What are the signs that you need to replace your hybrid car battery?
- Lower Fuel Efficiency Ratios
- Fluctuating State of Charge
- Difficulties with Charging Process
- Dashboard Warning Light
A hybrid is any vehicle that makes use of both an electric motor and a gasoline engine to move. Its system is designed to reuse energy through regenerative braking. The motor and the engine can work individually or in unison. Ultimately, they lead to a smoother and more efficient ride.
The duality of the system makes it unique, but it’s still easy to spot the signs that you need to replace your hybrid car’s battery. When well maintained, a hybrid car’s battery can last for the duration of its lifetime. But in some cases, problems suddenly arise. When that happens, you should know these warning signs before it gets too bad!
Lower Fuel Efficiency Ratios
One of the top reasons why people choose to buy hybrid cars is that they want a fuel-efficient vehicle. They want to have a positive fuel economy ratio. When your fuel efficiency has dropped recently, that may mean that your battery is dying. The battery of your hybrid vehicle provides the required energy to power the ignition process. When the battery begins to falter, the car starts to rely less on the electrical motor and goes back to relying only on the gasoline engine as its main source of power.
Hybrid cars can still function this way, however, it’s efficiency is dramatically reduced because a faulty battery means half of the car system does is not working properly.
The overreliance on the gasoline engine also explains the decrease in fuel economy and a more noticeable side effect which is more frequent visits to the gas stations.
Fluctuating State of Charge
Also called the SoC, the State of charge is the level of charge of the car’s battery pack. In the dashboard, this is represented by a gauge. In hybrid cars, you find it displayed at a percentual value. When the SoC shows signs of fluctuations, it most likely means there is something wrong with your battery.
Bear in mind that fluctuations in the State of charge of a battery cannot be taken literally. If so, then it would mean that your battery is full or overcharged at one moment and almost empty after a second. Fluctuations in the SoC is one of the most obvious warning signs that there is a problem with your car’s battery!
Aside from the battery, it could also be a problem with the charging system or connectivity of the whole electrical system. A failing battery is still the most feasible reason, but unless you have it checked, you won’t know.
Difficulties with Charging Process
A hybrid car’s battery is a very important component. It serves all the functionalities of a normal car battery and it also maintains the operations of the electrical system. It also has a way to charge itself while the car is being used.
If the battery is getting overcharged or undercharged, there is a high probability where the batter will discharge at a high rate and its lifespan will be shortened.
Hybrid batteries should discharge at a steady and consistent rate. Once it starts getting volatile, the whole charging system can go awry. Note that a battery is only as good as its charge. If the charge is not of the right state, the whole electrical system can fail.
Aside from problems within the electrical circuit, it’s also possible that the charging process is degraded because of mechanical and external issues. Things like damaged wiring and unseen corrosion can be detrimental to the whole charging system.
One way to check if your battery or its charging system has some issues is to simply leave your car parked with a fully charged battery overnight. If morning comes and the battery is low, then you will know that you have some battery problems.
Dashboard Warning Light
Whenever there is a problem inside your car, it will tell you. when it comes to electrical problems, the car is keen to notify the driver right away. Be it the alternator or the battery itself, there will be a warning light that will turn on as soon as the car’s system detects an anomaly.
Drivers need to keep on the lookout for these because it can just light up suddenly!
Key Takeaway
An observant driver will have no problem noticing the signs that you need to replace their hybrid car battery. Most of the signs should be easily spotted by those who have been driving their cars for a long time. A lot of the signs are just subtle, while things like the warning lights will blatantly tell you that there is a problem.
Whatever the case, every owner of a hybrid car should be knowledgeable about the signs detailed above. Once they have it in their minds, they will easily spot and notice any problems that they might encounter during their ride!
