How to Charge a Toyota Prius Battery

The lead-acid battery in a Toyota Prius can be charged with a battery charger.

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The Toyota Prius is a hybrid vehicle and, as such, has two types of batteries. The first battery is the one most typically found in cars, a lead-acid 12V. The second battery is specifically for hybrids. In the Prius, the second battery is a Panasonic Metal Case Prismatic Module. Only the lead-acid requires charging as the other battery charges from the generator.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

things you'll need:

• Battery charger or jumper cables

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1. • 1

     Open the hood of the Toyota Prius. From the inside of the car, the hood can be unlatched by pulling on the small handle underneath the steering wheel on the bottom left. Once the hood is opened, hold it in place by hooking the rod into the hole that is on the side of the hood.

   • 2

     Open the plastic cover of the battery. The battery is located at the top right side of the engine. Once open, remove the plastic piece that covers the battery port.

   • 3

     Hook the jumper cables or the battery charger to the battery. The negative cable is typically all black and needs to be connected to the negative port of the car battery by clipping it on. The positive cable is typically white or red and will be hooked onto the positive port. If using jumper cables and connecting to another car, the black cable on the other side will go to the other vehicles' negative port and the red or white will clip onto the positive port.

   • 4

     Turn the car on. Press on the accelerator slightly.

   • 5

     Unclip the jumper cables and drive the vehicle around 20 to 30 minutes to allow it time to recharge. If using a battery charger, leave the battery charger connected to the battery overnight.