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Whoever own a hybrid or electric car has heard about the term Hybrid battery a lot more than the person who owns a conventional Car. But how many batteries does a Hybrid car have. Well, any hybrid or electric car with a smart key has at least 3 batteries in the car powering separate electrical systems and they are as follows.

This 12 V Battery was present in the conventional cars also and still present in the Hybrid and electric Cars as well. Normally it powers the auxiliary systems like headlight, Horns, Sound systems and most importantly, the car computer or ECUs. Historically these batteries are standard lead acetate batteries and last for 12 to 18 months usual case.

We know already that in addition to internal combustion engine, Hybrid Car has Electric motor to propel the vehicle down the road. To Drive the traction motor, we need a bigger battery which is called the High voltage Battery or Traction Battery or Drive Battery (Different OEMs uses Different Name). Voltage level of HV battery can range from any value starting from 48 Volt to 800 Volt depending on the models and also can be based on different chemistry. For example, 3rd Gen Toyota Prius Nickel Metal Hybrid battery has 201.6 V and Toyota Prius Prime Lithium Ion Battery is 350 Volt.

This third battery, may be the smallest one is your smart key battery. If your car has a smart key, which all cars now a days has, it has a small 03 V battery to power the electronics inside this smart key which helps you open and close the doors, start the car computer and other remote functions.