New Insight Owner - question on grid chargers?

[leejm12]

Just got a Honda Insight 2002 with a fairly new battery pack. There seems to be a lot of information about grid chargers. Do they really extend the life of
the battery packs? Should I invest in one? Thanks

[Eli]

We don't know, it hasn't been enough time. It's theorized that a regular(1mo, 2mo, 4mo, 6mo?) grid charge will help keep the battery balanced.

[jime]

Originally Posted by leejm12

Just got a Honda Insight 2002 with a fairly new battery pack. There seems to be a lot of information about grid chargers. Do they really extend the life of
the battery packs? Should I invest in one? Thanks

The jury is still out. A great number of experts believe that "conditioning" the battery, deep discharging and stuffing the charge, will improve battery life. Far as I can tell, it isn't a proven fact, but experts think it will.

For sure, you need a grid charger if you aren't going to drive your car regularly, and you need a grid charger the first time you see a recal of your "fairly new battery pack." JMHO.

[leejm12]

Will be driving about 100 miles a day, so I think I am ok but who knows. Will research this some more. Do any of you have any knowledge of the
Genesis 1 grid chargers? They seem to know what they are talking about.
Thanks again.

[gilbertguy]

I just installed the Mike D grid charger yesterday and my pack was rebuilt 2 months ago so I'm not trying to keep a bad pack going but keep a good pack healthy. Will let you know in a few years how the pack is doing.

[RedJellyBean]

Originally Posted by leejm12

Will be driving about 100 miles a day, so I think I am ok but who knows. Will research this some more. Do any of you have any knowledge of the
Genesis 1 grid chargers? They seem to know what they are talking about.
Thanks again.

The Genesis 1 grid chargers now look to be completely & comprehensively sold out. It'll be an interminable amount of time until they're available once again.

[Ablinkin]

I built the basic grid charger after my 2001MT displayed three recals and it seemed to be using an unusual amount of "bars" on the SOC display when under a load going up hills etc. Since the first grid charge it's been acting like a completely new battery IMHO. I'm pretty sure it's the original pack.

At 350ma max charge current there isn't really enough there to do any real harm to the pack as long as a person doesn't get carried away.

A good friend has a 2001 Prius with the original battery which was throwing some battery codes when he purchased it. Over at the Prius Chat forums they seem to be of the opinion that grid chargers are super dangerous, can blow up batteries, and should be avoided at all costs. When you dig a little deeper these packs were charged with very high current rates in excess of 1 amp or more. We built a version of the Insight charger for his Prius by adding three additional 48 volt supplies and his battery has certainly improved. So far no more codes with his car.

This is the same method that my employers have used to extend the life of two-way radio nickel-metal hydride batteries. It's a cost saving measure and certainly works. Why wouldn't it work on a larger pack?

I think it's great for preventive maintenance, adds to the value of the car if you decide to sell it, and will extend the life of the pack. While I use mine about every 4-6 weeks, in the case of your newer pack every six months should be more than adequate.

[diamondlarry]

Originally Posted by Ablinkin

At 350ma max charge current there isn't really enough there to do any real harm to the pack as long as a person doesn't get carried away.

A good friend has a 2001 Prius with the original battery which was throwing some battery codes when he purchased it. Over at the Prius Chat forums they seem to be of the opinion that grid chargers are super dangerous, can blow up batteries, and should be avoided at all costs. When you dig a little deeper these packs were charged with very high current rates in excess of 1 amp or more. We built a version of the Insight charger for his Prius by adding three additional 48 volt supplies and his battery has certainly improved. So far no more codes with his car.

There certainly does seem to be a more vocal opposition to something especially when it is based more on fear than actual facts.

I would be very interested in hearing more about your Prius grid charger. I have an '07 Prius and would like to be able to charge it manually. I realize that an '01 Prius and an '07 Prius have different voltages but that's more of a minor detail. Your description of the aversion to grid chargers over at PC probably explains a lot about why there isn't near as much available in the way of systems controls for the Prius as there is for Insights here at Insight Central. Hmm.

[jonnyvtec]

Do the Prius forum users overlook the fact Toyota have an OEM HV Charger for the Gen 1 Prius with D cell batteries then?

I cant find a picture of it at the moment.

Seems like a charge could have formed parts of a 40k service or something at the dealership if either Honda or Toyota wanted the batteries to last much longer than just the warranty period.

[diamondlarry]

Originally Posted by jonnyvtec

Do the Prius forum users overlook the fact Toyota have an OEM HV Charger for the Gen 1 Prius with D cell batteries then?

I cant find a picture of it at the moment.

Seems like a charge could have formed parts of a 40k service or something at the dealership if either Honda or Toyota wanted the batteries to last much longer than just the warranty period.

It seems the average Prius forum member thinks that Toyota knew what they were doing and it shouldn't be screwed with. I'm glad the folks here don't think the same way about Honda or we wouldn't have MIMA, OBDII C&C, Calpod switch, grid chargers, etc.