1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

How Much Damage from Parking in the Sun?

Discussion in 'Prime Technical Discussion' started by DC Prime, Jun 7, 2020.

Page 1 of 3
  1. DC Prime

    DC Prime New Member

    Joined:
    May 11, 2020
    20
    20
    0
    Location:
    Washington, DC
    Vehicle:
    2020 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    I understand that high heat is bad for the Prime battery. Especially if you leave a high charge or are trying to charge it.

    We live in the city and do not have a garage or car port (nor can we build one due to city regulations). We have a parking pad, but it's in the sun from around 11am-5pm in the summer. Summers in DC are hot, so temp in the car would easily get over 100 on a sunny day. We also don't drive it that often, so it sits there most of the time.

    How much does a situation like this affect the battery, in specific terms? Within 1 year, for example, battery capacity will likely drop by what percentage? Or, how many years will 1 year of this sun likey take off of battery life?
     
    #1 DC Prime, Jun 7, 2020
  2. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2015
    10,975
    8,868
    0
    Location:
    New England
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    I don't think anyone knows the specific metric you are asking, not even Toyota, I would think. There are so many variables to give a precise prediction. That being said, as Toyota warns and many of PC experts concurs, heat is archenemy for the traction battery. Leaving a fully charged traction battery under the sun would not be a healthy thing to do especially repeatedly. I suggest using as much of charge scheduling to charge at night before you plan to drive and minimize leaving the car fully charged under the sun.
     
    #2 Salamander_King, Jun 7, 2020
    Meg&Bear and jerrymildred like this.
  3. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2005
    1,746
    1,162
    0
    Location:
    Chicagoland
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    According to Google (the source of all information) generally accepted maximum temperature for lithium ion battery storage is 122° F.
     
    #3 schja01, Jun 7, 2020
    Meg&Bear likes this.
  4. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

    Joined:
    Jan 6, 2004
    12,755
    5,245
    57
    Location:
    Minnesota
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    50°C (122°F) is the temperature Tesla must preheat their battery-pack to before SuperCharging is possible.

    Most people are totally unaware of that requirement. They don't think of the electricity it takes to achieve that warming either.
     
    #4 john1701a, Jun 7, 2020
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    55,569
    38,729
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    What colour is the car? Blizzard Pearl has been especially vulnerable. Regular waxing should help, hopefully.

    Any kind of awning possible? Seems an onerous situation; I'd be looking to move if possible.
     
    #5 Mendel Leisk, Jun 7, 2020
  6. DC Prime

    DC Prime New Member

    Joined:
    May 11, 2020
    20
    20
    0
    Location:
    Washington, DC
    Vehicle:
    2020 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    Hmm... Ok. Maybe an exact figure isn't possible. But a sense of the order of magnitude of the damage? Am I likely to notice the difference over a short period of time? Or is degradation faster than normal, but not noticable for many years?

    Any personal experiences from those in a similar situation?
     
    #6 DC Prime, Jun 7, 2020
  7. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2018
    7,035
    2,788
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius c
    Model:
    Four
    Nobody can say for sure.
    But the components of the car are generally designed to withstand a "normal" range of heat and cold.

    Gotta ask: Given your situation, why did you decide to get a "plug in" hybrid.....when it seems that you will almost never be able to plug it in ??
     
    #7 sam spade 2, Jun 7, 2020
  8. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2016
    11,251
    15,482
    0
    Location:
    Bay Area, California
    Vehicle:
    2019 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    I plug in at work and at home. At work it is unprotected and on the south side of a building, so I deal with sun and heat :cool:.

    I've had our 2019 Prime for over a year now (bought April 2019) and have not seen any range degradation;).

    I place a sun shade on the front windshield and I have each piece of glass tinted (70% on the front windshield, 50% on the front windows and 15% on the back windows and hatch) and have vent visors on the front windows to allow venting of the cabin:).

    I average 5.2-5.6 miles / kWh out here, where we have already seen multiple days over 100 F:sick:.

    This is over 22k miles and I'll still do the same manner of charging (y).
     
    #8 Raytheeagle, Jun 7, 2020
    Meg&Bear likes this.
  9. DC Prime

    DC Prime New Member

    Joined:
    May 11, 2020
    20
    20
    0
    Location:
    Washington, DC
    Vehicle:
    2020 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    We have no problems charging. The parking pad is right behind the house, so access to an outlet isn't an issue. Plus, being in an urban area, the majority of our trips are within a few miles of home, so most are all electric. We also have a full house solar system. So, the plug-in part was a no brainer for us.
     
    #9 DC Prime, Jun 7, 2020
    fotomoto and john1701a like this.
  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    55,569
    38,729
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Consider a car canopy structure?
     
    #10 Mendel Leisk, Jun 7, 2020
  11. DC Prime

    DC Prime New Member

    Joined:
    May 11, 2020
    20
    20
    0
    Location:
    Washington, DC
    Vehicle:
    2020 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    Thanks! Really helpful to know. We have sun shades (from the prius chat store!). Haven't tinted the windows, though or put in vent visors. Given we only use the car occasionally, I was afraid we'd end up cracking the windows, forget, and the have a mess to deal with when it storms (even with the visors). Do you have trouble with rain getting in even with the visors?
     
    #11 DC Prime, Jun 7, 2020
    Raytheeagle likes this.
  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    55,569
    38,729
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Other sun issue (besides paint and battery): headlight fogging, and the rubber gaskets (particularly sunroofs) failing.
     
    #12 Mendel Leisk, Jun 7, 2020
    Meg&Bear likes this.
  13. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2016
    11,251
    15,482
    0
    Location:
    Bay Area, California
    Vehicle:
    2019 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Nope;).

    Just crack the windows so it isn't below the vent visor and you'll be fine:):

    DC13E651-254C-4787-B063-88C83DF365A4.jpeg DCF76FF0-281B-4AA7-B870-FE92F2D86AB5.jpeg 65282547-1F25-49DC-A471-4047155F4247.jpeg 1B582DA7-B2B6-4BBB-BA66-5952743CE352.jpeg

    Those mods should help you get even more electric driving in(y).
     
    #13 Raytheeagle, Jun 7, 2020
    Meg&Bear and DC Prime like this.
  14. DC Prime

    DC Prime New Member

    Joined:
    May 11, 2020
    20
    20
    0
    Location:
    Washington, DC
    Vehicle:
    2020 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    We're exploring options for a pergola-type structure (no solid roof, but could still provide some shade). But, city restrictions are pretty strict and options are limited- nothing with a solid roof for sure; pergola spacing has to be pretty wide, so not sure how much it would help. Even if we found something the city would accept, I want to weigh the cost of that vs the cost of the damage/eventual repairs that would be needed if we don't. Hence wanting to know how significant the deterioration might be.
     
    #14 DC Prime, Jun 7, 2020
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
  15. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    55,569
    38,729
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    #15 Mendel Leisk, Jun 7, 2020
    Meg&Bear and Tideland Prius like this.
  16. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2016
    11,251
    15,482
    0
    Location:
    Bay Area, California
    Vehicle:
    2019 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    I used several head light restoration kits on our old 2010 with good results ;).

    The Wipe New kit worked the best and lasted the longest:).

    If needed, that's what I'd do to our Prime(y).
     
    #16 Raytheeagle, Jun 7, 2020
    Meg&Bear and Mendel Leisk like this.
  17. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2018
    7,035
    2,788
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius c
    Model:
    Four
    UNLESS......you live where there are seasonal swarms of insects. :eek:
    Just a few spiders can be a significant problem.
     
    #17 sam spade 2, Jun 7, 2020
  18. DC Prime

    DC Prime New Member

    Joined:
    May 11, 2020
    20
    20
    0
    Location:
    Washington, DC
    Vehicle:
    2020 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    Hmm... Excellent point. There are some spiders in the garden. Even worse, though, might be the mosquitoes... You have me second guessing the open window plan...
     
    #18 DC Prime, Jun 7, 2020
  19. DC Prime

    DC Prime New Member

    Joined:
    May 11, 2020
    20
    20
    0
    Location:
    Washington, DC
    Vehicle:
    2020 Prius Prime
    Model:
    LE
    Good to know. Fortunately, the nose of the car faces the fence. By the time the sun is angled towards the headlights, the car is in the shade of the fence.
     
    #19 DC Prime, Jun 7, 2020
    Raytheeagle and Mendel Leisk like this.
  20. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
    44,933
    16,157
    41
    Location:
    Canada
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Definitely the tint (the one that can reduce heat, not just darken the windows) and a sunshade for the windshield can help with heat reduction and wear and tear from UV for the interior.

    Avoid leaving it fully charged under the sun. You can use the remote A/C function to cool the car before you leave to help alleviate some of the heat.
     
    #20 Tideland Prius, Jun 8, 2020
    jerrymildred likes this.
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)
Page 1 of 3