Should I just not look at the Energy Monitor?

mikepaul · 03-28-2004, 08:14 PM

Saturday I started out on what was going to be a driving day. One stop at the mall to have my glasses repaired, and off I was going to go.

Except on the way there (about a mile) I noticed the Energy Monitor had the battery down to 3 bars, and while the engine was sending power that way, it wasn't collecting.

At the mall, I turned the Prius off and on, and while a short burst of charging happened, it stopped with still only 3 bars lit.

So after I got my glasses fixed, I went home to see if I could get to work today instead of having fun yesterday. By the time I got home, I was up to 4 bars. The battery was still low this morning, but eventually charged more than half-way by the end of the 10 mile trip to work. After work, I drove around shopping and eventually it filled up and was green.

If I hadn't been looking at the Energy Monitor, I never would have known anything funny was going on. Should I just ignore it next time, and hope everything goes well, or is there a known issue and I *should* be worried if the car isn't recharging to about the same point every time I drive it?...

**efusco** · 03-28-2004, 08:32 PM

Yes, ignore it...your battery never got low, just lower than you're used to seeing. If you take a nice long drive it will gradually recharge. The ECU won't let the ICE waste power recharging the HV batt unless it really must.

rockluvr · 03-29-2004, 11:32 AM

Three blue bars do not lindicate a low. battery. If the battery gets REALLY low, the last two blue bars will turn pink. Then the two pink bars go to one pink bar. That's as low as it gets. The engine will be charging the battery when the bars turn pink. I know this from my experience with driving steep slopes in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

daniel · 03-29-2004, 08:01 PM

Consider the energy monitor a video game. You can play at trying to stay in electric mode, or you can play at trying to increase your mileage by half a mpg. Or you can just as well turn it off and keep your eyes on the road. If anything really goes wrong it's the dashboard warning lights that will tell you. No matter how low the battery goes, the car will still run fine. The car should not recharge to the same point evey time you drive it. It charges and discharges according to driving conditions. The battery stores energy that would be thrown away in a conventional car, and then returns it when appropriate. That's what it's for, and that's what a hybrid is. There was nothing at all wrong with your car. (Unless you own stock in an oil company!) It was doing what it is designed to do: run clean and save gas. - In the end, the energy display is just so you can show your friends, "Look how cool my car is!"

mikepaul · 03-29-2004, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by daniel
The car should not recharge to the same point every time you drive it.

Until Saturday, it never sank to 3 bars and stayed there.

Recovery from that makes me feel better about possible future incidents, up until the car won't move or something...

03-28-2004, 08:14 PM	#1
mikepaul Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Columbia, SC Posts: 1,675 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: #9 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Should I just not look at the Energy Monitor? Saturday I started out on what was going to be a driving day. One stop at the mall to have my glasses repaired, and off I was going to go. Except on the way there (about a mile) I noticed the Energy Monitor had the battery down to 3 bars, and while the engine was sending power that way, it wasn't collecting. At the mall, I turned the Prius off and on, and while a short burst of charging happened, it stopped with still only 3 bars lit. So after I got my glasses fixed, I went home to see if I could get to work today instead of having fun yesterday. By the time I got home, I was up to 4 bars. The battery was still low this morning, but eventually charged more than half-way by the end of the 10 mile trip to work. After work, I drove around shopping and eventually it filled up and was green. If I hadn't been looking at the Energy Monitor, I never would have known anything funny was going on. Should I just ignore it next time, and hope everything goes well, or is there a known issue and I should be worried if the car isn't recharging to about the same point every time I drive it?...

03-29-2004, 08:01 PM	#4
daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 9,121 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: #6 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Consider the energy monitor a video game. You can play at trying to stay in electric mode, or you can play at trying to increase your mileage by half a mpg. Or you can just as well turn it off and keep your eyes on the road. If anything really goes wrong it's the dashboard warning lights that will tell you. No matter how low the battery goes, the car will still run fine. The car should not recharge to the same point evey time you drive it. It charges and discharges according to driving conditions. The battery stores energy that would be thrown away in a conventional car, and then returns it when appropriate. That's what it's for, and that's what a hybrid is. There was nothing at all wrong with your car. (Unless you own stock in an oil company!) It was doing what it is designed to do: run clean and save gas. - In the end, the energy display is just so you can show your friends, "Look how cool my car is!" __________________ Daniel ---------------------- Primary car: Zap Xebra SD: 100% electric car. 1.9 cents per mile, using electrons generated from water power. (The Prius is my gas guzzler, used when I have to travel farther than 35 miles in a day.) "If voting changed anything, they'd make it illegal." -- Emma Goldman "Anyone who has ever looked into the glazed eyes of a soldier dying on the battlefield will think long and hard before starting a war." -- Otto von Bismarck

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03-28-2004, 08:32 PM	#2
efusco Troll Slayer Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Nixa, MO Posts: 14,047 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: #9 Nominated 1 Time in 1 Post TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 23	Yes, ignore it...your battery never got low, just lower than you're used to seeing. If you take a nice long drive it will gradually recharge. The ECU won't let the ICE waste power recharging the HV batt unless it really must.

03-29-2004, 11:32 AM	#3
rockluvr Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 155 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Three blue bars do not lindicate a low. battery. If the battery gets REALLY low, the last two blue bars will turn pink. Then the two pink bars go to one pink bar. That's as low as it gets. The engine will be charging the battery when the bars turn pink. I know this from my experience with driving steep slopes in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.