I have an opportunity to get a high voltage battery from a salvage Prius. I don't need a replacement now but thought having an extra battery would be a good idea. How long can the battery be stored? Maybe switch them out every few months to keep both charged?
You could get a charger/rebalancer (I have a Supermate DC6) and do a recharge of each of the 28 modules every few months to keep it charged to 80% SOC. Seilerts says not to store the battery at 100% as that can cause it to overheat. Remember to rebalance all the modules before installing the replacement battery. JeffD
... Edit, link with some technical information about storing NiMH batteries. Understanding your HEV NiMH battery pack - CleanMPG Forums ---- Self discharge rate is very high often dwarfing all other competing chemistries. That is why hybrid cars should be powered up at least once every 30-60 days to prevent a full and crippling charge depletion. The SoC indicators ARE NOT a reliable indicator of health when a vehicle is in storage. Requires cell reconditioning if SoC is kept at a steady level for longer periods of time What can be done to ensure a longer battery pack life? Cause a deeper discharge periodically to nullify the inherent memory effect. This is automatically done by the governance and battery management systems. Ensure that the amplitude of your regenerations and electric assists are as small as possible. Use some electric assist once in a while. Please remember a static SoC is just as bad as excessive use. Keep your battery pack cool. While there are many things we can do some do not involve hardware modifications at all ----------------------------------------------------------------------end quote .
Add 1 amp hour with a charger every 6 months. I would not charge a battery to full under any circumstance if it were not going straight into a car. Or swap out the batteries every 6 months. You may want to swap it right now, since you have no idea if it is any good or not.
