Swapped my 12 Volt battery yesterday

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FloridaSun

FloridaSun

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When my Hyundai dealer did all the recall work (other than battery replacement), they told me that my 12 Volt battery was no longer under warranty as the 12 Volt battery warranty is limited to 36000 miles and I'm at 50000 miles.. So, I went to Costco yesterday to get a better battery.. Didn't want to go with the same crappy one.. I will have to modify the battery tray a little to make it fit perfectly.. There are some little plastic fins at the edge (left and right of the battery). The original battery is about 1/2 inch narrower and the fins are there so it won't move sideways. I will grind down those little fins as the Costco battery used the entire battery tray width.. Right now, I found a temporary way to secure the battery but once the fins are ground down, the battery will fit perfectly. The only difference is that you won't be able to use the plastic cover for the negative terminal. INTERSTATE BATTERIES, GROUP 96R STANDARD 36. $96.99
 
electriceddy said:
Very neat job, looks (and will probably operate) way better than original;)
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The original battery is crap. Too many people have issues with them.. I measured the tray and it turned out that without the little fins, the size of the Costco battery would be a perfect fit. 5 minutes of work and it fit like a glove..
 
Ah, but is the new one the "calcium" type that can deal with the 14.8+ float voltage? It would
be interesting to know if the LDC senses top-of-charge current and adjusts itself.

_H*
 
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hobbit said:
Ah, but is the new one the "calcium" type that can deal with the 14.8+ float voltage? It would
be interesting to know if the LDC senses top-of-charge current and adjusts itself.

_H*
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I doubt bluekona's new battery is the calcium/lead acid OEM version and I suspect the LDC is slightly overcharging his battery to 14.8V vs 14.1 for a regular lead acid battery, but in end other than a little more potential gassing not a huge deal. Incidentally my warranty replacement battery was just a plain Hyundai branded lead acid. Its been great, good riddance to the original calcium crap. I might try and pry up the cell caps on the new battery at some point to see if the water levels are ok.
 
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Pobre said:
can I ask you guys a Noob question?

Does it have to be traditional lead acid type? I was wondering if the LiFePo type would last longer but anyone in here tried this instead? please see below as EXAMPLE only...

Amazon.com: RoyPow 12V 18Ah Deep Cycle LiFePO4 Battery 3500-8000 Life Cycles Rechargeable Marine/RV Lithium ion Batteries Built-in BMS Maintenance-Free for Fish Finder, Solar System, UPS, Tool Trailer: Automotive
Click to expand...

A LiFePo will weight less and have more power but what for, except if you frequently leave open your door or have a fantom drain. I replaced a 12v battery on my leaf 2013 after 6 years.

So the question for me, will be, does the cost the this battery LiFePo will cost less down the road than replace 2 times 12v "normal". I think not. Will you keep this car this long?
 
Pobre said:
can I ask you guys a Noob question?

Does it have to be traditional lead acid type? I was wondering if the LiFePo type would last longer but anyone in here tried this instead? please see below as EXAMPLE only...

Amazon.com: RoyPow 12V 18Ah Deep Cycle LiFePO4 Battery 3500-8000 Life Cycles Rechargeable Marine/RV Lithium ion Batteries Built-in BMS Maintenance-Free for Fish Finder, Solar System, UPS, Tool Trailer: Automotive
Click to expand...
I suppose if you don't have to deal with severe winter cold temperatures a LiPO of LiFePo with an appropriate built in BMS may be good options. Problem is the economics. Hyundai specs a 45 amp/hr 12V battery to get the equivalent in lithium tech result in a $500-700 battery. You can buy alot of lead acid batteries for that price. I see them being popular as aftermarket replacements for some Teslas but these Teslas usually have very difficult general accessibility for their 12V batteries. I could see a dead 12V battery in a Tesla being a major PIA. The Kona battery is super easy to replace.
 
apu said:
I suppose if you don't have to deal with severe winter cold temperatures a LiPO of LiFePo with an appropriate built in BMS may be good options. Problem is the economics. Hyundai specs a 45 amp/hr 12V battery to get the equivalent in lithium tech result in a $500-700 battery. You can buy alot of lead acid batteries for that price. I see them being popular as aftermarket replacements for some Teslas but these Teslas usually have very difficult general accessibility for their 12V batteries. I could see a dead 12V battery in a Tesla being a major PIA. The Kona battery is super easy to replace.
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Agree on this. Paying for a LiPo in this case is money poorly spent.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
EVPower said:
A LiFePo will weight less and have more power but what for, except if you frequently leave open your door or have a fantom drain. I replaced a 12v battery on my leaf 2013 after 6 years.

So the question for me, will be, does the cost the this battery LiFePo will cost less down the road than replace 2 times 12v "normal". I think not. Will you keep this car this long?
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I figured if its $500 per battery it is not cost effective. I do plan to keep the Kona EV till it gives up on me. I have really good deal on the main battery warranty here in California. "supposed to be" lifetime, so unless i total the car, I can theoretically pass my car down to my 8y/o child as her first car.
 
FloridaSun said:
When my Hyundai dealer did all the recall work (other than battery replacement), they told me that my 12 Volt battery was no longer under warranty as the 12 Volt battery warranty is limited to 36000 miles and I'm at 50000 miles.. So, I went to Costco yesterday to get a better battery.. Didn't want to go with the same crappy one.. I will have to modify the battery tray a little to make it fit perfectly.. There are some little plastic fins at the edge (left and right of the battery). The original battery is about 1/2 inch narrower and the fins are there so it won't move sideways. I will grind down those little fins as the Costco battery used the entire battery tray width.. Right now, I found a temporary way to secure the battery but once the fins are ground down, the battery will fit perfectly. The only difference is that you won't be able to use the plastic cover for the negative terminal. INTERSTATE BATTERIES, GROUP 96R STANDARD 36. $96.99
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Did you have to do anything to save computer memory before removing the old battery? For example, in the case of our hybrid Highlander, the manufacturer recommends doing that.
 
ReynoldReimer said:
Did you have to do anything to save computer memory before removing the old battery? For example, in the case of our hybrid Highlander, the manufacturer recommends doing that.
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Other than loosing a few minor settings (climate temp, radio presets etc) there should be no requirement to hook up a memory saver.
If you want to be safe, there is a standby switch in the fuse panel (picture thanks to @hobbit ), you may need to use the mechanical key to re enter the car once the new battery is installed.
Only post I have found of any recalibration requirements is this one kindly supplied by @KiwiME.
 
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My little green/yellow? light on the front is coming on more than usual. The temp may have something to do with it or I may have a weakening 12V battery. It is not not 'winter cold' here yet, usually between -1 and +8. I see no impact on driving. The voltage is 12.1V while resting and 14.7/14.8V when the battery is being recharged by the HV pack.
 
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