![]() After you’ve checked the health of the vehicle charging system and the battery, the TEST & CHARGE will apply the most appropriate charging, reconditioning and maintenance steps to give it maximum performance power.Īdding a battery check to your list of regular vehicle maintenance inspections will help prevent premature battery failure and keep your battery at its optimum charge. The CTEK MXS 5.0 TEST & CHARGE combines the award winning features of the CTEK MXS 5.0 charger with an alternator and a battery check function. It’s compatible with any 12V lead-acid battery from 200A to 1,200A, so you just connect it and follow the onscreen instructions. Like all CTEK products, the BATTERY ANALYZER produces no heat or sparks and you don’t need specialist knowledge to use it. ![]() It tests a battery in seconds and tells you whether it’s in good condition, if it needs charging, if it can hold a charge, or if it should be replaced. The CTEK 12V BATTERY ANALYZER is designed carry out a battery check quickly and easily. In the same way, overcharging can also cause considerable damage so always perform a battery check first. All batteries need charging from time to time and they should be cared for like any other part of a car, to stop them becoming damaged and shortening their lives. You can find out the state of a battery’s charge by checking the voltage, but that doesn’t tell you if your battery is healthy. Performing a simple battery check from time to time tells you what action you need to take and can save you from an inconvenient breakdown or the cost of a new battery. This is so that there's always enough energy to proved extra boost for acceleration or hills when needed, and nearly always enough room to receive regenerated energy from slowing or braking.Because of the complex technologies built into modern vehicles, the demand placed on a battery is greater than ever. Any lower and the engine works harder to add charge, any higher and it tries to use some charge up. The design philosophy appears to try to stay in the range of 2-6 bars lit. The original Prius didn't have an EV button (nor ECO or PWR for that matter) but when I reached level ground I found I could accelerate moderately briskly up to 60 mph on electric alone, as the system tried to use up some power to make room for any further 'free' regenerated energy that could be had. ![]() It was on a holiday in Scotland when I encountered some 5-6 mile long 1 in 5 (20%) gradient hills, and descending those saw the battery max out after 3-4 miles. Here's a diagram showing the ranges of charge the relates to each bar of the gauge from an older Prius versions, but the principal remains on current models:Ī 2002 first generation Prius I once owned had some 70,000 miles on the clock before I experienced a true 'maxed out' condition for the very first time. When the original Prius arrived in 1997, lots of doubters predicted masses of owners regularly spending a fortune buying replacement battery packs. This, along with managing rates of energy flow into and out of the Battery and cell temperatures is part of the 'secret' to the long life of the rechargeable Battery pack. The gauge displays a 'window' of usable charge ranges that the Hybrid engineers deemed safe to allow. If empty (no bars lit) it would still have about 40% SoC. In fact, if the gauge ever shows all 8 bars lit, and it's continued receiving charge until the Battery will not accept any more (referred to as "Maxed out" - generally some time after the 8th bar lights up), the true State of Charge (SoC) is actually 'only' about 80% full. They will generally beat the fuel economy of a petrol engine and with care can match that of a diesel but around town they are only beaten by a true EV. This is why hybrids make great Taxis but are less 'spectacular' on the open road. The losses from an ICE running at low RPMs will be greater than the losses from the battery/motor so overall you save energy. Unfortunately, it’s only measuring the charge in one. The Magic Eye, for example, is excellent at telling you the condition of the battery’s electrolyte charge. Car battery indicators are pretty reliable, but they’re not 100 accurate. The battery is best kept in reserve to take over from the ICE at low RPMs (urban driving or maintaining speed on a gentle downward slope). Thankfully, indicators like the Magic Eye and others can give you a sense of your battery’s condition. It's also worth considering that since all the energy in the Battery originally came from burning fuel and since the process of putting energy into and taking it out of the battery incurs losses it's probably not optimal to force electric running at every possible opportunity. ![]() I've never seen a message saying that the Battery is not available - it just refuses to take over. It usually varies between two or three bars of charge left at the bottom and one or two bars space free at the top. It is unusual to see a fully charged Battery on the display.
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