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Am I harming my HV batteries???

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by fwbrc51, Jul 25, 2010.

  1. fwbrc51

    fwbrc51 Junior Member

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    Is there any harm being done by putting the car in neutral to force a coast then putting it back in "D" to charge up the battery just before coming to a stop?

    I've changed my driving patterns and started heavy usage of the CC and putting the car in neutral for a forced coast, but putting the car back in D just before coming to a stop or even after the down-slope coast ends...just before going back up hill.

    Am I going to damage the HV battery pack?
    Is this the improper way to drive this car?

    I noticed that my mpg's went from 48 to now 54.
     
    #1 fwbrc51, Jul 25, 2010
  2. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    Driving in Neutral is illegal in some states...
     
    #2 firepa63, Jul 25, 2010
  3. Colonel Ronson

    Colonel Ronson New Member

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    im curious why you want to put into neutral when you coast instead of just letting it coast in drive, thus recharging the batteries at the same time.

    to answer your question, no there shouldn't be any damage. Besides being illegal to drive i neutral (in some states).

    If the battery needs to be recharged, than the ICE will do it if you wont =).
     
    #3 Colonel Ronson, Jul 25, 2010
  4. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    Doesn't having it in neutral whilst moving stop the regen charging and just allows use of the friction brakes?
     
    #4 GrumpyCabbie, Jul 25, 2010
  5. ThePriusMan.com

    ThePriusMan.com Waiting for my Prius

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    I retract what I said...
    Noob Russ
     
    #5 ThePriusMan.com, Jul 25, 2010
  6. fwbrc51

    fwbrc51 Junior Member

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    i've driven the car before with not forcing a neutral coast, in D and i always notice that the car won't always stay in coast, sometimes ice or ev or both kick in when i don't want it to. I want the car to coast as long as possible if i can achieve it without having to annoy drivers behind me.

    i do put the car back in D from a neutral coast just before i need to apply the brakes to stop.

    all i want to know is if i'm damaging the car by my driving habits. the ice will kick on to recharge the battery if and when it needs it.....if it needs it when it's back in D.

    if the darn gas pedal weren't so sensitive, then i wouldn't need to put the car in neutral.

    and to restate.....i've gone from 48 to 54 mpg now.
     
    #6 fwbrc51, Jul 25, 2010
  7. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    It is never possible to recharge in N, ever.
     
    #7 JimboPalmer, Jul 25, 2010
  8. fwbrc51

    fwbrc51 Junior Member

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    edit: ...when it's back in D

    i know this
     
    #8 fwbrc51, Jul 26, 2010
  9. MJFrog

    MJFrog Active Member

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    The biggest danger to the vehicle would be wear and tear on the shifter knob. Not a whole lot, but it's there.

    The other issue you need to watch out for is the HV battery getting too low. If you're down to purple bars...stop doing the neutral glide until it charges up again. Best to keep the SOC at 60% or higher. A Scangauge or similar is good for this.

    With a Scangauge you can also keep an eye on your RPM. An N-glide works best if the RPM is at zero. If you engage Neutral at >40mph the engine will still turn, somewhat defeating the reason for doing an N-glide.

    As noted above, in many states it's illegal to drive in Neutral.
     
    #9 MJFrog, Jul 26, 2010
  10. fwbrc51

    fwbrc51 Junior Member

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    thanks. i haven't had any issues with coming close to purple, but i know it is possible since i have the AC, stereo, and lights on if i was in a very long neutral coast. i haven't noticed the engine still running over 40mph when in a neutral coast. I know that the scanguage exists, but i haven't put in full concern of what it's capabilities are. i'll research it and educate myself on it later.
     
    #10 fwbrc51, Jul 26, 2010
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