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Winter strategy for longevity

Discussion in 'Prime Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by CarlB, Nov 1, 2020.

  1. CarlB

    CarlB Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 1, 2020
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    Location:
    Minnesota
    Vehicle:
    2020 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Limited
    As winter settles in during COVID shut-in, it's had me thinking about strategies to help keep the Prime's combustion engine, traction battery, 12V battery, tires, and exhaust system in the best shape for maximizing life.

    1) 12V battery, tires - Drive the car at least once or twice a week. Simple enough. Run a smart charger if can't.

    2) Exhaust system and combustion engine - if the combustion engine will run on the trip, plan for the engine to run 10 minutes or more continuously before parking for extended times. This will help keep water from condensing in the exhaust. It will get the engine core warm enough for oil to efficiently distribute, which could help with long term wear.

    3) Traction battery - Charge just before use. Perhaps leave a bit of charge beyond the EV/HV cutover threshold, but probably not more than 50% charge. The manual says park it close to 20% while battery nerds posit somewhat higher, but no one seems to be advocating higher than 50% over long periods for battery longevity.

    4) Lastly, I'll set the charge schedule against my departure time for enough charge to get through the trip, but plan it so as not to leave more than 50% in the traction battery at the end of the trip. So often I'll schedule departure for later than I'm actually intending, because the trip will be very short and I don't want to leave more than 50% charge just to sit parked for a day or two.

    Given the above, if the trip it short but the temperature cold, I'll run in HV mode if the engine turns on at all.

    For longer trips that have depleted the battery, I'll put the Prime in Charge Mode for the last 10-15 minutes of use. This will ensure a warm engine, hot exhaust system, and a bit more charge then EV/HV cutover, all toward extended parking.

    For shorter trips where I realize I won't make it home before the combustion engine must start, rather than letting it just run down, I'll switch to Charge Mode for what I think should be the last 10 minutes of the trip. Yes, fuel efficiency suffers, but I'm leaving the car in better shape for it's long term reliability. Or at least, so I'm thinking.
     
    #1 CarlB, Nov 1, 2020
    Last edited: Nov 1, 2020
    AldoON, john1701a, jerrymildred and 2 others like this.
  2. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Other Hybrid
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    Thanks for the listing of good advice. With no regular daily commuting, I will likely be driving my PP only once a week ~40miles for an errand. I am keeping my car at 30-40% SoC (on display) most of the time, and charging right before departure only if I know I will drive long enough to use up most of the EV range. During winter, it is my normal practice to start my car in HV and keep the engine warm during the entire trip using AV/HV switch. I almost never drive a car less than 10 miles/trip. Your suggestion of "the engine to run 10 minutes or more continuously before parking for extended times" is a difficult one unless using CHG mode as you pointed out at the end of you comments. In HV mode, the engine will not run continuously for 10 min or longer under normal driving conditions. It will stop and goes into EV. I usually try to keep the engine warm so that it does not need to go through the warm-up cycle every time the engine kicks in.
     
    #2 Salamander_King, Nov 1, 2020
    CarlB likes this.
  3. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

    Joined:
    Jan 6, 2004
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    Location:
    Minnesota
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    This will be my 9th winter in Minnesota driving a plug-in Prius. So, it's very easy for me to simplify that cold-climate list.

    1) Drive at least once per week with EV mode, using electric-heating generously.

    2) Drive at least once per month with HV mode, ensuring at least 20 minutes of driving.

    3) Take advantage of Charge-Mode to exercise the entire system (engine & battery).

    4) Enable the battery-warmer (permanently) and have the car plugged prior to driving.

    5) Don't worry about battery charge-level. Less than 30 days non-use is not a concern.
     
    #3 john1701a, Nov 1, 2020
    Last edited: Nov 1, 2020
    AldoON, FuelMiser and CarlB like this.
  4. AldoON

    AldoON Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Milton, ON
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Upgrade
    Regarding battery level, I'm more on the side of don't worry about it as much, especially in winter.

    I'd be more worried about leaving the car with a full charge on a really hot day in the sun than overnight when it's near or below freezing.

    That said, I do my best to avoid leaving it fully charged for a long time. I just don't obsess or go out of my way to make sure I never park the car for a couple of days with a SOC above 50%.
     
    #4 AldoON, Nov 2, 2020
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