperatures are over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius)
- Try not to use Grid Charger when vehicle is parked in direct sunlight
- Leave vehicle windows open if at all possible to provide ventalationThe car should be turned off while grid charging. We recommend connecting the charger to the car first, then to the AC power source. When charging is complete, we recommend disconnect from the AC power source first, then from the car harness. This is done to prevent arcing in the DC socket when connecting and disconnecting the Grid Charger from the car harness.The first phase of charging is ‘filling’ the battery. When you begin the charging process the hybrid battery will be somewhere between 40%-80% charged (Toyota) or 20%-80% charged (Honda) depending on how full the battery was when you parked the car. During the ‘filling’ phase the voltage displayed on the Grid Charger will slowly climbing at a steady rate from the starting voltage to a true 100% charge level – then level off. The max voltage of your battery will vary depending on vehicle model, its overall condition, and will likely change from charge session to charge session. It can take anywhere from 4-16 hours for filling to complete, depending on how low the battery is when you park the car. Once the battery becomes ‘full’ the balancing process will start. (Note: no ‘balancing’ occurs during this ‘filling’ phase.)During the ‘balancing’ phase you will most likely see a steady flat voltage reading or a slow oscillation of voltage – perhaps a 1-3 volt swing. This means the battery is in the balancing phase. The initial balancing can take 6-18 hours *after the filling phase is complete*. Subsequent balancing sessions will likely be much shorter, perhaps 4-6 hours after filling is complete. The balancing process is when the individual hybrid battery cells are each reaching a true 100% state of charge one by one. The voltage of each individual cell then drops slightly as it converts the excess charge energy into heat, then the cell recovers and charges back to 100%. The process is repeated over and over. As the cells undergo this cycle the lower voltage cells continue to fill and ‘catch up’ to the cells that have already reached 100% charge level. This is how the hybrid battery pack as a whole becomes re-balanced. Once the voltage no longer fluctuates, and/or the desired amount of time has elapsed, the charging and balancing process is complete.
|
Single Cell |
99-03 Prius |
04-09 Prius |
00-06 Insight |
03-05 Civic Hybrid |
06-11 Civic Hybrid |
Normal Operating Range
(Filling phase begins here) |
1.2-1.4V |
274-319V |
202-235V |
144-168V |
144-168V |
158-185V |
Peak Voltage
(Approx. voltage when
balancing begins) |
~1.43V |
~326V |
~240V |
~172V |
~172V |
~189V |
| A completely empty pack takes just under 24 hours to reach a full state of charge. At no time should the combined ‘filling’ and ‘balancing’ times exceed 24 hours. It will not damage the battery to leave it connected longer, but there is no benefit being delivered – you are only wasting electricity.At this point you are done charging and can disconnect the Grid Charger. If you have the time, wait 30 minutes after disconnecting the charger before driving the vehicle.Optional Step: If your vehicle allows, you can reset the hybrid system to allow the vehicle to immediately see the new charge level of the battery pack. On the 2000-2006 Honda Insight, The IMA system can be rest by either: (1) removing the IMA fuse for 30 seconds, or (2) disconnect the 12v under-hood battery for 30 seconds. The reconnect the battery/IMA fuse, start the car and allow it to idle. It is normal for the car to show zero bars state of charge for the IMA battery and four bars of IMA battery charging for the first two to ten minutes after resetting the IMA system as it recalibrates and recognizes the new charge. |
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