You are reading this article because you might want to recondition your failing battery or you might want to know more about the Honda Civic hybrid battery reconditioning.
Hybrid batteries and hybrid cars are the new inventions of the modern era. They excel in various aspects such as fuel efficiency and other environmental benefits which is causing an increase in the purchase of these cars by some people.
The most important part of this hybrid model car is its battery pack and without a proper hybrid battery function, the functionality of the hybrid car seems useless.
Hence as a hybrid car owner, it is good to know regarding the various aspects of your hybrid car battery such as its construction, its reconditioning process to ensure its longevity without any unnecessary problems.
This article discusses all the aspects regarding hybrid batteries and regarding your honda civic hybrid battery reconditioning process.
Firstly what is a hybrid battery?
We have heard of many kinds of batteries such as the lead-acid ones, the lithium-ion ones and even the alkaline batteries. Then what are these new hybrid batteries?
A hybrid is a kind of modern battery which is usually used by a hybrid vehicle, and a hybrid vehicle is one that utilizes distinct types of power to run itself.
Most of the hybrid batteries are usually NiMH batteries. A hybrid battery consists of many individual cells that are connected in series and are packed into a container. Its construction is quite different from other common batteries.
All the cells are connected in series to generate a greater current capacity of hundreds of volts. Gaps are present between the cells and the cell strings are suspended in mid-air to allow air cooling too.
The honda civic hybrid battery
The honda civic hybrid comes with a powerful 158 volt NiMH battery with a rated capacity of 5.5 Ah. This is usually present behind the back seat of your vehicle.
The high powered 158-volt NiMH battery is usually the battery of the second generation of civic hybrids. But the first generation civic hybrid is a slightly lower 144-volt nickel-metal hydride battery.
But the later third generation civic hybrid came with a more powered lithium-ion battery pack replacing the nickel-metal hydride one.
Honda civic hybrid battery reconditioning
Before talking about the hybrid battery reconditioning process there are some issues to understand regarding the honda civic hybrid model car and the issues related to its batteries.
Why did the issue of reconditioning arise?
Replacing car batteries is a costly affair. It can cost you hundreds of dollars. It can be a burden on your pocket if this issue of replacing car batteries occurs frequently.
A simple lead-acid car battery can cost you hundreds of dollars. Then, in that case, imagine the cost of replacing a sophisticated battery like a hybrid one.
Replacing a hybrid battery for your honda civic can cost you around 3000 to 4000 dollars which is too costly.
This replacement seems necessary either if the battery fails or if the warranty expires.
In the case of the honda civic hybrid model, the issue of premature battery failure had occurred in many cars within 2 -3 years of the date of their car manufacture.
Thus the trend of reconditioning hybrid batteries arose which could help in reusing the discharged batteries by reconditioning them to 80-90% of their original capacity, instead of replacing them.
How do you recondition a hybrid battery?
Hybrid cars appeal more to people who are conscious about fuel efficiency and low emissions. In that case, if you do not have a good battery pack, you won’t get what you expect from a hybrid car.
But the batteries of hybrid cars usually lose power and capacity over time. Unless you recondition your hybrid batteries, buying new ones can cause a big burden on your pocket.
It is also true that reconditioning batteries accurately, could revive the discharged battery and restore 90-95% of the battery’s original performance and increase its life span.
You can do it yourself if you have the proper knowledge and proper hybrid battery reconditioning equipment. Or you can join a hybrid battery reconditioning course and learn it to do it on your own. Otherwise, you can also get it done by a professional as hybrid batteries voltage can range from 100 to 300 volts which are quite higher and are dangerous if not dealt without proper knowledge.
During the reconditioning process, the hybrid battery pack is subjected to the process of charging and balancing of the cells inside. The battery cells are subjected to undergo a deep power cycle to rebalance the charge in those cells. This process usually restores the lost battery power and helps in increasing the life of your hybrid battery.
This reconditioning process includes steps to be followed in a phased manner
1. Firstly charge the battery with a high voltage battery charger up to 235 volts for a period of 24 hours.
2. Now discharge the battery and charge it again after a period of 24 hours.
3. Discharge the battery again to a deeper level and now finally charge the battery pack fully.
4. This process of discharging along with deep discharging helps in breaking down the crystal formations within the battery cells thus restoring the lost battery capacity.
5. After the completion of 3 discharges and a full charge, the battery usually gets reconditioned. Finally, the whole battery pack is again load-tested which usually shows good sings after the reconditioning process.
6. Use a load tester to measure the capacity of each cell or module. Any cell or module which is in its bad state of health can be replaced.
Benefits of reconditioning your hybrid battery
1. The process of reconditioning your hybrid car battery costs about one-fourth of the total cost of replacing the whole battery pack.
2. Battery reconditioning is an easy process which can be done by a professional in 48 hours roughly.
3. Reconditioned hybrid car batteries will reduce the overall maintenance cost of hybrid car owners.
4. People who reconditioned their car batteries reported benefits such as improved battery performance and increased gas mileage after the reconditioning process.
5. It is also said that there is a 50% energy improvement in each cell after the reconditioning. This energy improvement eventually increases battery life.
Attention: Dead Simple Trick Brings any Battery Back to Life
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Civic_Hybrid
besthybridbatteries.com,The Benefits of Reconditioning a Hybrid Battery.
williamsonsrepair.com,hybrid-battery-reconditioning
greenbeanbattery.com,All you need to know about Hybrid Battery Reconditioning
