How do you jumpstart a hybrid with a dead battery? Could I jumpstart other cars?

[fbov]

Li has a nasty habit of exploding...

But it explodes very slowly... we call it burning. Accidents are problematic, for certain. Normal usage, not so much.

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[russross]

My wife jumpstarted her friend's Prius last week (there's a twist--see below!). The friend had done something that left a light on and ran the 12V battery down. The jump start procedure was basically the same as any other car.

Can you jumpstart others with your Maverick? My understanding is that you should never try this (though I'm no expert). In an ICE car you would normally run the vehicle and even rev it while the other car tries to start. You would be supplying power mainly from the alternator, which is a high-power source that can handle the load. The Maverick does not have an alternator, and in most hybrids the charge supply to the 12V battery is pretty modest compared to what an alternator supplies to an ICE vehicle, so you'd be putting it under serious strain. It makes sense--the battery never has to run a starter motor so it doesn't expect the same duty cycle. Some people have said that you can do some damage when trying to jumpstart someone using a hybrid.

I've also heard that you should avoid jumpstarting anyone using any modern car. Apparently there is a decent chance that you'll end up with lasting electrical gremlins. I've searched on this topic a bit and read some reports (don't have links off the top of my head--sorry!) and I came away pretty nervous about supplying a jump again.

Far better to use a standalone jumpstart battery back where there is no chance of damaging your car. Even better, get one of the capacitor-based systems like the "autowit supercap 2" that I got recently (and have used a few times). You don't have to keep it charged, which is the main problem with batteries. You can charge it using what juice is left in the "dead" battery and then use it to provide a jump. Sounds like snake oil, but it works! Search youtube for some reviews--this thing is seriously cool. I've used mine to rescue my ATV, my dad's old V8 F-150, and the Prius I mentioned earlier. It worked great in each case. Mine lives in my wife's car, but I plan to get another one as soon as my Maverick arrives and keep it behind the back seat.

 

[vap0rtranz]

There should be a way of starting it in the event of a catastrophic failure (Honda you pull 4 bolts and flip the giant do not touch this red breaker) to disable the primary battery and allow 12v only operation

The Gen2 Escape Hybrid also had one of these hidden buttons. Pressing the button would use the 12V to turn over the ICE, and that would start charging up the HV again.

I don't believe anything on this thread implying the Maverick Hybrid would need to be towed away unless someone has a new Escape Hybrid.

A battery is a battery. Obviously hybrid cars recharge their HV batteries so it's just the mechanism of _how_ to recharge when SoC is too low to start the ICE. The Internet says some dealers have HV battery chargers but ... the Internet can lie.

 

[Darnon]

The Gen2 Escape Hybrid also had one of these hidden buttons. Pressing the button would use the 12V to turn over the ICE, and that would start charging up the HV again.

Second gen (2008) appears to actually be around when they removed that. They switched to just preventing the HV battery from going below 30% SoC. Likely because of the switch from NiMH to lithium. Deep discharging Li-ion batteries damages them very quickly.

 

[vap0rtranz]

They switched to just preventing the HV battery from going below 30% SoC.

30% sounds low but if that's the level they know will still get the ICE started then good.

 

[Probity]

The 12v is under the back seat in the hybrid

From 2021 Escape Owners Manual - jump starting the Hybrid method is same as for non-Hybrids. Why would Hybrid Maverick be different? In the Maverick the 12V battery is as noted accessed from under the back seat.

 

[hondabuster]

On my Toyota hybrid, the 12 volt battery boots the computer when you turn the key to start. The ready light will light up. From there on the computer is in charge, of whether or not to start the ice
From what I've seen, no one recommends jump starting another vehicle with a hybrid. But you only need a tiny battery to boot the computer, the high voltage battery does the actual starting of the ice.. no way to turn over the ice with a 12 volt battery

 

[vap0rtranz]

jump starting the Hybrid method is same as for non-Hybrids. Why would Hybrid Maverick be different?

Not all hybrids are the same. Example: my Chevy Volt has 2 different set of posts to use: 1 for jumping another car, a 2nd set of posts for jump starting the Volt itself. But the Volt is a PHEV or RxBEV, depending on someone's definition, not a conventional hybrid.

Yea I generally agree with ya: conventional hybrid should usually jump start the same old way. But I'm going to check the manual to make sure.

 

[fbov]

From what I've seen, no one recommends jump starting another vehicle with a hybrid.

Go up one post to where he quotes the manual! Jump starting either is no different from other cars.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

If both are dead, you jump the 12v

If the 12v is dead, something is wrong, deep cycle charge after you start normally get to a place to test your charging system.

If the big battery is dead, pray to your deity it’s covered, they ain’t cheap. But the 12v will still start the ICE.

normally the 12v is there for electronics and the off chance the big one is discharged.

Gad! What do I know I don't even have a vin yet. If the 12volt is too flat to unlock the cabin doors, you will have to unlock the doors with the key but if you have the keyless system I read somewhere that there is a key in the pocket fob (pulls out of bottom I think).

 

[sdr.speng]

Easy - too jump a hybrid - one step: Jump as High as a Bird!

 

[huunvubu]

From the Maverick Owners Manual:

 

[MakinDoForNow]

On my Toyota hybrid, the 12 volt battery boots the computer when you turn the key to start. The ready light will light up. From there on the computer is in charge, of whether or not to start the ice
From what I've seen, no one recommends jump starting another vehicle with a hybrid. But you only need a tiny battery to boot the computer, the high voltage battery does the actual starting of the ice.. no way to turn over the ice with a 12 volt battery

I believe the small motor/generator in the transaxle will draw current off the low voltage buss which can be supplied either by the low voltage battery or the high voltage battery through a regulator. The high voltage battery should be restricted as to how much current it supplies (within certain states of charge and at what temperature) if any at all and could leave supplying the bus up to the low voltage battery by itself. My question is at what temperature should I use the engine block heater (that I did not buy)?

 

[Davidc83]

You don't jump start a hybrid. Wrong term. Hybrids don't have a starter, so you don't jumpstart one. You can use any 12v battery to turn on/start a hybrid- even those small hand held battery packs (if it is 12v) will turn it on. Once the electronics are turned on, the hybrid/traction battery turns on the electric motor and the electric motor starts the gas motor. If the big hybrid/traction battery is dead, there is no way you can start the gas motor. Don't jump start gas only cars with a hybrid. The electrical system wasn't designed to turn over the starter on a gas engine.

 

[RicksMaverick]

The 12v is under the back seat in the hybrid

But there are jumper points under the hood. Check the owners manual for location/instructions.

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