Hybrid Battery Conditioning

What is Hybrid Battery Conditioning

The Conditioning process begins with removing the NiMH (nickel–metal hydride battery) battery pack from your vehicle. Specialized equipment is then connected to the battery pack for the purposes of rendering two categories of tests; The Power Test and the Energy Test. Data is then collected by the equipment controller for analysis and diagnostics.

The specialized equipment consists of:

• BDUIII (Battery Discharger Unit)
• Laptop with Proprietary Software
• Diagnostic tools (Thermal Imaging Camera, Electric Machine/Motor Tester)

The Power Test

This tests the power capability of the battery pack and determines how quickly and effectively the battery modules inside the battery pack can transfer electrical energy to a load.

The battery modules are subjected to a controlled load test of approximately 100 amps. Data is then collected by the equipment controller for analysis and diagnostics.

Proper power levels are essential for the vehicle to produce necessary acceleration performance. Battery modules with low power levels are identified and can be replaced while the battery pack is out of the vehicle.

Energy Test

An Energy test is performed to acquire the Amp-hour capacity of each battery module by placing a controlled load across each battery module/module grouping.

At the conclusion of the Energy Test, the State of Health (SOH) for each module is provided in a hard copy report that will assist in determining how to repair/rebuild the battery pack.

Energy capacity levels of the battery modules significantly effects vehicle fuel economy and acceleration performance and there is a direct correlation between battery Energy and fuel consumption.

The longevity of a Conditioned Battery

If the vehicle battery management system software is operating properly, a properly Conditioned battery pack can maintain its capacity and balance for many years but, its longevity is dependent upon:

• Age of the battery pack at the time of Conditioning
• Geographic area in which it has operated – ambient temperatures and/or elevations, or its driving cycle (i.e., does the vehicle remain unused for periods or is it used daily or, is it driven on highway or city/suburban driving cycle)
• The battery pack being permitted to be operated in a deeply discharged state by its owner/operator, or it has been serviced incorrectly by an untrained technician
• Amount of electrolyte leakage

A NiMH battery can be conditioned many times and this process does not degrade the integrity of the battery pack.

Hybrid Battery conditioning offered at Hybrid Shop of the Carolinas comes with a two year transferable warranty.