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They're the same.

And I can confirm that portable battery chargers work as expected. When I had the blown in-line fuse in the DC-to-DC assembly back in December and the Prime died on the road, I was able to use my portable charger connected to the battery in the trunk to keep the 12V system running long enough for me to get the car safely home. So that was an emergency situation but I'm assuming it would have worked in a normal "dead battery, charge it" situation too.
can you tell us more about the incident? what caused it? how did you diagnose it?
 

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Right, but what does it mean in practical terms?
I believe Type S is the brand name of that charger and isn't anything more than that.

The Prime and Hybrid are interesting that the 12 volt battery is only needed to power up the electronics, pump up the hydraulic pressure for the braking, steering system and activate the electrical contactors for the high voltage system. I suspect the hydraulic pump for the braking is the highest draw which could be substantial for a very short period. I think that is the noise you hear when you approach the car or just as you are getting in.

I figure the battery size is needed due to the high current draw for these items or Toyota could have save a significant weight savings if the didn't need it. Maybe it helps to That battery has to weigh over 25 pounds. That's low hanging fruit for fuel savings.

Someday I should hook up my clamp on DC ammeter and amp out in the car and after an hour or so have my wife bring out the key and watch the current flows.
 

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Learning a lot about these cars... Do the 12V batteries in these have the same 2 to 3 year lifespan as the 12V batteries in regular ICE cars or are they special batteries that last longer?
With the Prius and their mostly AGM batteries, reports are anywhere from 4 years to 10 years of life. Obviously. heat, cold, parasitic draw, complete cycles from leaving accessories on and draining a battery will affect life.

Now that the Prime, J Vin Hybrids and perhaps some newer Priuses use flooded batteries, it will take some time for data to be compiled. The similarities are that the 12 volt aux battery in the older Priuses (AGM) and the newer Primes (Flooded) do not get full cycled much or at all. One would think that they will experience similar life cycles of the Prius AGMs, but only time will tell.

I am at 3 years in hot Florida without issue with a flooded battery in my garaged and window tinted Japan built Rav4H.
I get about four years out of my Gen 3 Prius AGM that is left outside in the heat and only driven about 20 miles a week, so there are two factors that reduce battery life.

I predict with no parasitic draw, keeping corrosion at bay, no extreme heat, topping off with distilled water when needed, no unnecessary full discharging from aftermarket electronics or leaving on accessories when not in ready mode, one will get more life from the Prime's 12-volt battery than in a conventional car's 12 volt. JMHO
 

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can you tell us more about the incident? what caused it? how did you diagnose it?
Details are in this post. It seems like the Primes have this device to perform the charging and creation of 12 volts. Not sure if the hybrids need or have this exact device but a similar one. Maybe someone can chime in.
 

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2022 RAV4 Prime XSE (Blueprint)
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Type S | Car Battery Jump Starters Kit and 8000 mAh Portable Power Bank, Up to 6L Gas Engines 3L Diesel Engines 12V 350A, Dual USB Ports Multi Safeguard, Built-in LED Flashlight, UL Listed (Black) Amazon.com
"Type S" is a brand name - nothing specific. From what I can see, the only thing special is a high peak output suitable for gas engines up to 6L or 3L diesel. I already have high power ones in both cars (V6 RAV4 and Subaru WRX) that should work fine - although at least one may be due for replacement (they lose max capacity over time).
 

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23 R4P XSE w/PP Stormtrooper edition.
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The portable jumpstarters are great. I have two. I don't remember what brand they are, each one is different, but they do work great. However, they need to be recharged often because they slowly discharge over time, then when you need it it will be dead. Ask me how I know.....
 

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The portable jumpstarters are great. I have two. I don't remember what brand they are, each one is different, but they do work great. However, they need to be recharged often because they slowly discharge over time, then when you need it it will be dead. Ask me how I know.....
On the one hand, topping them up every 3 months is good, on the other, leaving a lithium battery sitting at near 100% in a hot car will impact that max capacity of the battery. ideally, get a battery pack where it is fine at about 60% charge and keep it there - lithium batteries are more stable stored at 30-60%.
 

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The only difference between ‘type s’ and ‘topvision’ starter recommended by Kilmer was ‘type s’ worked on my hybrid and ‘topvision’ did not.
These units typically come in a range of sizes - the same company can make small ones suitable for motorcycles and large ones suitable for 5L diesels. It could be that the two you tried had very difference intended uses. I always get one intended for a bigger engine than I need, so it has reserve capacity if it has lost some charge in my trunk.
 

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This rule applies to ICE engines.
Hybrid’s traction battery and motor generator assembly are responsible for spinning combustion engine.
Car jump starter has to only provide trickle 12v to power computer and lights.
Some like to trickle some dont.
 

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2022 Rav4 Prime SE, 2016 Leaf with upgraded 40kwh battery, 2014 Prius, 1965 F100 Inline 6
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J VIN Prime (All) and Hybrid (Some) all got a Yuasa flooded battery made in Japan. But its not your average Interstate. It a valve regulated battery that is typically sealed and under a little pressure. The results in the recombination of small amounts of Hydrogen and Oxygen being recycled to water. Now, LARGE amounts of oxygen and hydrogen under pressure is called an explosion, so the battery is referred to as a "Valve regulated" FLA (Flooded lead acid). Higher pressures will vent. It has a vent tube as well that goes through the floor of the trunk. The Yuasa battery is top end and probably will last a long time. It does have threaded caps with a o-ring, IIRC but you can indeed check and fill the cells. I believe it does have a sort of "sight gauge" too.

Like the Prius, US made RAV4 get a AGM battery. As other posters noted, Prius battery life tends to be a little better than your average vehicle. But the problem for a Prius (and Prime/Hybrid) is that there is NO warning when the battery is dying. A normal ICE engine with a starter "lets you know" the battery is failing in that you might hear it turning over more slowly. So you know you have a problem. Not so with Prius and RAV Hybrid/Prime. The battery just powers up the computer. The computer tells the traction battery to start the engine via M1 IIRC.

Solution: Every aging Prius or RAV4 Hybrid should have a jump pack. The one from Costco is fine. Just about any of them is fine. It only has to get the computer up and running. I have several of them in my life, one for each Prius and now one quite large one for my RAV4. Why large? Well, I am at that point in life where I have not a single conventional ICE engine left. I can not jump a friend or stranded motorist with ANY of my vehicles.

Amazon Jump Starter

I have used this just once so far, but it was for a diesel tractor that normally takes a pretty robust Group 35 battery. It turned it over and she started. It was 15 deg F out.

Whatever you get, try to make sure that it has a "boost" function. Normally these jump starters auto sense if you have hooked up your starter backwards and REFUSE to engage. However, if the battery is truly dead, say below 7v or so, the jump starter pack will not "see" it and will refuse to engage. That's where the "boost" button matters. You can manually tell it to engage.
 

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Thanks, for the clarification, I have a boost device very similar, one down, the GB40. In another thread they were saying one has to boost the back battery or something, very confusing, maybe they meant boost the front hood connection using the trunk battery??
 
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