How to Maintain Your Vehicle

Why You Need to Keep Your Hybrid Car Battery Cool

If you have one eye on the environment and another on your bank balance, then you may have decided to buy a hybrid car. You may not be ready to go full electric quite yet and may still have some range anxiety to overcome, so the hybrid alternative is the perfect interim solution. Yet the technology may be new to you, and you may be wondering what you can do to prolong the life of this vehicle, as after all, you want to ensure that it is reliable, efficient and long-lasting. What do you need to bear in mind when it comes to hybrid vehicle maintenance specifically?

How It Works

The first thing to understand here is that you have a conventional engine alongside an electric motor, with the latter reliant on a significant battery. The electric motor will run the vehicle where possible, and when needed, the internal combustion engine will take over to charge the battery back to life.

Nickel Metal Hydride

Hybrid batteries are typically made from nickel metal hydride, and they have a significant amount of capacity. However, they must be treated properly and serviced from time to time, as otherwise, they may tend to overheat. If this happens, the battery life will be reduced considerably, and they may fail well before their time.

Manufacturers do have built-in safeguards to try to protect the battery from running out completely or overcharging, however. They believe that this will give the unit a longer life by preventing operational extremes.

Clean and Efficient

The battery is also protected by an auxiliary fan setup, which is designed to keep it cool during operation. It's very important, therefore, for you to check the efficiency of the fan system to make sure that it is pulling the fresh air in and circulating around the battery as needed.

From time to time, dirt will accumulate on the surface of the fan, and this will combine with oil residue and grease to form an unwanted outer layer. This dirt may also block the air intake, and you will want to make sure that it remains as clean as possible.

It is also a good idea to take the vehicle into a mechanic for a specific checkup. They will be able to test the efficiency of the hybrid battery to see if there are any weaker cells, and they may be able to repair this inefficiency at that time.

Regular Visits

Remember, you need to take this vehicle in for a regular car service to protect all the other working components in addition to the battery. If you look after the charging system, however, your battery may last for many years without any issue


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