2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid IMA Battery Grid Charger Package

What is a Grid Charger?

A grid charger acts like a trickle charger for your Honda Insight or Honda Civic Hybrid IMA battery. There are 120 (or more) individual  NiMH batteries in the Honda IMA battery 'pack'. Each one is about the size of a typical D cell battery. The car's battery management system  uses 20%-80% of the IMA battery cells actual physical capacity.  Over time, due to every cell in the battery pack having its own level of  internal resistance, charging/discharging at slightly different rates, as well as other factors, the individual cells become out of balance  with each other.  This means that the cells within the battery pack can have different charge levels and are no longer 'in sync'. Some cells  can be 'full' while other cells in the same battery pack are 'empty'.  As a result, the overall pack is limited to the weakest cell when  discharging and the strongest cell while charging.  The wider this imbalance becomes, the narrower the usable range of the IMA battery  becomes.  This leads to the check engine & IMA lights coming on and Insight P1447/P1449 or Civic Hybrid P1600 DTC codes. The car cannot correct this imbalance problem on its own.  This is why your car needs help - help in the form of a grid charger.

The grid charger very slowly charges the pack to its true 100% capacity.  The slow rate of charge is intentional, so the battery pack is  not damaged while using the grid charger.  When each individual cell reaches its true 100% capacity, the extra energy by the grid charger is  given off as a very small amount of heat.  Cells that are not yet full continue to charge, until all cells reach their true 100% physical  capacity. This forcing of all cells to their maximum capacity re-balances the pack. All Hybrid Automotive grid chargers run the IMA battery  cooling fan while charging and easily dissipates this heat.  NEVER use a grid charger that does not provide for IMA battery cooling while  charging!  

This re-balancing of the IMA battery cells is the key feature of a grid charger.  Re-balancing the IMA battery pack normally eliminates the  IMA light and Insight P1447 or P1449 DTC codes or Civic Hybrid P1600 DTC codes and restores regular IMA battery performance.  It also improves  MPGs as the car is no longer constantly background charging the IMA battery.  

All of our customers report significant improvements when using a grid charger.  Most have already gotten an IMA light and P1447/P1449 DTC  codes on their Honda Insight or Civic Hybrid P1600 DTC before buying a grid charger.  With regular grid charging, the IMA light can normally  be eliminated and battery life significantly extended.    Several customers have extended their battery life well over a year or more by  regularly using their Hybrid Automotive grid charger.

Why should you purchase your Grid Charger from Hybrid Automotive?

• Cost - A Hybrid Automotive grid charger is a fraction of the cost of IMA battery replacement.
• Safety - All of our grid chargers, including the Civic Hybrid charger systems, include IMA battery cooling capacity.  Without  proper IMA/IPU fan controls, a grid charger can easily overheat and destroy your IMA battery.  Avoid cheap chargers that do not have this  critical capability.
• Quality - You will not find garbage eBay power supplies in our products.  All Hybrid Automotive grid chargers use quality Mean Well  power supplies with individually sealed metal cases.  We also use brand new metal grid charger outer cases with built in self cooling  capabilities.  In addition to keeping your IMA battery cool, the grid charger self-cools to ensure maximum life span.
• Warranty - All grid chargers we have for sale include a one year warranty.  If the charger stops working we will repair or replace  it free of charge.
• Convenience - Our grid charger kit includes *everything* you need.  We source over forty unique components that are included in the  kit from around the world to ensure that you have everything you need.  You will not have to scramble to find the proper connectors or plugs  to finish your installation.
• Peace of mind - We are an established business, we do not pop up online and sell a few of the most basic chargers, then disappear  as soon as we get your money.  We are here for you if something should happen, and we will still be here for you next week, next month, next  year, and beyond.
• Experience - Hybrid Automotive has built well over 100 grid chargers for concerned Honda Hybrid owners just like you.  Hybrid  Automotive has been in business since 1999.  We have almost 15 years experience specializing on Honda automobiles.  We are an expert with your  Honda and will work hard to earn and keep your trust.

2000 - 2006 Honda Insight

2003 - 2005 Honda Civic Hybrid

Please note: There is a $50 fully refundable core deposit on the factory IPU cooling fan sub-harness (we need this to build the wire  harness for the next customer).

2006 - 2011 Honda Civic Hybrid

We are currently designing the car harness for the  2006-2011 Civic Hybrid grid charger.  We expect to release this product in the fall of 2013.

Please contact us for details.

Will a Grid Charger fix your IMA battery?

The vast majority of our customers report significant improvements when using a charger.  Most customers have already gotten the IMA light  before buying a charger.  With regular grid charging, the IMA light can normally be eliminated and battery life significantly extended.     Some have extended their battery life well over a year or more by using the grid charger.  

Unfortunately, in any one specific case, it is not possible to say for sure how much the charger will help.  The amount of improvement  depends entirely on the condition of the underlying battery pack itself.  Even if you were to have to eventually replace your IMA battery, the  grid charger is still a good investment as it will prevent the new IMA battery from returning to the deteriorated state of your current pack.   There are many people that are buying brand new IMA battery packs and adding a grid charger to the new pack on day one to virtually eliminate the imbalance problem that is so common in our cars.

How often should you Grid Charge your IMA battery?

There is no exact science on how often to rebalance an IMA battery.  Many people have varied perspectives but the consensus opinion seems  to be as follows:  With a healthy battery, charging once every 4-6 weeks and/or anytime the car sits unused for more than three days should  keep the battery in top form.  My customers with degraded batteries report that they charge every couple weeks, sometimes weekly or more,  depending on how much 'life support' is needed to keep the battery going.