[Don H]

Originally Posted by Pturner

I have an '07 Camry hybrid and had the same question. The engine battery is in the trunk and seems better insulated. (There's also has a battery under the hood that runs all the non-engine electrical stuff. I guess that one would be affected same as other standard car batteries, right?) Also, anyone have tips for how Floridians can extend car battery life?

Thanks.

Actually, I was wondering about the large batteries (maybe under the car) that are the main drive batteries for the electric motor. I was wondering if the heat effected them as well.

[faithfulfrank]

I own a Prius, and since I do not yet live full time down there, I cannot comment on the hybrid battery..........except to say that the hybrid battery is vented, and that when I am on the Priuschat forum, I have never read anything to suggest thet the hybrid battery is affected by living down south. It is really a moot point, because Toyota warranties the hybrid battery for like 10 years, 150,000 miles.........

The 12 volt battery in the Prius is not under the hood, but in the rear right quarter panel, easily accessible through the rear hatchback. I just replaced mine with a yellow top Optima battery. The Yellow tops are recommended for the Prius because of how they maintain the cars computer systems.....they do not "crank" the car or start the car.

This Optima battery is much different and better made then regular batteries. It has gel in them instead of liquid. As to checking the status of your battery, any voltmeter should give you a reading on how strong it is.On my Prius, with just a couple of pushes of the buttons, it gives you a readout of voltage with load, without load, etc.......

Frank

[Don H]

Thanks Frank, good info on the Prius. As you say, with the warranty the main battery life seems to be a non-issue.

[djplong]

There are differences in batteries.

The 'regular' car battery is a "lead-acid" battery. The 'extra' batteries in hybrids are either NiMH (Nickel-Metal-Hydride) or LiOn (Lithium-Ion).

As they are entirely different chemical compositions, one can expect they would have different reactions to the climate. Also, the 'regular' battery only has to provide a lot of power momentarily - then it's recharged while operating normally when the demands aren't nearly as much. I had a friend of mine drive 150 miles on his battery when he lost a fan belt - at that point the battery is only powering the sparkplugs and other electronics - which isn't much. It's cranking the engine that takes a LOT of power.

Hybrid batteries are designed for a much different power curve in that they'll almost always be in use. Therefore it's reasonable to conclude there'll be different 'wear' characteristics.

[jtdraig]

Lived in Tucson for 8 years and here 5...battery life in a car is between 3 and 4 years...a better battery might go 4+ but you should have it tested around 3 years.

[Curran14]

I am also in central Florida and my car batteries usually fail after 2-3 years.

[dok4933]

Extreme temps and not using the car will play havoc with the battery. Make sure you disconnect the battery when not using it for an extended time. All the electronics will drain the battery.

[rjm1cc]

Originally Posted by kb8tpw

Thanks for all of the info, very timely for me. My Lincoln dealer here in Ohio said that my 4 year battery should be replaced shortly (don't remember reported readings in their test). Since we'll be on our way to TV in a few months I thought that just perhaps I'd limp thru the cruel winter and get a few extra months out of the battery with better Florida weather. So perhaps based on all of this good input I should move up the scheduled battery replacement. Thanks to all. Ray

Heat is harder on a battery than cold.

[Penguin]

Originally Posted by dok4933

Extreme temps and not using the car will play havoc with the battery. Make sure you disconnect the battery when not using it for an extended time. All the electronics will drain the battery.

Not a good idea to disconnect the battery. You will lose radio memory and trigger some warning lights depending on the make and model. Get a device to maintain your battery when not in use. Also remember HEAT kills electronics. Batteries and alternators suffer from the heat.

[Matzy]

It seems that I always was lucky with my batteries. The last one was good for 7 years until I drove in winter time to Michigan. Next morning I couldn't start the car. It wasn't really cold there, just around 38 degrees
Another point for a better battery is to charge it by driving distances. Less using the car with short distances means taking off power and never get charged completely (battery "dries" out).