So is a Prius C and my local Drive-In a no-no?

Just keep the car powered on and not in accessory mode and the ICE will kick on as needed. With all lights off and no climate control on, the ICE will likely be very infrequent.

 

Just keep the car on (in running mode) and it will take care of itself. When the HV battery level drops too low the engine will start up and recharge it to an appropriate level. It can do this until you run out of fuel which would take days.

DO NOT keep it in "accessory" mode for any length of time. That will kill your 12v battery quickly.

 

Ignorant question - what is accessory mode and/or how do you access it (so one doesn't get into it by mistake)?

 

Dude, the Prius is the perfect car for drive through lines. As others mentioned, the engine kicks on to charge the battery. The car, if on, will not let your battery die. So you get to bask in the lovely fact that you aren't wasting any gas while waiting in line (unless your engine does indeed come on to charge the battery).

I've wondered about the drive-in theater too, though, only because I wonder if the engine coming on to charge the battery would be distracting/disturbing to other attendees?

 

You are in "accessory mode" when you push the start button without pressing on the brake pedal.

 

It's worth mentioning that this is why hybrids make great back-up generators for when the power goes out. Just connect an inverter to the 12-volt battery and you can draw up to about 1000 watts.

 

I've taken my C to the drive-in twice now. I keep it on the whole time. I keep it on the whole time. The engine does kick on every 10-15 min for a minute or two but I think it sounds louder to us inside than to anyone else. And besides, I'm in Florida so most people keep their cars on for the air.

Three things: turn DRL off if you have them on. You can turn the head unit screen off (well, the touch one you can) in the options. And bring something to block the dashboard lights. They are obnoxious!

But my C performed fine. I went with a full tank of gas, had it running for 4 hours and was still able to drive my normal tank mileage after.

 

After hurricane Sandy last year I ran an inverter off my C to power 80 watts of essentials in the house, and used less than a gallon of gas in the 54 hours straight that the car was in Ready mode.

 

Yep. Make sure the car is in READY mode (READY light on). Not all the Prius c owners here have the smart key system (SKS aka "push button start").

Leaving the car in accessory or IG-ON will kill the 12 volt.

 

Thanks, Andrew. I sometimes forget they have a keyed system.

 

^^^
Yeah, from Toyota Prius C | Hybrid Hatchback, it looks like you need Prius c Three or above to have it.

 

My wife loves the drive in. When we went I just left the car in park. Here are a few things to look out for:

• Depending on what drive in/type of movie you watch when the ICE turns on it may annoy those that are around you..
• Bring something to block the dashboard lights because in the dark they can be bright! (I used a sweater)
• If you leave the C in park you'll be fine, the engine turns on only as needed. (I'd say about once every 15 min for about 45 seconds)

 

Question for the two of you who have taken it to the drive in and say it kicks on every 15 minutes: Do you have climate control on at all? Or does it really go through the battery that quickly just using the radio?

 

That's correct, I had the AC on 75. The engine usually only kicks in when it gets down to about one or two blocks. When the engine kicks in it'll recharge the battery a few more blocks but it doesn't recharge the battery entirely. This is why it's every 15 minutes and not 30 or 40

 

Regardless of battery usage the ICE will run occasionally just to keep itself warmed up.



In IG-ON you can monitory the HV battery though right? Assuming one was just running the radio and you started the movie with a decent charge you could just keep an eye on the HV battery and switch to ready if it gets low.

Alternatively you could just bring a battery powered radio, probably better sound if you have a decent headset to go with it.

 

On my Gen 2 Prius, putting the car in IG-ON mode does not put the car's load on the HV battery, it puts it on the tiny 12 volt and will thus drain the 12 volt very quickly. This is even worse than leaving it in ACC.

 

The ICE maintains a certain coolant temp, which varies running with ac/heat/blower/outside temp settings.

For instance, as I sit outside finishing my cigar with the heater on and the fan blowing the smoke out, I see on my scangauge that the temp will lower to 134* and start the ICE. It shuts the ICE off at 148*. Then repeats the cycle until I leave.

On cold days it turns on more often, on days I sit with the windows open and the outside temp comfortable it may not turn on at all.

 

I just watch Iron Man 3 with my C thru Drive in Movie in Florida, There is no issue, it just the ICE turn on once in a blue moon for maybe 30 second. It is much better as the car engine don't run with the A/C on in Florida (VERY HOT) Everyone leave their engine running for Movie. The battery usually power the AC which I have it on the whole duration of the movie... No problem at all.


Turn off DRL, shut off center info display and have some paper block the MPH display and turn off the Nav screen or dim your radio.