That's what I want to do with my charger, but because Prolong fan controller and harness are so expensive I'm having a hard time getting people to buy in. Why are people so cheap when it comes to preventative maintenance? Like they think its a virtue to not have to spend money on their car until it actually breaks? How can they not understand the logic of paying a couple hundred dollars via a Prolong harness and install and then renting the charger & discharger every a couple-few times year? You can get way more life out of your battery doing that compared to having what happens if you procrastinate on doing anything for your battery for too long. I guess I have to work harder to help them understand? Anyone got any tips on how to do that? I wish that when the CARB states forced Toyota to provide 150K mile warranty they also required all cars came with a hyrbrid battery maintenance system similar to Prolong.
Like many electronic devices, the Prolong system might not travel too well. Hybrid Automotive will repair under warranty (I know this from experience) but shipping it all over the country probably is abusing warranty privileges. And while we can fault owners for not buying in to the system, a harness is at least $149, and installation requires tearing apart the rear interior to get to the battery and cooling fan. I have a harness to install in my 02, but I'm waiting for cooler weather. I wouldn't even attempt to recondition/balance my battery in temps over 75 degrees unless the top pan was off and I was blowing a lot of air over the modules.
Any one who's interested in this should go to Hybrid Automotive and check compatibility. Gen 1 Prolong systems won't work on Gen 2.
Here in the Bay Area, I share ownership with 2 other members here and have loaned it out on occasion. Stays in our geography and helps others keep their Gen3 or Gen2 Prius running strong .
I didn't know they raised the harness prices to $149. I guess that's to discourage sharing. They used to be really cheap when they first came out, for use on 2nd cars in the family
Yes, it's true, but only 1/2 of it is compatibility, the other part of it is fake compatibility/profit-driven marketing... As in the lowest voltage Prolong chargers are for Gen1 and most Honda hybrids... The Prius charger is a 260v system and the 360v system is for Lexus, Highlander, Tahoe, Yukon. And while the consumer is led to believe that you need a different charger that matches your vehicle, for the low, low price of way too much, they sell a "shop starter kit" with a 360v charger and 8 wiring harnesses for Honda & Toyota: Value Shop Starter Kit - Toyota & Honda – Hybrid Automotive In talking with them it turns out the 360v charger is smart enough to dial back the amps of the charge and work on lower voltage systems, but it takes 50% longer because the system is less efficient. So why do they make things run so slow for a shop spending $1600 on a start up system? Perhaps to get the shop to grow impatient and spend $4K on the deluxe pro system that can do a full discharge and recharge in less than 8 hours. Don't get me wrong, I love what Prolong is doing, but the prices are way too high because because they don't don't have the sales volume to lower the price. Had CARB states based their battery concerns on battery science and required a built in conditioning system rather than just a 150K mile warranty on battery pack failure, we'd not be having this conversation and Toyota wouldn't be investing big in dropping the price of replacement battery packs.
