[J. Bond]

Do any of the Insight's gauges show the levels of the charge in the batteries?!

I'm asking because we use our old Accord so little that the battery often runs down. It'd be good to know the status of the Insight batteries, especially the 12-volt starter, to determine whether we would need to take the car for a spin or not!

Yes, still waiting on getting ours!

 

[J. Bond]

Well, duh! I just looked at the Personal Review videos of one of our forum members and it seems that he battery gauge is right there on the left side of the center display console.

I assume that I’m seeing that right!

The videos are excellent. See https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC2P8eg9StlnLHn81zwVpslw

 

[Mr. Natural]

Well, duh! I just looked at the Personal Review videos of one of our forum members and it seems that he battery gauge is right there on the left side of the center display console.

I assume that I’m seeing that right!

The videos are excellent. See https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC2P8eg9StlnLHn81zwVpslw

That gauge is just for the HV battery and won’t tell you anything about the condition of the 12v. The only information you might get on the 12v is a warning message if it’s having an issue charging.

 

[J. Bond]

Oh, that's too bad. You'd think that they'd provide a digital readout of the starter battery as it's the key to getting going. It would clue people in if they needed to trickle charge their battery or take the Inaightnout for a highway spin!

A warning message could pop up — “Your starter battery is below half charge. Disn't you want to drive a state park today?!”

 

[hasarad]

Oh, that's too bad. You'd think that they'd provide a digital readout of the starter battery as it's the key to getting going. It would clue people in if they needed to trickle charge their battery or take the Inaightnout for a highway spin!

A warning message could pop up — “Your starter battery is below half charge. Disn't you want to drive a state park today?!”

I thought had read somewhere that the lithium ion battery acts as a reserve for the 12v battery. Can anyone confirm this? I don't remember where I saw it. I've not yet had a dead battery, but there have been times I've parked my car for a week, and it would give some peace-of-mind to know.

 

[Mr. Natural]

Has anyone ever used one of these?

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Charging-Condition-Alternator-Display/dp/B07422ZPT4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1548170182&sr=8-2&keywords=car+battery+voltage+monitor+plug+in

 

[hasarad]

Has anyone ever used one of these?

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Charging-Condition-Alternator-Display/dp/B07422ZPT4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1548170182&sr=8-2&keywords=car+battery+voltage+monitor+plug+in

Seems legit. I added a dual-USB socket hidden within the console to power two dashcams (front/rear). It came with a voltage display. Unfortunately, since it's hidden within the console, I can't see it.

Now, you have me wondering... Since Honda has pretty much covered everything, would they also have battery voltage monitoring and alerting as well? Need to dig through the PDF owner's manual to see if they have it covered already.

 

[insightfully]

I thought had read somewhere that the lithium ion battery acts as a reserve for the 12v battery. Can anyone confirm this? I don't remember where I saw it. I've not yet had a dead battery, but there have been times I've parked my car for a week, and it would give some peace-of-mind to know.

Confirmed - see page 9 of Owners Manual re: one of the high voltage battery functions is to recharge the 12-volt battery.

Now, you have me wondering... Since Honda has pretty much covered everything, would they also have battery voltage monitoring and alerting as well? Need to dig through the PDF owner's manual to see if they have it covered already.

There's a charging system indicator for the 12-volt battery mentioned on page 634.

 

[vankbui]

This is what I'm using.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074MV618W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[J. Bond]

Insightfully, thanks for the attachments. Just wish that they would provide a display to show the actual voltage level, too, of the starter battery!

 

[insightfully]

Insightfully, thanks for the attachments. Just wish that they would provide a display to show the actual voltage level, too, of the starter battery!

Agree - the AGM battery parameters aren't well published, and as with other indicators (e.g. engine temperature) it seems Honda only wants to alert us when too low or too high... and too late to do something proactively.

 

[J. Bond]

Thanks, I. Appreciate your follow-ups to my posts!

 

[Honda2019]

Decided to get a battery monitor from Amazon.

With Heat on : 14.55 to 14.57
In EV mode (no engine): 14.54 to 14.55

Fun to play with or use if you really want to know what the AGM battery level is.

 

[insightfully]

Decided to get a battery monitor from Amazon.

With Heat on : 14.55 to 14.57
In EV mode (no engine): 14.54 to 14.55

Fun to play with or use if you really want to know what the AGM battery level is.

Does this result mean there's low/no energy drain on the 12V battery when heater is running?

 

[Honda2019]

Does this result mean there's low/no energy drain on the 12V battery when heater is running?

I think it is more likely that the ICE is charging the battery when the heater is running, thus the extra voltage showing on the display.

I performed a test of the 12V battery with the Insight turned off and it showed 12.54 V. I've posted a video of it on YouTube: