My 2008 Prius is garaged and sits idle for 3 months every winter. Last year when I went to start it, the 12 V battery had lost its charge, even though I tried to shut off things that might draw energy. I'm thinking of buying a Peak 2 Amp Float Battery Charger which is designed to maintain a full battery charge. Could I connect this to the jump starting terminal in the fuse box in the engine compartment? Or would it be better to connect it directly to the battery? Would the battery terminals have to be disconnected? Would either of these methods risk damage to any of the other systems?
I have a 2/4/8 amp Battery Minder and use it all the time. I think the 1.3 amp version is perfect for your application. I haven't seen a Peak float charger but I do have their portable jump starter pack and have been unimpressed -- it works great as a Prius jump starter/charge maintainer but can't deliver the amps to start anything over a 4 cylinder. According to the service manual, connect the charger directly to the battery. Leave everything connected. Make sure your HV battery has 5+ bars SoC when you park it as well.
