Lexus RX 450h Hybrid Battery

Diagnostics and repair of hybrid car batteries at Master Service Electro

What’s special Master Service Electro offers to owners of hybrid cars in Kharkov and Kyiv?

Availability of new elements in the hybrid battery. In addition to the elements, there are assemblies prepared for installation, which include the element and a special housing. This way, car owners save time and restore their car’s hybrid battery in a timely manner, without waiting for delivery or lengthy repairs with the installation of a new battery.

Assembly of new elements for hybrid cars in Master Service Electro

Element testing stand MS 800. It tests up to 36 hybrid battery modules simultaneously, which also saves time for service clients: several hours instead of several days of waiting for test results.

To make an appointment for diagnostics and repair of the high-voltage system of the hybrid by phone: Master Service Electro. Master Service Electro is the first specialized service center for electric vehicles and hybrids.

From the USA, mostly beaten, from Europe, “tired”

– It’s no secret that used hybrids come to us either from America or from Europe. Which option is preferable?

– In Europe, as a rule, they get rid of a car when some serious problem arises or when it has already covered a lot of mileage. That is, they get rid of the car when there is a risk of additional investments. Most often, damaged cars come from America, but there are no other problems and the mileage is low. The most I’ve seen on the odometer of a freshly driven hybrid is 160,000 miles. Usually much less.

As a rule, cars damaged in road accidents are brought from the USA. If we are talking about hybrids, is this fraught with any additional technical troubles?

– There are no special problems. If we consider, say, a Prius, then restoring the car is not difficult. Firstly, all the nodes of the hybrid system are located quite deep, it is problematic to damage them. The internal combustion engine is more likely to be hit than the inverter unit or battery. Secondly, there will be no problems finding spare parts, since the model is popular.

With less common cars it is a little more difficult. For example, you won’t find spare parts for the Volt II here; you’ll have to order them from the USA, plus they’re expensive. In addition, the model itself has a rather sophisticated design; there are many blocks that can be damaged in an accident. In particular, the one responsible for engine control is located in the front left fender, so hitting this area almost certainly means replacing it.

Delivery from the States takes several months, and even before that the car remains stationary for a long time. But it is believed that hybrids do not like long periods of downtime…

– Firstly, two or three months is actually not such a long downtime. Secondly, modern hybrids, as a rule, use lithium-ion batteries; accordingly, these batteries do not self-discharge. If there was about 10% charge before the break, 2% will be lost during delivery. That is, you don’t have to worry that by the time the car is delivered here, everything will already be “dead.” This rarely happens. If the battery is charged, as a rule, a very long downtime does not affect its further performance in any way. The 12-volt battery is discharged because no one removes the terminals during transportation. And in 80% of cases the battery needs to be replaced.

However, there are such cases. The car was involved in an accident, they continued to drive it after the accident or during transportation until the battery was discharged. The car comes to auction as not being able to move under its own power, and in reality the battery is drained to zero, plus the car sits for several more months without recharging. This is critical when a battery with a minimum charge does not work for a very long time.

Cost of a new battery

A new battery can be expensive, but if you take a few things into account, you can significantly reduce the cost. You can even recycle your old one, which will reduce the cost by about a third. In addition, you will need to pay labor costs, which can vary greatly depending on where you live and the vehicle you drive. However, the average cost is significantly lower than the $1,300 suggested price you may have heard about.

While most hybrid car batteries are made using the nickel-metal hydride formula, newer models use lithium-ion batteries, which are lighter and cheaper to produce. Lithium-ion batteries also charge faster and are able to deliver more power to the wheels. All Toyota plug-in hybrids use these batteries. Meanwhile, the battery industry is working to create better batteries, and they are expected to be far superior to lithium-ion batteries by next year.

However, if you want a quality hybrid battery, you should know that it will be expensive. A new battery can cost up to $1,500, while a used battery can cost up to $3,000. Likewise, labor costs can cost up to $1,500 for a refurbished battery. It’s best to avoid the costs associated with used batteries as they will cost you less money than a brand new battery.

Ultimately, the cost of a new Toyota hybrid battery depends on the model and manual you use. However, the average cost of battery replacement is still significantly lower than it was a few years ago. Despite the low cost of new Toyota hybrid batteries, many consumers find the process of getting a new one a little expensive. A few years ago, a new battery could cost tens of thousands of dollars. So, before you buy a new Toyota hybrid, learn more about these costs and what you can expect in the future.

The average cost of a new Toyota hybrid battery varies by model and type. Replacing a Prius Hybrid battery costs between $2,200 and $4,100. This does not include labor costs. Some hybrids require labor costs that even exceed $1000. This means the total cost of a new Toyota hybrid battery will be between $1,700 and $4,100. It will also depend on whether you decide to repair the car yourself or call a professional.

Rechargeable hybrid. There are nuances

Plug-in hybrids are equipped with more capacious batteries that allow you to drive not just a few, but tens of kilometers on electric power. How are things going with their reliability?

– Judging by the cars that come to us, there are questions. For example, the rechargeable versions of the Prius also use air cooling, but it is clearly not enough. In a regular hybrid, there is little driving exclusively on electric power; the battery works with a break (heated and cooled), and in Plug-in hybrids these modes last longer. Therefore, it happens that the battery overheats. For a lithium-ion battery, this means faster failure. By the way, in the Prius Prime Toyota uses two fans, plus battery heating for winter conditions.

One more question about plug-in hybrids. How to properly use charging to extend battery life?

– If you deeply discharge a battery, it “kills” it: such discharge-charge cycles affect its service life. It is better to charge in the range of 30 to 80% or 100%, this is preferable. And if possible, you should use powerful express chargers less often, which also reduce battery life. However, this most likely applies to electric vehicles – not all plug-in hybrids have express charging capabilities.

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