For anyone that has an Ionic Emergency Start...

The Bluetooth connectivity times out after 3 months and one has to push the button on the Emergency Start unit to reconnect. That could make for a frustrating experience if one suffers a dead 12v battery. This information is in the Ionic manual, but is easy to overlook or forget.

With the app, one simply turns on the Emergency Start and then unlocks the door with the fob and starts the vehicle. Without the app, one has to push the button on the unit for it to jump start the vehicle, and that can be a major hassle for batteries located in the rear of the vehicle.

I just checked the app before my partner leaves on a 1500 mile trip and it would not connect. It was a simple matter to open the hatch and push the button, but if she had suffered a dead 12v battery in her trip, she would have had to call roadside assistance rather than just turning the unit on through the app.

I've added a monthly Google calendar alert to remind me to connect to it.




https://lithiumhub.com/product/emergency-start

 

On Apple iOS (iphone), with the latest firmware update on the Ionic, I have not encountered the timeout (which is not supposed to happen if the device wakes up every time the car starts, resetting its 3 month clock mentioned in the manual)

And there is now also an alternative, super-capacitor based product in the market doing the same 12 V battery-fail "backup" with monitoring, available in the market by Ancel - so there are choices:

https://a.co/d/09IjC09c

 

Interesting product. Reviews are very good. Ratings are high. Would be interesting to see a side by side comparison with the Ionic.

 

Thank you for the heads up. I just ordered one to try out in my GR Corolla. I like the idea of it automatically providing a boost when starting.

There is no firmware update available in the android version of the Ionic app. My firmware shows as PSA 1.0.13

 

Ratings/Reviews are high because of "Free Amazon Vine Reviews" though - so that's not exactly unbiased reviewers, and there are not that many reviews. Time will tell if it truly holds up.

What is certain is that these 3rd party accessory makers are trying to fill a hole that car-makers should NOT have shamelessly opened up.

 

On the iOS/iPhone version of the Ionic, the current firmware is 1.0.16. With prior f/w on iOS I had encountered random timeouts, but with this 1.0.16 - I haven't thus far.

 

I installed the Ionic emergency start pack 5-months ago. I never pressed the button and had to use it on my 2024 RX350h last week. My wife was in the car while I was in the doctors office for an hour. She drained the battery and when I came out the car was dead. (Click click etc.) pulled up the Ionic app pressed the apps start button and the dash came to life and we were on our way. probably saved us a couple frustrating hours. I saw Walmart has it for 99-dollars. I had never had to use this emergency pack until that day.

 

Do you remember when you last checked or opened the App for the Ionic ? Was it more than 3 months before your first use recently ?

 

I am sure I looked at the app a few times since I installed the booster pack but I never activated it. I never pressed the button on the unit that is connected to the battery in the trunk. When my battery was dead nothing worked when I pressed the button on the app the car electronics came to life in seconds.

 

The Super Starter looks interesting. Here’s a video that explains the differences between the Super Starter and a lithium cell jump box.

 

I have a portable jump starter in each vehicle but of course if battery is dead have to use the key insert and remove the outside cover and jump start from engine compartment. How hard to install remember I am a left-handed mechanic and does it mount on top of the battery?

 

I made this video for my friend who has a 2023 RX350h. It is very simple.

 

Perfect Thanks.

 

Are you saying that the unit no longer times out and the 3 month wake up is not required?

 

I don't have hard data yet on whether 1 manual wake-up every 3 months is required - simply because I haven't gone straight 3 months without ever NOT checking the app. That is why I was asking @Publix - in case he had gone over 3 months without waking up through the App, and still found no disconnection for over 3 months.

What I do know for a fact is that before the 1.0.16 frimware and iOS/Iphone, I used to have disconnections even within 1-2 months without manual wake-up in the App. After upgrading to 1.0.16 I have certainly gone over 1 month, likely over 2 months without needing to do manual wake-up and have had 0 disconnections ever with the 1.0.16 FW on iOS. I also keep my 2.4 GHz Wifi network at home at 20 MHz-bandwidth setting to prevent any interference with the Bluetooth protocol. It is possible that Android is not as well-supported as iOS if they don't have the same firmware available, but an Android user may still get the 1.0.16 firmware on the ES by borrowing a iPhone from friend/family to just upgrade the ES firmware, is my guess.