Battery gauge

If going down a long, steep hill riding the brakes, yes. It's probably a "simulated" display, just like in phone advertisements.

 

Just got a full battery on my drive down a mountain. I suspect that's the only time it happens.

 

I work at a place that's situated on the top of a relatively high hill. There's a traffic light at the bottom of the hill and it's unlikely that one gets past it, so the brakes are usually ridden all the way down.
Any time that happens, the battery gauge goes to "full". After the light it kind of levels out and it's noticeable that the car is trying not to run the ICE while it discharges the battery to its normal, two or three steps down from max, position.
If one is driving on flat territory, this never happens.

KBeck

 

The first time mine was full was coming down Wolf Creek pass on our Colorado trip last month. It also did the same on a few more of the passes, quickly returned to 80% after leveling off.

 

We have a Camry Hybrid which works the same way. The battery is maintained a couple bars down to allow room for the electricity produced by regenerative braking. Once the battery is full, the regen braking is gone, as there is no place for the generated electricity to go. In my Leaf, when the battery is charged 100%, there is no regen. Soon as the charge falls a couple percent, it is available.

 

They show it "full" (it's really not ever "full") because full is "good", and less than full is "bad". Remember, any video you see has been doctored. If you want reality go drive your car and see what happens.

 

I got it to full bars at one time, that was going 90 mph and regen from a down hill all the way to my exit to the stop light roughly 1/2 a mile's worth of regen with the battery at 7/8 battery bar starting. Its very hard to get full bars i guess its to protect the battery's life.

 

Yes .... but rarely ... unless your driving involves long downhills ... the car tries hard NOT to fill the traction battery ...

In two years plus with this Prius I only seen the battery full max 5 times .. my daily driving doesn't have any real elevation change .

 

I've seen it "full" a few times, but it doesn't last long. I tend to ignore it most of the time. I think it's more of a gimmick than a "gauge."