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Recharge Prius at Home on AC power?

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Comments

  • dmathews3dmathews3 Member Posts: 1,739
    Kind of what I thought.
  • lew74lew74 Member Posts: 8
    I bought a 2005 Prius 12 months ago with 12,000 miles on it. I like the car but have had and interesting electrical experience. When my battery is fully charged and turns green my Prius will run in stealth mode (electric mode) way above 42 mph (52mph)and will continue to run at that speed until the the battery runs down about 1 mile. But if the battery is not fully charged and is blue it will not run above 41 mph in electric mode.

    Has anyone else had that experience?
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Used..

    Contact the previous owner and ask what modifications were made.
  • lew74lew74 Member Posts: 8
    The previous owner was a Canadian who only came to Florida 4 months in the winter.
    He stored the car with the Toyota dealer and they stored the car for him for 8 months. I asked the dealer and he said no modifications were made. This change in the speed it would go into stealth when the battery shows green just started started happening the past couple of weeks.
  • pat85pat85 Member Posts: 92
    A few facts
    1) No traction batteries have ever failed, according to Toyota. There is a 12 Volt
    battery that is used just like any other car has. That may eventually fail.
    2) I have a Camry Hybrid, on long trips the traction battery generally charges
    above 70%
    3) Depending on going down hills at over 40 MpH, the traction battery will be
    charged and the ICE will not be needed. Generally, on flat level ground, the ICE
    will engage at over 40MpH.
    4) Occasiuonally, when stopped at stop lights, etc. the ICE will rev up to charge
    the traction battery. It doesn't happen often, mostly in Winter.
    5) There is no provision to plug in a normal Prius. Both the Prius and Camry have
    the same sytsem. The Camry weighs more and has a full time capable A/C
    system.
  • stevegoldstevegold Member Posts: 185
    Don't waste your time worrying about the traction battery. It can provide necessary boosts for about 5 minutes tops and similarly takes about 5 minutes to fully recharge.
    Most of your propulsion comes from the smallish ICE which, when augmented by the electric motor, provides great, but short term performance. That battery is recharged from the regenerative brakes, the ICE or just coasting downhill, whichever comes first.
    It is truly a great system but you can forget about "plug-in-hybrids" until the capacity of the traction battery is increased 10-30X. I can only go about a mile in my 2004 with the EC feature enabled. Reprogramming would help a little but a lot more electricity storage will be required for anything longer than 5-10 mile trips. Of course, you always have the pretty efficient ICE with a 600+/- mile per tankful range.
  • pat85pat85 Member Posts: 92
    If my traction battery is increased 10-30 times ,two things would happen.
    First, I would have zero trunk space,as I have all ready lost 1/3 of it.
    Second, those batteries are heavy. I believe increased weight will be unmanageable.
  • stevegoldstevegold Member Posts: 185
    That's my point. Forget about Plug-In-Hybrids until huge improvements in battery technology (Lion) are economical. 10+ years.
  • imscfimscf Member Posts: 34
    Also, Toyota will have to provide those of us who live in high-rise buildings long, very long, extention cords to reach from the car to the apartment.
  • stevegoldstevegold Member Posts: 185
    Former CIA Director Jim Woolsey comes to Aspen every July to advocate Plug-In-Hybrids. His Prius was modified, at someone else's expense, with more and different batteries in the trunk and back seat area so that he can drive 40 miles from home to work using little or no gasoline. When he gets to work, he plugs it in to be recharged for the trip home. That is a successful P-I-H application if you ignore the cost of the modification and the lost payload space doesn't matter.
    I will be listening for his update this year.
  • larsblarsb Member Posts: 8,204
    edited April 2011
    This is very cool:

    http://www.toyota.com/upcoming-vehicles/prius-plug-in/

    Overview
    Everyone's buzzing about Plug-in Cars. So what's Toyota up to? The Prius Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle (Prius PHV). Based on the 3rd generation Prius, Prius PHV combines the proven practicality of Hybrid Synergy Drive® with compact, lightweight lithium-ion batteries to extend its fully electric driving range.
    What are the advantages of Prius PHV?
    The best of both worlds: electric-only driving for a maximum of approximately 13 miles, plus an anticipated 50 MPG-rated hybrid driving that totally eliminates range anxiety.
    Full recharging from a standard 110V household electric outlet in only 3 hours.
    The proven reliability of Prius HSD (Hybrid Synergy Drive®).
    And now for the question on everyone's mind—timing. Prius PHV is expected to launch in 2012. How much? The price hasn't been set. Visit the upcoming vehicles page on toyota.com to receive news and updates on Prius PHV.
  • macaarmacaar Member Posts: 1
    This is exciting, what I've been waiting for... way to go! :)
  • bpollenbpollen Member Posts: 11
    Price is the key. I am trying to wait on buying a new car to see if I can afford this vehicle, if I like it. There are tax incentives, still, on plug-ins, I think. I'm hoping the Tsunami and production slowness doesn't affect quality or timing of when this car comes out in the market.
  • thegreyonethegreyone Member Posts: 24
    Maximum EV cruising rangeApproximately 13 miles

    You've GOT to be kidding? Even the EV1 in the late 1990s got 100 miles range and with the new Li ion technology its been predicted that it could at least triple that. What's the problem with the Prius???
This discussion has been closed.