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

Stuck in non-moving traffic, went from 6 blue bars to 2 purple bars in 10min.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by ski.dive, Jul 4, 2020.

  1. ski.dive

    ski.dive Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 11, 2008
    864
    223
    0
    Location:
    Hutchinson Island,FL. Mt. Snow,VT
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Yesterday I got stuck in non-moving traffic on the Hwy.

    With the A/C ON=The Prius went from 6 blue bars to 2 purple bars in 10min. - IS THIS NORMAL?

    ….After traffic started moving again- it jumped back to 6 blue bars again after a few minutes of driving
     
    #1 ski.dive, Jul 4, 2020
    Data Daedalus likes this.
  2. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2014
    1,612
    1,144
    0
    Location:
    Franklin TN
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Pretty typical, especially for a older hybrid.
     
    #2 Aaron Vitolins, Jul 4, 2020
    MickyMatter, jerrymildred, bisco and 1 other person like this.
  3. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2016
    11,251
    15,476
    0
    Location:
    Bay Area, California
    Vehicle:
    2019 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    With the AC on, that's normal;).
     
    #3 Raytheeagle, Jul 4, 2020
    Data Daedalus and MickyMatter like this.
  4. cthindi

    cthindi Member

    Joined:
    May 8, 2009
    177
    85
    0
    Location:
    Connecticut
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    If it took 10 minutes with AC on, I would say that is not bad for a 12 year old car.

    Engine typically comes on when you go to 2 bars.
     
    #4 cthindi, Jul 4, 2020
    Data Daedalus, jerrymildred, fuzzy1 and 1 other person like this.
  5. JerryScript

    JerryScript Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2020
    43
    38
    1
    Location:
    Texas
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    I spent an hour in below 10mph traffic yesterday, lots of stopping, and just creeping along while leaving a fireworks display at Buffalo Springs lake in West Texas. What you describe is almost exactly what I experienced as well. Outside air temp was still in the low 90s at 11:30 during that crawling exit! I was nice and comfy with ac set to 76, and once I cleared the traffic, the battery got back up in the 5-6 bar range for the rest of the trip home.
     
    #5 JerryScript, Jul 4, 2020
    Data Daedalus likes this.
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,693
    48,944
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    what was the temp and dewpoint?
     
    #6 bisco, Jul 4, 2020
    Data Daedalus likes this.
  7. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2018
    7,035
    2,782
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius c
    Model:
    Four
    The AC compressor runs off of the HV battery.
    Along with the power used to just creep along in EV mode, why would you think that this is unusual ??
    It isn't.
    10 minutes is a long time.
     
    #7 sam spade 2, Jul 4, 2020
    Data Daedalus and JerryScript like this.
  8. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2012
    10,895
    4,418
    0
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Used to have the same problem before reconditioning my battery pack... Basically as these packs age they lose capacity due to crystalization issues inside the pack. You break up that crystallization by doing three increasingly deep discharges and recharges. In most older Prius that will restore a battery running at 50% capacity back up to 96% capacity. The science of it is here: BU-807: How to Restore Nickel-based Batteries – Battery University

    And the gear to do the work without pulling the pack out is here: hybridautomotive.com
     
    #8 PriusCamper, Jul 4, 2020
    Raytheeagle likes this.
  9. Data Daedalus

    Data Daedalus Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2013
    1,022
    1,182
    0
    Location:
    Wembley, London
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    For a 2nd Generation Prius, that is indeed perfectly normal. I’ve experienced similar. It does depend on many factors, including how hot it is (both outside and inside your vehicle) that specific day, how long you’d been driving, whether your A/C was on auto or manually set to “minimum life support”, and the TRUE state of charge of your traction battery when you encountered the congestion.

    You’re more likely to encounter this phenomenon in hot weather - but, it’s perfectly normal.
    Note that even at the purple bars, you’ve still got about 40% state of charge on the HV battery.
    Perfectly normal.


    iPhone 6s +
     
    #9 Data Daedalus, Jul 5, 2020
    Aaron Vitolins, kenoarto, JerryScript and 1 other person like this.
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)