Hi all,
Got my new 300H about three weeks ago and so far it has been great. During a conversation with my salesman, I mentioned that my wife and I were going to England for six weeks very soon. He said that I should consider getting a battery tender (e.g. the Deltran Battery Tender Plus) and leaving it connected to the battery for the duration of our trip. He said this would guard against a dead battery on our return. Presumably this would mean leaving the trunk (where the battery is located) open and the trunk floor lifted up to expose the battery. I would welcome any thoughts as to the advisability (and safety) of doing this. I would rather not impose on my friend to come and drive the car at intervals. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

Not needed it will be fine

 

You should have jump start access under the hood. Hook the positive clip of the battery tender to the jump start positive access and the negative clip to a ground. While you probably will be just fine without a battery tender for 6 weeks, it's cheap insurance and peace of mind.

 

Not on a Hybrid you jump the battery in the trunk

 

Read your owner's manual Philip. The 12v battery may be in the trunk, but there's a jump start terminal under the hood.

Perhaps all Lexus hybrids don't have this handy feature, but my CT200h does, as well as the 2019 ES hybrid.

StillLine


Screenshot from 2019 Lexus ES300h owner's manual.

 

I would definitely connect a battery tender for a six week period. Apparently Lexus makes it very convenient to do under the hood on your hybrid. Cheap and efficient...

 

You can close the hood or the trunk (gently) on the cord of a battery tender.

 

If you have a smart phone and the Lexus Enform App, you can start your car and let it run from anywhere in the world. I would think this would keep the battery from going dead.

 

Not a great idea to start your car and let it run for a few minutes over and over. Wastes gas, puts wear on the engine, and what if it's in a garage? Get a battery tender, forget about it and enjoy your holiday in the U.K...

 

The Lexus Enform Remote Start will start the car twice for ten (10) minutes each then the
car must be started conventionally with a foot on the brake. Not ideal for the task at hand.

Remember, the 12v battery in a hybrid is a bit smaller than a normal duty 12v because
it is not used the same way. It does provide stable power for the lights, wipers, Navigation
and seat heaters but is not used to actually start the IC engine. The 288v battery does
that by engaging the Motor Generator once the 12v triggers a relay.