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Winter ev range in 2018 Prius phv

Discussion in 'Prime Fuel Economy & EV Range' started by Sarah mc, Dec 28, 2021.

  1. Sarah mc

    Sarah mc New Member

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    Ive owned my Prius PHV since April. Its a 2018 model.
    My EV range was normally 33-35miles per charge. It dropped in one move to 24.7miles per charge. I was told by the dealer its because its cold..... its 1/3 of my normal ev range so it seems extreme.
    I live in the North East of the UK so it gets cold, but its not Arctic!

    I also have trouble getting in the car from time to time, im suspecting a 12v battery issue (fob batteries have been changed 4 times by dealer since April).
    Could a 12v battery issue reduce my ev range?
    Thanks
     
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Normal. Here are my charts from winter & snow covered and -5°C, winter & rain (5°C) and summer (20+°C). You see the winter snow and cold is around 18-19kWh/100km. Cold and rain consumption is around 15kWh/100km and summer is 10.5kWh/100km.

    So that's a range of 32km, 40km and 57km respectively. (20 miles, 25 miles and 35 miles)


    IMG_5622.JPG IMG_5623.JPG IMG_2057.JPG
     
  3. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Yep, that's completely normal. My top summer EV range was ~40miles with ~35 miles average. Now with heat on, I am lucky if I get 20 miles from a full charge. I account for ~50% reduction in EV range from the best to the worst.
     
  4. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Welcome!

    That's very normal. Yes, a 12V that's failing would also reduce your range a little, but that only takes a couple minutes to check. Loss of a third of your range in winter is pretty typical up north.

    If the 12V is the reason for trouble getting in the car, you'll also note that the brake pump runs longer than normal when you open the driver's door. But if it's that low, the car normally gives a warning message on the dash. Details about the trouble entering the car might help in chasing that down.
     
  5. Sarah mc

    Sarah mc New Member

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    How would i know if the brake pump was running?
    It seems the loss of range is normal, but it perplexed me as it happened overnight, it wasnt a gradual reduction, just dropped, and doesnt increase when the weather is warmer.....
    Its been in the garage since the 23rd, so far, I believe its behaved beautifully for them and showed none of the issues ive had!
     
  6. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    How many miles each day did you drive? If the sudden drop in the EV range was a recent event (within the past 32 days), then you may still have the precise record of the miles driven each day and with what efficiency. It is quite possible to have a large decrease in the displayed EV range overnight if your daily drive was very short with very high efficiency in a range of 5-6miles/kWh and a day or two days prior to the drop you did a long drive which depleted the EV range with very low efficiency less than 3miles/kWh.

    Also, if your EV miles are based on the actual miles driven per full charge not from the displayed EV range aka GOM (Guess-O-Meter) when the traction battery is full, then the drop is more gradual than the displayed EV range. The GOM swings down rather quickly after one very bad day, but it does not climb up quickly even with a stretch of days with better efficiency. Those records are all in the Eco Diary, if you manage to look at it before it gets erased.
     
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  7. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Just listen when you open the driver's door in the morning or any time the car has been sitting unused for several hours. If the 12V is low you'll hear it running for a long time when you open the door. When the 12v is healthy, it takes about 3-5 seconds to stop whirring.
     
  8. Sarah mc

    Sarah mc New Member

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    Thanks im a creature of habit, and my usual trip in my car is 35 -40miles to the same place and back which means i ised to run out of ev charge on the way home, and would have between 5 and 10m as Hybrid. It involves some big Yorkshire hills so i dont usually get the full 33 miles.
    No change in driver, no change in journey just a big drop in range overnight, ive seen it change previously if ive done longer trips, or its been very hot, but this was sudden and has never recovered...
    Also have the issue whether its related or not of not always been able to get in as the car doesn't recognise the key fob.....
     
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  9. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Yeah, with no change in driving routine, the drop in EV range both displayed on GOM and actual is more gradual over say a week or two depending on the change in weather. As already suggested, it may be worth checking your 12v battery. I can't think of the reason that a bad 12v battery directly affects the EV range, but when the 12v battery is weak or dying, all sorts of weird things happen to PP. A simple voltage check may not be enough. If you have access to a battery load tester, that will give more solid information about the state of the health of the 12v battery.
     
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  10. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    If the 12V is low and the DC/DC converter is constantly feeding amps to it to try to get it up to nominal voltage, that is extra load on the traction battery and will reduce the range.

    Sarah's range reduction is pretty significant, but the door entry issue plus the range issue would take me straight to the 12V battery first thing.