[Robene]

I am awaiting a Rav4 Hybrid and wonder now where, if any, the 12Vbattery sits, alternatively, where is the coverted 12V outtake placed? Are fuses for interior and exterior lamps placed otherwise than e.g. Petrol Ravs?

 

[turbotom]

There is a 12v battery in the back behind the Hybrid battery, on the drives side next to the spare tire. I will attach a picture. I took the access panel off, normally it is covered by plastic. On a side note my brother owns a Tesla Model S and he parked to for around 2 months last winter, he found out the hard way that it also has some sort of 12v battery and he had to jump it.

 

[Dr. Dyno]

Hybrids like my Accord have a 12V battery to power all the normal 12V components - the ignition, radio, instruments, heat/AC blower, various ECUs, etc. Apparently that's how Tesla does it too, with the exception of the ignition of course.

 

[rdgrimes]

If the design follows true to the other hybrid models, the ventilation from the traction battery will blow back across the 12v battery and out of the car at the rear. The 12v battery is also vented to underneath via a hose. These require a specific type vented battery to replace it with. (you can't have battery fumes in the cabin) So even though its a wimpy little battery its relatively expensive to replace.

 

[Robene]

There is a 12v battery in the back behind the Hybrid battery, on the drives side next to the spare tire. I will attach a picture. I took the access panel off, normally it is covered by plastic. On a side note my brother owns a Tesla Model S and he parked to for around 2 months last winter, he found out the hard way that it also has some sort of 12v battery and he had to jump it.

This info was really helpful, thanks for reply and your efforts removing access panel and taking the photo! I'm living in northern part of Sweden with quiet cold winter climate (yesterday we had -22°F). I'm for that reason to install a DEFA 240V motor and cabin pre-heater with intelligent 12V battery charger. External mains connection for that heater is usually installed in the front bumper area of the car, for enabling parking in front of typical pre-heater power poles that you can find in many parking lots in North Sweden:

With that said, I'm afraid I have an additional question; Do you know if there is any direct connection points in engine room to baggage compartment battery via some high capacity (thick) power wires?

-Many thanks!

Rob

 

[Dr. Dyno]

With that said, I'm afraid I have an additional question; Do you know if there is any direct connection points in engine room to baggage compartment battery via some high capacity (thick) power wires?

Since I don't own one or have a schematic I can't answer specifically, but since 12V is needed in the engine bay for several functions including the ignition system it's very likely there's live power there. It certainly would come forward as far as the dash.

I'd just look for large wires and probe them with a test light. Make sure to avoid the hybrid battery leads, but if Toyota does it like Honda does on my Accord, those are all in thick bright orange housings with high voltage (144V) death warnings. (The 12V battery in my Accord is located under the engine hood in the same place as in a non-hybrid.)

Intelligent 12V battery chargers typically don't provide high charge rates, maybe 10A max, so the connection needn't be to a wire larger than 12AWG, or any larger then the charger output wire.

 

[rdgrimes]

Again, assuming the Rav4 holds true to other hybrid cars, there will be jumping posts under the hood at the fuse panel for emergency jump starting. The connection to the 12v battery is stout and rated for about 1KW load. Using the hybrids as emergency generator allows you to draw about 1KW from the battery with the hybrid system running. (Without hybrid system running that battery will die pretty fast.)

The stated need for the 240v heater/blower might come close to hitting that 1KW load. AFAIK the Prius is the only model that offers a factory block heater, but you could also look into that option. The hybrids can take a long time to warm up the car, so block heaters are helpful in that regard. In super cold weather the ICE is running most of the time just to make heat.

 

[Robene]

Again, assuming the Rav4 holds true to other hybrid cars, there will be jumping posts under the hood at the fuse panel for emergency jump starting. The connection to the 12v battery is stout and rated for about 1KW load. Using the hybrids as emergency generator allows you to draw about 1KW from the battery with the hybrid system running. (Without hybrid system running that battery will die pretty fast.)

The stated need for the 240v heater/blower might come close to hitting that 1KW load. AFAIK the Prius is the only model that offers a factory block heater, but you could also look into that option. The hybrids can take a long time to warm up the car, so block heaters are helpful in that regard. In super cold weather the ICE is running most of the time just to make heat.

Good to know that there seems to be an easy way of jumpstarting when needed, also for helping others stuck with frozen depleted batteries! :thumbs_up:

For your second comment; the electrical motor block & cabin heater and the intelligent 12V charger is a 3rd party solution commonly fitted to cars in North Sweden. The package is as said powered by 240V mains through a standardized 'pre-heater' plug usually placed in front bumper area. There is then a special pre-heater cable used for connection between the car and a Swedish std 240V mains outlet.

The heater/charger package is totally relying on its own 240V wiring and only interface to the car's electrical system is the two wires from the charger's 12V output. (The charger is the black cube with connectors on the red front plate in picture below).

Anyway, many thanks for your clarifying help!

 

[rdgrimes]

Good to know that there seems to be an easy way of jumpstarting when needed, also for helping others stuck with frozen depleted batteries! :thumbs_up:

For your second comment; the electrical motor block & cabin heater and the intelligent 12V charger is a 3rd party solution commonly fitted to cars in North Sweden. The package is as said powered by 240V mains through a standardized 'pre-heater' plug usually placed in front bumper area. There is then a special pre-heater cable used for connection between the car and a Swedish std 240V mains outlet.

The heater/charger package is totally relying on its own 240V wiring and only interface to the car's electrical system is the two wires from the charger's 12V output. (The charger is the black cube with connectors on the red front plate in picture below).

Anyway, many thanks for your clarifying help!

The main reason for the under-hood jumping posts is that the rear hatch will not open when the 12v batt is dead.

The people who sell that pre-heat setup should be familiar with Prius and hybrid systems and be able to help you. Even your Toyota dealer might be of help.

 

[turbotom]

I checked my Rav4 Hybrid and good news, there is a relay. I will attach pictures. It is not as easy as other cars I have owned but it is there and clearly for jumping the car. The first picture shows were the Relay & Fuse box is located, I added a red arrow on the driver side of the car pointing it out. If you cannot see the pics well the 4th one reads "The exclusive jump starting terminal" and points to the Red + box. My Rav4 Hybrid XLE had 6 miles on it when I left the dealer, I now have 105 miles and really like the car.

 

[Wheathead]

I checked my Rav4 Hybrid and good news, there is a relay. I will attach pictures. It is not as easy as other cars I have owned but it is there and clearly for jumping the car. The first picture shows were the Relay & Fuse box is located, I added a red arrow on the driver side of the car pointing it out. If you cannot see the pics well the 4th one reads "The exclusive jump starting terminal" and points to the Red + box. My Rav4 Hybrid XLE had 6 miles on it when I left the dealer, I now have 105 miles and really like the car.

Thanks for the pics. What relay are you referring to? The positive terminal in the fuse box appears to be just that, a terminal? Is there a dedicated spot for the negative terminal or does it appear we are just supposed to find a good spot on the frame or engine to hook to?

 

[turbotom]

I did not see a negative terminal or anything about one. I assume you would have to find a ground on the frame or engine. I looked in the owners manual for 2 mins and could not find anything about jump starting. I just searched google for - how to jumpstart a hybrid nx - the Lexus NX has the same fuse box and the second hit on google is a video showing it and he say to ground to something metal.

 

[VYC]

Negative terminal for jump starting

I did not see a negative terminal or anything about one. I assume you would have to find a ground on the frame or engine. I looked in the owners manual for 2 mins and could not find anything about jump starting. I just searched google for - how to jumpstart a hybrid nx - the Lexus NX has the same fuse box and the second hit on google is a video showing it and he say to ground to something metal.

How to jump start a Lexus hybrid - YouTube

I just got my LE RAV4 Hybrid (yay! my first post) and the dealer's delivery coordinator pointed out how to jump start the car. He indicated that you could clamp on the exposed bolt (shown on the left side of the last picture) for use as the negative terminal. I hope this helps.

 

[Hill2Pay]

2016 RAV4 Limited Hybrid Manual says...

 

[jlwatts]

Positive battery post wire connection for the 2016 Rav4 Hybrid Question

I just finished installing the Curt 1 1/4 hitch onto my 2016 Rav4 hybrid. When I was finishing the wiring with this kit, I was a little uneasy about where to connect the positive wire onto the battery post. The 12 volt battery is under the floor in the back of the vehicle. The Hybrid has a small circuit board attached to the positive terminal with two different connector bolts on the circuit board. I connected the fused trailer wire to the connector bolt that runs from the battery up to the front of the vehicle. I hope this is this correct? The trailer lights seem to work fine.

Enclosed is a picture that has the yellow trailer wire connection circled in red. The second connector bolt has a black wire that mounts on the top of the frame that holds the battery in place. It has a 10 amp fuse mounted in a receptacle. The receptacle does not seem to be a trailer outlet of any kind.

see attached pic

Any ideas? Thanks.

 

[rdgrimes]

I just finished installing the Curt 1 1/4 hitch onto my 2016 Rav4 hybrid. When I was finishing the wiring with this kit, I was a little uneasy about where to connect the positive wire onto the battery post. The 12 volt battery is under the floor in the back of the vehicle. The Hybrid has a small circuit board attached to the positive terminal with two different connector bolts on the circuit board. I connected the fused trailer wire to the connector bolt that runs from the battery up to the front of the vehicle. I hope this is this correct? The trailer lights seem to work fine.

Enclosed is a picture that has the yellow trailer wire connection circled in red. The second connector bolt has a black wire that mounts on the top of the frame that holds the battery in place. It has a 10 amp fuse mounted in a receptacle. The receptacle does not seem to be a trailer outlet of any kind.

see attached pic

Any ideas? Thanks.

I would have connected it direct to the big bolt on the battery post. But if you're getting power it should be OK. (unless you wanted a switched power) Those appear to be fuses, not so much a "circuit board".

 

[Wheathead]

Could you provide a few pictures of your installed hitch? Why did you go with the 1 1/4" receiver over the 2"? Also, was this hitch advertised as being compatible with the gas only and/or hybrid model?

 

[Wheathead]

Also, if you connect your wiring harness directly to the battery as some suggest, I would highly recommend you add your own fuse inline with your harness in case you hitch up a trailer with electrical issues.

With that said, if your current setup is inline with one of the fuses in your picture, keep in mind if your trailer overloads this fuse, not only do you lose power to your trailer, you will lose power to whatever else is connected to that fuse...

 

[jlwatts]

Hitch and Wiring Info

Could you provide a few pictures of your installed hitch? Why did you go with the 1 1/4" receiver over the 2"? Also, was this hitch advertised as being compatible with the gas only and/or hybrid model?

I chose the 1 1/4 hitch because I use it primarily for a bike rack and for an occasional trailer pull. It is also available in the 2 inch size.

Actually, on the eTrailer site Curt hitch there are numerous pictures and a complete video for the hitch install and the page for the wiring kit also has a good installation video.

These installs apply to the 2013-2015 Rav4, and except for two modification they applicable for the 2016 Rav4 Hybrid.

Modifications for the hitch - cover panel to modify:
The 2016 RAV4 Hybrid has a plastic cover panel covering the tie down rack. It was easy to remove, but it had to be modified and replaced after the hitch installation. I just used a cutting tool to cut away a small part of the plastic cover to make room for the hitch before reinstalling.

Modification for the wiring - In the Hybrid the 12 volt battery is located in the back under the floor:
Actually, this makes the install easier, because you aren't required to run a wire all the way up to a front mounted battery. The wire assembly is mounted right next to the battery.

Trailer Hitch Site:
https://www.etrailer.com/p-C12108.html

Hitch Wiring Kit:
https://www.etrailer.com/tv-install-trailer-wiring-2015-toyota-rav4-118578.aspx

If you are going to do the wiring yourself .... you will need this "Trim Panel Tool" or something similar:
https://www.etrailer.com/Tools/Powerbuilt/ALL648544.html

(I am having trouble inserting the site addresses. In case they don't show up ... here is the information below

The part numbers are C12108 for the hitch and 118578 for the wire harness.
They are on the etrailer.com web site.

I hope that helps.

 

[jlwatts]

Good Advice! Thanks for helping me on this.

I would have connected it direct to the big bolt on the battery post. But if you're getting power it should be OK. (unless you wanted a switched power) Those appear to be fuses, not so much a "circuit board".

Also, if you connect your wiring harness directly to the battery as some suggest, I would highly recommend you add your own fuse inline with your harness in case you hitch up a trailer with electrical issues.

With that said, if your current setup is inline with one of the fuses in your picture, keep in mind if your trailer overloads this fuse, not only do you lose power to your trailer, you will lose power to whatever else is connected to that fuse...

I re-attached the trailer wire to the main post. Good reasoning from both of you. See attached before and after pictures. Thanks again!