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any problem keeping the Prius in hot garage?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by priustexasbob, Sep 8, 2010.

  1. priustexasbob

    priustexasbob Member

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    I tried a search and got some strange results that had nothing to do with the topic.

    anyhow, is there a problem with parking the Prius in a hot garage? during the summer can get up to 110F inside the garage. no windows in garage.

    dose it hurt the battery?
     
  2. Chuck.

    Chuck. Former Honda Enzyte Driver

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    It hurts Honda battery packs, so I'd advise doing anything to keep your car cool, although the Prius from 2004 to present are far more resilient. Bad cells in a pack overheat...hot weather makes the situation worse. I have a pack similar to the Prius I before 2004.
     
  3. adamace1

    adamace1 Senior Member

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    Alot of us park our cars out in 100 degree weather with the sun beating on them. I'm not worried and yours will be even safer in a shady spot. So don't worry
     
  4. Penny's Dad

    Penny's Dad New Member

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    My car roasts in the Florida sun...If the battery pack is hurt by heat I am in trouble...I am not too worried though...
     
  5. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    How's this any different from parking outside?
     
  6. Colonel Ronson

    Colonel Ronson New Member

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    My dad's 2004 prius has lived in Arizona its whole life. Everyone knows the deal about this prius. 150k miles. 50+ mpg. Original Tranny oil. 5k oil changes on dino. Still runs strong.

    And yes, everyone is right. How is this any different than parking outside?? your HV battery is inside the vehicle, not under the hood. It gets very hot under the hood which is why many 12V batteries in cars fail early in the heat. But the HV battery is protected in the interior of the car, unless you have no tinted windows and leave it in the middle of the mojave for 2 weeks.
     
  7. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    Actually the -correct- answer is the Prius will protect the battery if it gets too hot. Just sitting at 100-120F won't hurt it. -USING- it when it's too hot will. But 100-120F is not too hot. That's the temp the battery often hits under use. Which is why it has a cooling fan.
    So worst case, your car may try to not use the battery as much as possible until it's cooled down (DO use A/C as the cabin air is used to cool the battery). Of course this could take quite a while as the battery is pretty massive (70ish pounds) so it takes time to cool it off.
    But as stated above, many Prius in southern places operate with batteries at 100F and we haven't heard of any problems.
     
  8. Michaelvickdog123

    Michaelvickdog123 New Member

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    What?

    No.

    Two points:

    (1) During normal operation, the current draw from the battery is enough to heat it up to temperatures above 110F. When your car is off, sitting in the garage, there's no current draw from the HV battery...so it will not heat up more than the ambient room temperature.

    (2) The car is designed, and works fine in outside temperatures well in excess of 110F. How hot do you think the inside of your car gets in the sun, when it's 90F outside? Try between 125-135F, inside the car.

    Although not specifically mentioned, I always felt one of the side benefits of having the solar cooling system was - it will keep the inside of the car at, or near the outside ambient temperature. So, when i start my car up in the afternoon bake in the sun, where inside cabin temperatures can reach into the 130'sF....I'm not driving off with the battery fan circulating 130F air to the HV battery. At most, between 90F-100F.
     
  9. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    I suggest upgrading to the Solar Roof Package. Then park outside. If it get's too hot, a felt covered theater troop will appear, surround your vehicle costumed as tree's and bushes and cool it off by offering shade and singing folk music. Or at least that's what I take from the advertising.

    By the way, now I'm just going to have to google "Prius in a Hot Garage" and see what these "Strange Results" are...I'm curious.
     
  10. priustexasbob

    priustexasbob Member

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    hey thanks for all the input on this. I kinda thought there would not be any problem with it, but I've never owned a vehicle like the Prius so it never hurts to ask just to be sure