Pre-Owned Electric Vehicles – Are You Buying and EV Out of Warranty?
Thinking of Buying a full Battery Electric – Pre-Owned Hybrid Electric – or Plug In Hybrid Gas vehicle ?
We have evaluated dozens of Pre-Owned Toyota Prius and Nissan Leaf plug-in hybrid electric and gas boosted vehicles for resale, repair, regular maintenance, dismantling, parting them out and salvage. How do you evaluate used electric components for ongoing maintenance and repair or for resale used parts ?
There are many new electric vehicle diagnostic tools that are used when evaluating Used (pre-owned) battery operated vehicles. The Prius battery sub-system can be removed from the rear of the vehicle and bench tested for component repair and refurbishment or total swap out replacement. There are many other powertrain and battery support components that must also be evaluated and orchestrated in conjunction with battery package.
Are there -certified- pre-owned parts and electric vehicles for sale ? What are the warranties offered ?
How are repairs and break downs handled after the warranty expires on used electric vehicles ? How much could the third party diagnosis and parts and labor cost? Plan on sizeable costs to replace the battery platform (many components) if it eventually wears out and fails. It will reach its end of useful service life. Some parts can not be completely refurbished or re-manufactured. They must be replaced with new OEM parts. Scary.
It’s a totally different landscape to get repairs on used electric vehicles since it’s a limited field of new expertise and knowledge. ( the User and Lyft drivers know a ton about this driving over 300,000 miles)
Plug-in electric vehicles combined with a small gas engine offer longer range anxiety relief and extra juice for driving the hilly terrain. So much less battery charge worries! Plug-In Hybrid will continue to be popular to buy new; however the pre-owned market is a different challenge to evaluate the electrical modules AND also maintain the fossil fuel components too. The cost of replacing those worn out electric components when Out-Of-Warranty can be very costly and challenging to diagnose with precision. Be Aware.
Pre-owned battery operated vehicles with the gas ‘kicker’ motors are successfully orchestrating BOTH the Voltage Management AND the Fuel Combustion; confidently orchestrating the necessary ‘kick’ to the BEV or Plug-In Hybrid vehicle when necessary to deliver optimal use of battery / fuel modality.
It will be necessary to understand the interplay of the major Voltage components — that interact with the Gas engine support technologies — keeping the vehicle properly functioning correctly after substantial mileage is driven.
Hybrid Gas / Electric Pre Purchase Checklist
- Software updates. Drive system control.
- Gas Engine Spins ‘Alternator’ to Charge Battery ( probably no …. not ! )
- Regenerating Braking System
- EV Battery Condition
- Recondition / Replace EV Battery
- Metal Hydride NiMH battery pack vs Lithium Ion Battery (Debate)
- Individual Battery “Module” replacement / rebalance ?
- What does the whole “Charging System” look like ?
- Perform 2x / Year Battery Reconditioning ?
- Conventional 12V Charging System health
- Electric Motor(s)
Let’s jump right into Hybrid Vehicle Battery “reconditioning !
Thanks for taking the time to test the Prolong product! That is a great result, especially considering only did one charge cycle was performed. The charging process will equalize the voltage of the cells in the pack and deliver a small increase in usable capacity, but only a small portion of overall potential improvement. If the pack was also discharged a couple times, the increase increase in usable capacity will be much more – and longer lasting.
Deep discharging the battery pack to a lower voltage than the car does is what breaks down the voltage depression and restores lost capacity. The combination of charging and discharging together is what is called reconditioning. This video was a single charge and balance cycle, a full reconditioning treatment will deliver a larger and longer lasting improvement. When a full reconditioning treatment is done, the benefit usually lasts for 9-12 months. Hybrid Automotive recommends repeating the reconditioning process every six months to ‘reset’ that 9-12 months clock again and again and keep the battery performing it’s best, delivering multiple years of prolonged life.
Can Hybrid Batteries be “Revived” or Improved using this process ?
Most repairs on the Prius I have found are cost-effective and straightforward if you are a handy DIYer. Many times though, the owners are tired of them and want something newer, so the price drops, and I can pick them up for cheap.
Everything Hybrid at www.torquenews.com
https://www.torquenews.com/8113/4-things-check-used-toyota-prius-buying-one
After the Manufacturer Warranty has EXPIRED; or the Miles reach a certain LIMIT — say 100,000 Miles — You’re on your own for Parts replacements and Service ( at a Hybrid / Voltage smart Service Center ) ! It is possible to Do It Yourself (DIY) — after significant discussions with experts that might want to help you ( and learning from YouTube Videos ) to gain the required knowledge to swap out major sub-assemblies.
