Hybrid cars are great, They are also very popular around the world. Not only are they great for the environment, they release fewer greenhouse gases and have a great fuel economy rating but the transition from running on power to running on gas is seamless. The ride in a hybrid car is as smooth as in a traditional car. The only drawback that people have noticed about these kinds of cars has been the battery life. Most hybrid cars will outlast their battery packs meaning that their owners will have to buy a replacement at some point during the lifespan of the car. When looking at the battery hybrid cars, there are ways to get more mileage from the battery pack.
Extending the Life of Your Hybrid Car’s Battery
- Do not charge it all the way. Hybrid car batteries operate best when it is about 80% full. The problem many owners of hybrid cars face is that they charge their hybrid batteries to the max and then completely discharge them. This is bad for the life expectancy of battery hybrid cars. Basically, what you should do is charge the battery to about 80%. There is an added benefit to not charging the battery all the way. There is a great feature in hybrid cars. They recapture some energy from regenerative braking. You cannot get that benefit if you charge the battery all the way because there is no room for that extra energy.
- The other extreme is no better. You should not charge the battery all of the way but you also should not let it get all the way down to zero. The batteries for hybrid cars work better when they are only partially empty. Many hybrid cars have fuel bars that can show you how much power is left in the car’s battery. Experts in this recommend that you keep those between ten and two. This is just like where we are all supposed to keep our hands on the wheel.
- Be aware of the temperature. If it is hot outside and you can park in the shade, do that. If you have access to a garage and can park your car in there during the winter, that will greatly help extend the life of your battery hybrid cars. Your hybrid car battery has technology for thermal management that keeps the battery pack at the right temperature but this takes a lot of energy. The cooler you can keep your car naturally during the summer, the better things will be for your hybrid car battery. The same can be said for how your car handles the cold weather. You do not want your battery’s heating and cooling system to have to run for long periods of time if you can avoid it.andnbsp;
- If you are going to store your car use your car’s storage mode. Many hybrid cars have a storage mode that you can use if you know you are not going to be driving it for any length of time. This helps the firmware in your vehicle maintain the battery. If your hybrid car does not have this, you can still help it survive storage.
- What you should do is:
- Find a cool, but not super cold, place to store your car.
- Before you put the car in the storage space, charge the hybrid battery to 60%. While in storage, your car’s battery will start to discharge. This will happen very slowly.
- Charge the car back to 60% when it three months have passed or the battery reaches 20%. If you are not going to be able to do that, have someone else take care of it.
- What you should do is:
- Try to avoid the quick charge feature. This is a great feature that quickly charges up the battery. You should save this for emergency situations. It is one of the things that runs down your battery really quickly and will shorten its lifespan if used on a regular basis.
People worry about the battery hybrid cars but really there are ways to extend their lifespan. If you take some time to learn about your hybrid car battery pack, you will find ways to keep your battery healthy and happy for a long time.
