Toyota Hybrid Battery Maintenance

If you’ve just bought a new hybrid, you now have two motors to look after – the combustion engine and the battery pack – and you’ll need to learn a few new maintenance procedures. Caring for your gas-powered engine is much the same as with any other traditional car, but the battery pack is a different story. The following Toyota hybrid battery maintenance guidelines will ensure that your hybrid’s battery motor lasts as long as possible in great shape. 

Avoid Depleting Your Battery 

When a hybrid’s battery fully discharges and sits empty, it begins to wear down and lose capacity. You can avoid this and keep your battery strong by always keeping it at 20 percent charged or more. Plan your daily drives in advance with this minimum charge in mind to ensure that you don’t unintentionally allow your battery charge to fall too low. 

Use Your Car and Battery Frequently

Your car’s battery will slowly deplete when sitting unused, which will eventually empty it and damage the battery. Even when properly charged, too much idleness causes wear and tear. Similarly to the muscles in our bodies, neglecting to use your battery causes it to weaken while regular exercise keeps it strong. With this in mind, try to drive your hybrid (using the battery motor) at least once a week.

Don’t Fully Charge Your Battery, Either 

Electric battery packs also suffer and wear down faster when fully charged. It’s therefore best to avoid charging to 100 percent. Instead, charge to 80 percent at most; you may be able to use a special limiter function in your car to prevent the battery from charging more than this.

Avoid Fast-Charging Stations 

If vehicle longevity is a priority for you, the healthiest kind of charging for hybrid batteries is sedate 120 or 240-volt charging. Fast-charging stations are useful on occasion, but shouldn’t become the norm. Such rapid charges strain the battery, shortening its lifespan. Again, planning your trips in advance should help you to avoid the need for fast charging. 

Protect Your Battery From Extreme Temperatures

Both extreme heat and cold cause a battery to deteriorate faster, lessening its lifespan and capacity. The optimal temperature range for these batteries is typically between 59 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Whenever the temperature climbs above or falls below this range, keep your vehicle protected by parking under shade or indoors, and keep your battery’s cooling system well-maintained at all times.

Visit Toyota of Bellevue in Bellevue, WA, today to have specialist technicians take care of your hybrid. Since 1974, our award-winning dealership has been providing the drivers of our local community and the surrounding area with excellent vehicles, deals, and customer service. 

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