Nine weeks of summer storage will not harm any battery. Proof?... Honda's move very quickly off dealer lots, but there are SOME models of cars out there that sit in new dealer inventory for over a year... USUALLY with no ill effects. That, of course, only addresses the lead-acid battery (not the NMh) and the fuel.

I'm no expert, but I would think the shipment and inventory storage time for most NMh batteries (like the rechargeable ones which end up in digital cameras) is WELL in excess of 9 weeks. I understand that the HCH battery is made up of smaller NMh individual cells, so this comparison is probably fair.

Honda would not provide an 8-year warranty (10 year in CA, ME, VT, MA, NY & CT) for a battery which could so easily be harmed.

I believe the long-term storage information is more likely for periods in excess of 6 months.

 

I say, why risk it? Leave it with mom, dad, brother... someone you can trust.

 

While I'm still waiting for my own HCH-II, I'll drive it around for you. Just bring it to Dallas!

 

I let my old '03 sit for nine weeks in the garage when it was a little over a year old. When I got back I had to jump start it. I jump started it and took it out on a good drive to charge up the battery, battery charged up (12V & 144V) and it worked fine up until the day I sold it a few weeks ago.

I wouldn't worry about it, go on your trip and have fun!

 

Actually, I just remembered something... it's the security system and the radio memory which will draw down the battery over that many weeks. As long as your vehicle is garaged, and there's no need for the alarm, you might want to pull the fuses for both items to prevent battery drain. I'm not sure, but I'd guess that if you pull the radio fuse, you'll need to input the code when you plug it back in.

 

...also, batteries lose about 10% of their charge per month so you may just want to make sure the IMA battery has a full charge.

 

A follow up to all this discussion. I just got back from a 7-week road trip, having left the HCH in my garage the whole time with no use and no special attention for 50 days. When I got back I hopped in, it started right up, and the IMA battery was 3/4 full (I have no idea what it was at when I parked it, so it may not have lost any juice at all). I drove it without incident just like I'd driven it yesterday.

FWIW, I believe my initial assessment was correct, this car has good technology in it and can take care of itself for the most part. If you're going to leave it parked for a while, just do it and don't worry about it. I'd try to make sure the IMA battery was as charged as possible, but other than that I'm not at all afraid to store it.

 

Why are we still responding?? She's already in Germany.

 

Others may be interested in the discussion.