INTRODUCTION
A lot of people, still wonder if hybrid cars can be used for long journeys, as against their conventional counterparts(full petrol powered cars), considering the myths, associated with.

SOME OF SUCH MYTHS:

* Insufficient technical-know-how

*Those cars aren't reliable,

*Maintenance cost is high, and can cost a fortune trying to fix them.

*Might stall unexpectedly on a journey; and if you've got no knowledge of what's going on, you'd be frustrated.

Such myths doesn't hold water.

Achieving the best out of hybrid car, depends on a whole lots of factors, ranging from your driveability pattern; adhering to regular/scheduled maintenance regimen; understand the operational dynamics of a hybrid car, etc.

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR HYBRID CAR STALLS WHILE IN A JOURNEY?

One of the myths people have with hybrid cars is that they've heard people say, the car would someday stall when you're driving.

Hybrid cars, won't just stall suddenly, without giving the vehicle operator, some salient warning signs, such as the CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. In some instances, such lights may not lit on the dashboard.

Trouble codes displayed on a car's dashboard and computer system(ECU), are usually not taken seriously on this part of the world.

Some car owners, prefer driving the car, with such trouble codes (faults), not minding the consequences of their actions. They would rather prefer to vehicle breakdown, and a diagnostic tool required for scanning, before they take action.

OK! Enough of all this talk Joseph (I'm talking to myself here now. Sorry, I'm just kidding.)

This is what you'd do in such an instant you stacked somewhere around Lagos-Ibadan Express Way, or somewhere along Maiduguri-Kano Road.

1. If the car suddenly stalls on the highway, or you're stack in the middle of the road, try with help from people around, to get it off the road. That singular act, first and foremost, protects your LIFE, and your safeguards your precious hybrid car.

2. Try starting the car, if it's a stop button Prius, or Camry. This you achieve, by pressing the START BUTTON twice.
This is what you see displayed on the dashboard:


¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶
"READY" Light
¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶¶

CASES

#. READY light comes ON. Suggests the hybrid system is already activated, and the vehicle can be driven.

#. READY light doesn't come ON. Suggest the hybrid system isn't activated yet; and sometimes, when the READY light comes on, it BLINKS, before going off, depicting a fault in the hybrid system (hybrid battery, inverter/converter assembly, service plug, any of the hybrid system relays, frame wires and insulations, etc).


YOUR TEMPORARY FIX

Remember, I said "your temporary fix". This is just a remedy, to take you away from an area you might consider a security risk, and straight to where proper attention could be given to the car, in terms of FIX.

∆∆∆ REMOVE THE (-ve) 12Volts battery terminal.

Removing the terminal, and allowing the car's hybrid ECU (computer) to reset itself, temporarily fix the issue.
The vehicle can be driven, depending on the severity of the fault, before the conditions upon which the fault is triggered is met.

For instance, if the fault comes on only when the car reaches a certain operating condition such as 2475RPM, the car can be driven before that revolution is reached to a safe area for repairs.

Remember the VW software defeat cheat device scandal last year?
Your actions while removing one of the battery terminals depicts that.
Sorry guys, I'm not going to charge any of you to court, for your actions, as has being done to VW some days ago.
They were fined about $2.5billion for designing softwares that cheated on emissions testing.
This story is by the way though. Apologies, please.


2. Tow the car. Hybrid cars have a special way of being towed.
Below are some of the proper ways to tow your hybrid car, just in case you weren't able to start up the car.

The proper way of towing a hybrid car is shown in the figure below.
(Sourced from Camry Toyota manual, pages: 318-819)

PERMANENT FIX
Get the car inspected by a competent dealership, or an independent shop.

If you're someone good with tools, get the car scanned yourself, and move on with the repairs from there.



CONCLUSION
Driving a hybrid vehicle car, is much fun and exciting. But without its owner understanding the basics of the car, and following a regular/scheduled maintenance, and what to do if the car stalls on a highway, would easily turn the excitement in to a sour taste.


PS: Do not try a your hybrid car, with the CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM light ON.
Do not tow the car with all FOUR WHEELS on the floor(ground).
Towing it this way, would damage the hybrid system. Instead, ensure the towing van, lifts the front end of the hybrid car, while towing it.





Regards,
Joseph
08066643532(WhatsApp/call)

@Gazzuzz. Exactly. That's y Toyota recommends hybrids should only be towed as specified in one of the photos posted in the article.