5 ms·

If you can self service the battery, then you can obviously remove it, and with no source of power there should be no real risk of electrocution

AnimalMuppet 11y ago
Can you self-service the battery on an electric or hybrid car? I'd be mildly surprised if you could. (Of course, I never actually thought about the question before...)
- koenigdavidmj 11y ago
  It's not supported but is possible. Someone on here replaced a single damaged cell on a Prius, whereas the dealer would only offer to replace the whole bank (which costs $5000).
- avs733 11y ago
  for scoping purposes, I own a volt There are two batteries: 1) normal 12V battery (in the trunk under the floor I believe) 2) the large 'main' battery which The 12V is absolutely user replaceable. Wonderfully, they even provide jump lugs under the hood in normal locations. The main battery is under the rear seat and the center console between the passenger and drive sides seats. I haven't messed with that one...not going to bother until the warranty is gone.
- Avenger42 11y ago
  A few months ago, my father and I replaced the fans inside the battery on my '05 Ford Escape hybrid. Ended up saving me about $1k in labor costs.
Kadin 11y ago
Wouldn't really even need to "service" the battery. It would be pretty easy to add a "master disconnect switch" or some other type of service switch, close to the battery, that cuts off power to the rest of the car. I would be surprised if the manufacturers don't build something like that in already, just because it makes the car safer to assemble. (Wiring up a high-current battery pack to a bunch of electronics can be... fun... if there's not a cutoff close to the battery. You end up with a pretty good-sized arc in some cases even with the other electronics 'off'.) The Prius has an emergency disconnect under the hood that can be accessed by emergency personnel / firefighters, although I believe it's destructive to operate. (It's a "cut here in emergency" sort of thing, at least on the older ones.) I could see having a standardized service disconnect switch, or at least standardized signage or switch appearance, on electric/hybrid cars as a safety thing, not just for roadside emergencies but also for maintenance.
kec 11y ago
The main battery in most hybrids is on the order of 400VDC which isn't nearly enough to electrocute you in anything but ideal conditions. The real risk is accidentally shorting the battery which would cause it to explode.
- jacquesm 11y ago
  400V DC is pretty dangerous. I wouldn't mess with it without taking serious precautions. (But I would mess with it...)
- mnw21cam 11y ago
  400VDC is absolutely plenty to kill someone very quickly indeed.
  - deleted 11y ago
    [deleted]
- thebakeshow 11y ago
  Its not the volts that will kill you, its the amps
ashitlerferad 11y ago
What about capacitors?

AnimalMuppet 11y ago

Can you self-service the battery on an electric or hybrid car? I'd be mildly surprised if you could. (Of course, I never actually thought about the question before...)

koenigdavidmj 11y ago
It's not supported but is possible. Someone on here replaced a single damaged cell on a Prius, whereas the dealer would only offer to replace the whole bank (which costs $5000).
avs733 11y ago
for scoping purposes, I own a volt There are two batteries: 1) normal 12V battery (in the trunk under the floor I believe) 2) the large 'main' battery which The 12V is absolutely user replaceable. Wonderfully, they even provide jump lugs under the hood in normal locations. The main battery is under the rear seat and the center console between the passenger and drive sides seats. I haven't messed with that one...not going to bother until the warranty is gone.
Avenger42 11y ago
A few months ago, my father and I replaced the fans inside the battery on my '05 Ford Escape hybrid. Ended up saving me about $1k in labor costs.

Kadin 11y ago

Wouldn't really even need to "service" the battery. It would be pretty easy to add a "master disconnect switch" or some other type of service switch, close to the battery, that cuts off power to the rest of the car. I would be surprised if the manufacturers don't build something like that in already, just because it makes the car safer to assemble. (Wiring up a high-current battery pack to a bunch of electronics can be... fun... if there's not a cutoff close to the battery. You end up with a pretty good-sized arc in some cases even with the other electronics 'off'.) The Prius has an emergency disconnect under the hood that can be accessed by emergency personnel / firefighters, although I believe it's destructive to operate. (It's a "cut here in emergency" sort of thing, at least on the older ones.) I could see having a standardized service disconnect switch, or at least standardized signage or switch appearance, on electric/hybrid cars as a safety thing, not just for roadside emergencies but also for maintenance.

kec 11y ago

The main battery in most hybrids is on the order of 400VDC which isn't nearly enough to electrocute you in anything but ideal conditions. The real risk is accidentally shorting the battery which would cause it to explode.

jacquesm 11y ago
400V DC is pretty dangerous. I wouldn't mess with it without taking serious precautions. (But I would mess with it...)
mnw21cam 11y ago
400VDC is absolutely plenty to kill someone very quickly indeed.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
thebakeshow 11y ago
Its not the volts that will kill you, its the amps

ashitlerferad 11y ago

What about capacitors?