How to protect hybrid battery while out of the country

[Guderian]

This may have been covered already, but I did a search and didn't find anything.

 

I bought a new Toyota Corolla Cross GR Sport last October, just after I'd returned from my annual trip back to the UK. I'm very happy with the car and really enjoy driving it, but my next annual trip back is only around 10 weeks away now and I was wondering how to store the car while I'm away for about 6 weeks so that both the normal battery and the hybrid battery don't go flat. In the past, when I had a Ford Fiesta, the GF used to come down once a week and run the engine for 10 or 15 minutes while she was cleaning the place of dead leaves. When I took the car in for its last service in April I asked one of the technicians what to do and he looked very doubtful, as if nobody had ever asked him this before. He said that I needed to find someone to run the car for 20 minutes at least three times a week, and preferably to drive it. The GF can only usually get down here once a week, twice at the max, and I'm none too keen on letting a stranger drive the car while I'm away. I can't be the first person to have this problem, so what do you other folk with hybrid vehicles do when you leave Thailand for a month or two?

[JBChiangRai]

Toyota use NiMH batteries, they should be stored between 15C and 25C and charged to 40-50% capacity.

 

I doubt you can keep your car that cool and you have no control over the charge level.

[vinny41]

1 hour ago, Guderian said:

This may have been covered already, but I did a search and didn't find anything.

 

I bought a new Toyota Corolla Cross GR Sport last October, just after I'd returned from my annual trip back to the UK. I'm very happy with the car and really enjoy driving it, but my next annual trip back is only around 10 weeks away now and I was wondering how to store the car while I'm away for about 6 weeks so that both the normal battery and the hybrid battery don't go flat. In the past, when I had a Ford Fiesta, the GF used to come down once a week and run the engine for 10 or 15 minutes while she was cleaning the place of dead leaves. When I took the car in for its last service in April I asked one of the technicians what to do and he looked very doubtful, as if nobody had ever asked him this before. He said that I needed to find someone to run the car for 20 minutes at least three times a week, and preferably to drive it. The GF can only usually get down here once a week, twice at the max, and I'm none too keen on letting a stranger drive the car while I'm away. I can't be the first person to have this problem, so what do you other folk with hybrid vehicles do when you leave Thailand for a month or two?

Here is advice from Toyota UK on Hybrid lack of use during covid

https://mag.toyota.co.uk/coronavirus-toyota-hybrid-car-maintenance/

you could look at an obd 2 solar panel trickle charger

I use one on a non hybrid Toyota and the car started 1st time after leaving  the car for 100 days without use and that was in the Uk not known for its sunny weather

 

[Guderian]

16 hours ago, vinny41 said:

Here is advice from Toyota UK on Hybrid lack of use during covid

https://mag.toyota.co.uk/coronavirus-toyota-hybrid-car-maintenance/

you could look at an obd 2 solar panel trickle charger

I use one on a non hybrid Toyota and the car started 1st time after leaving  the car for 100 days without use and that was in the Uk not known for its sunny weather

 

 

Thanks, that's useful. When I was living in the UK I had a Vauxhall Omega and I used to just disconnect the 12V battery when I went away on holiday, that did the trick nicely. Here in Thailand, it seemed much more difficult to do that with the Fiesta so I had the GF start it up every week, and that worked OK too. I thought about the solar powered charger as the car is left outside under a car port, but there's plenty of light there. That would only keep the 12V battery going, though, I don't suppose there's an equivalent for the hybrid battery? And if there was, where would you connect it, I have no idea?

[vinny41]

7 hours ago, Guderian said:

 

Thanks, that's useful. When I was living in the UK I had a Vauxhall Omega and I used to just disconnect the 12V battery when I went away on holiday, that did the trick nicely. Here in Thailand, it seemed much more difficult to do that with the Fiesta so I had the GF start it up every week, and that worked OK too. I thought about the solar powered charger as the car is left outside under a car port, but there's plenty of light there. That would only keep the 12V battery going, though, I don't suppose there's an equivalent for the hybrid battery? And if there was, where would you connect it, I have no idea?

I didn't want to disconnect the battery as that invalidated my insurance due to no security alarm or immobiliser

Here is the solar panel charger that I used although it is sold as a battery charger it is actually a battery maintainer

I would plug it in to the obd 2 port which is normally just above the accelerator pedal it has a cut off function when the battery is fully charged it must be disconnected before you start the car

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00AC1LLQY/

I have also used a ctek mxs 5.0 which is a combined battery charger / maintainer / conditioner it has extension cables so you can charge without opening the bonnet main drawnback I see for using unattended for long periods is it requires mains electric

https://www.aprtech.co.th/

 

You will find good useful information on the toyota uk owners club and the lexus uk owners club

my understanding from reading forum posts hybrid battery should be okay if unused for 2 months so long at 12v battery is charged

[Guderian]

16 hours ago, vinny41 said:

You will find good useful information on the toyota uk owners club and the lexus uk owners club

my understanding from reading forum posts hybrid battery should be okay if unused for 2 months so long at 12v battery is charged

 

Thanks. I joined the FB Thai Corolla Cross Club and there's some interesting things on that but, so far, I haven't seen anyone mention this issue. I guess the Thais don't go on long holidays.