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Which battery powers the starter?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by CaliforniaBear, Nov 25, 2012.

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  1. CaliforniaBear

    CaliforniaBear Clearwater Blue Metallic

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    I've been wondering about this. Not having read the manual word-for-word I may have missed it. In the Prius Wiki it says "...12V battery does not drive directly any drivetrain system (e.g. starter)...". Is that the correct answer?

    I've been looking for an electrical diagram simple enough to understand but complete enough to get some ideas about how it all works. Any suggestions?
     
    #1 CaliforniaBear, Nov 25, 2012
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    hybrid battery turns the motor to turn the ice. there is no starter in the typical sense of the word. the 12v battery boots up the computers.
     
    #2 bisco, Nov 25, 2012
  3. CaliforniaBear

    CaliforniaBear Clearwater Blue Metallic

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    Thanks for the response/information! So I suspect there is no generator in the traditional sense and the 12v battery is charged from the hybrid electrical system. Correct?
     
    #3 CaliforniaBear, Nov 25, 2012
  4. Dark_matter_doesn't

    Dark_matter_doesn't Prius Tinkerer

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    Yes, the 12 V battery gets charged from the traction battery.
     
    #4 Dark_matter_doesn't, Nov 25, 2012
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  5. prj

    prj Member

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    Yeah, no starter and no alternator. No belts either, the A/C and oil and water pumps are all electric.

    The Prius Simulator page shows how the two motor-generators interact with the Internal Combustion Engine (abbreviated ICE on this site). It's interesting to play with.

    When the engine needs to be started, the electric motor (MG1, motor generator 1) spins it up close to 1000 rpm, then it's started. That's why the start is so smooth compared to a normal starter.

    Here's the Gen II and Gen III electric motors and planetary gear set (from this page). The Gen III is even smaller than the Gen II, but more powerful.
    GenII on the left.
    [​IMG]

    You can see the Gen II components disassembled in this youtube video.
    The planetary gear assembly is the size of my hand. Amazing.
     
    #5 prj, Nov 25, 2012
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