Battery charge

mike03 · 06-22-2004, 10:28 PM

Does anybody notice if there battery gets fully charged ever? We have 11,000 miles on our 2004 Prius and I don't think its ever been fully charged once. Mike

john1701a · 06-22-2004, 10:47 PM

You'll experience "full" if you glide down the side of a mountain; otherwise, not gonna happen.

eak354 · 06-23-2004, 06:53 AM

yep, coast downhill long enough and it'll be fully charged in no time! :mrgreen:

frbill · 06-23-2004, 08:24 AM

With real carefull driving technique I have managed a full battery about three time but it last but a moment. The last time I got it to full I took a picture. We have a few long hills where I build up charge and also many railroad crossing where I coast over them as they are murder on the suspension. All that momentum has been turned back into juice for my battery.

Peace,

Fr. Bill

aarons12 · 06-23-2004, 08:50 AM

i was wondering the same thing. drove all the way home from WV (over 600 miles) and it always still had 2 empty bars, except for a few minutes when it went down to 1 empty...

thanks once again to friends at priuschat!

jchu · 06-23-2004, 10:00 AM

What are people find is the normal state of charge? On our '04 Prius, the battery seems to mostly between 4 and 6 bars. I've never seen it higher, only once lower. We took ownership of it at about 3400 mi on the odometer as it had been the dealership TRAC car (but got it for much less than MSRP). Currently, has just over 10,000 mi on it.

**efusco** · 06-23-2004, 10:02 AM

The ECU 'prefers' to keep the Traction Battery operating within a very narrow SOC (state of charge) both to preserve the life of the battery itself and to be sure to have room for additional charge but with enough reserve to meet demand.

As mentioned, certain terrain (though not necessarily a mountain) seems more disposed. Technique also seems to matter quite a lot.

I have some gently rolling terrain on my usual route to work where, in the initial days, I would notice the ICE shut off (as usual) at stops, but then it would cycle off-on-off-on about 4-6 times. Since this was early after release others were posting similar experiences. We figured out that that is the mechanism the ECU uses to discharge the battery when it gets 'full'. Indeed, if I switched over to the Energy screen the battery would be all green with bars to the top as I approached the stops where this happened. The ICE would cycle, as described, after stopping and the charge would drop to green but not full (i.e. 1 bar gone from the top). This occurs b/c the Prius doesn't know if you might be at the top of a long descent which might force an overcharged condition in the battery.

Probably more than you wanted to know, but you'll probably see an all green/full battery at some point.

xevious · 06-23-2004, 10:49 AM

My daily commute via highway takes me over a large-ish hill. Consequently, my SOC goes from 7 or 8 bars (completely full) to 2 or 3 bars and back again at least once a day.

Makes me really glad that the battery has a 100,000 mile warranty...

**tag** · 06-23-2004, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by aarons12
.......always still had 2 empty bars......

Seems like mine has been perpetually stuck in that SOC. As far as I can recall, I've only seen it full, and at 1 empty bar, on one occasion. Every other time I've looked it's had 2 empty bars.

jamarimutt · 06-23-2004, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by eak354
yep, coast downhill long enough and it'll be fully charged in no time! :mrgreen:

Correct... I drive up and down a hill every day, to and from work, and I see all the bars green twice a day.

06-22-2004, 10:28 PM	#1
mike03 Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 1 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Battery charge Does anybody notice if there battery gets fully charged ever? We have 11,000 miles on our 2004 Prius and I don't think its ever been fully charged once. Mike

06-23-2004, 10:02 AM	#7
efusco Troll Slayer Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Nixa, MO Posts: 14,709 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: #9 Nominated 1 Time in 1 Post TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 26	The ECU 'prefers' to keep the Traction Battery operating within a very narrow SOC (state of charge) both to preserve the life of the battery itself and to be sure to have room for additional charge but with enough reserve to meet demand. As mentioned, certain terrain (though not necessarily a mountain) seems more disposed. Technique also seems to matter quite a lot. I have some gently rolling terrain on my usual route to work where, in the initial days, I would notice the ICE shut off (as usual) at stops, but then it would cycle off-on-off-on about 4-6 times. Since this was early after release others were posting similar experiences. We figured out that that is the mechanism the ECU uses to discharge the battery when it gets 'full'. Indeed, if I switched over to the Energy screen the battery would be all green with bars to the top as I approached the stops where this happened. The ICE would cycle, as described, after stopping and the charge would drop to green but not full (i.e. 1 bar gone from the top). This occurs b/c the Prius doesn't know if you might be at the top of a long descent which might force an overcharged condition in the battery. Probably more than you wanted to know, but you'll probably see an all green/full battery at some point. __________________ Evan E. Fusco, MD Seaside 04BC9/OEM EVb/NAV & auto-BT/XM Radio, CAN-View, Shark Fin, BT Stiff. Plate, Skid Plate & Strut Support

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06-22-2004, 10:47 PM	#2
john1701a Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,801 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: Pioneer #3 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 6	You'll experience "full" if you glide down the side of a mountain; otherwise, not gonna happen.

06-23-2004, 06:53 AM	#3
eak354 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 420 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	yep, coast downhill long enough and it'll be fully charged in no time! :mrgreen:

06-23-2004, 08:24 AM	#4
frbill Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Effingham, IL Posts: 109 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	With real carefull driving technique I have managed a full battery about three time but it last but a moment. The last time I got it to full I took a picture. We have a few long hills where I build up charge and also many railroad crossing where I coast over them as they are murder on the suspension. All that momentum has been turned back into juice for my battery. Peace, Fr. Bill

06-23-2004, 08:50 AM	#5
aarons12 Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: long island, NY Posts: 705 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	i was wondering the same thing. drove all the way home from WV (over 600 miles) and it always still had 2 empty bars, except for a few minutes when it went down to 1 empty... thanks once again to friends at priuschat!

06-23-2004, 10:00 AM	#6
jchu Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Nampa, ID Posts: 1,063 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	What are people find is the normal state of charge? On our '04 Prius, the battery seems to mostly between 4 and 6 bars. I've never seen it higher, only once lower. We took ownership of it at about 3400 mi on the odometer as it had been the dealership TRAC car (but got it for much less than MSRP). Currently, has just over 10,000 mi on it.

06-23-2004, 10:49 AM	#8
xevious Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Oregon Posts: 187 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	My daily commute via highway takes me over a large-ish hill. Consequently, my SOC goes from 7 or 8 bars (completely full) to 2 or 3 bars and back again at least once a day. Makes me really glad that the battery has a 100,000 mile warranty...