Can a gas/electric Hybrid that has a dead battery, be jump started by a car with a regular battery?

Question

The Prius battery costs thousands of dollars to replace. If someone tried to jump start with a regular battery and cables would it hurt the hybrid's battery to the point of having to replace it?

Answer 1

Well, a hybrid still has the traditional 12v lead-acid accessory battery that is in most every other car. It can go flat just like in any other car - leave the headlights on overnight, for example. You can jumpstart this battery just like you would with any other car, only it may not reside where you think (Prius' 12v battery is in the trunk or cargo area, though the 2004-current Prius has jump start points under the hood), and it doesn't need much of a boost to get things going (just enough 12v to power the computers and flip a relay to connect up the hybrid battery, which does the charging of the 12v).

Unless you have a Japanese 1998-2000 original Prius (different battery and battery management - the 12v battery could "jump" the hybrid battery), you wouldn't have means to jump a dead hybrid battery.

Rumor is that in the US there's only 2 Prius hybrid battery chargers, not that they've been used... Unless you have a defect, or you tried to drive and reboot several times when you were out of gasoline, there'd be no reason for the hybrid battery to be so depleted that it would be useless (unless left on a dismantler's shelf for over a year...).

Hybrid battery replacements are really rare. Even with the 8 year, 80,000 mile minimum warranty on hybrids in the US. (Depending on model and where located, it could be as high as 10 years/150,000 miles...)

Answer 2

I would guess so. My boss has a hybrid escape, besides the fancy batteries in the back it still has a regular car battery under the hood.

Answer 3

No, probably not. But I don't think a "regular" battery and cables would be able to provide enough amperage to start a hybrid.

Answer 4

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