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blues, greens, purples, oh my!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by vespastic, Sep 12, 2004.

  1. vespastic

    vespastic New Member

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    sorry for the question i'm about to ask, i'm sure y'all covered it a million times, ( i did 'search' but came up with little, and john1701a's page just gave me a picture...so i did put in a little effort..but obviously not that much) but...

    why do the bars in the batterypack on the display turn different colors and what do they mean? sometimes its blue, sometimes its green...is there a 'bad' color? is there a 'best' color?

    and for those of you kind enough to enlighten me, could i make a request? can your response be geared toward, oh say, a young lady of 24 who knows a little more than zilch about how a car works? (its been explained a million times to me, drawings, hand shows, even a nice replication made with toothpicks, sugarpackets, and salt&pepper shakers...but alas, with wide eyes, a simple smile and nod of the head, i fooled them all...) so, yeah....if the magic word could be Simple Please, that would be fantasmal!

    bunches of thanks!
     
    #1 vespastic, Sep 12, 2004
  2. wombatua

    wombatua New Member

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    I'm no expert, either; I've just assumed that the colors change to make it easier to get a quick, glancing read of the approximate battery level. I don't think there's a good/bad element involved. I would be worried, though, if for some unforseen reason none of the pretty colors appeared on the monitor...
     
    #2 wombatua, Sep 12, 2004
  3. Frank Hudon

    Frank Hudon Senior Member

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    blue normal operating colour
    green hi state of charge, usually after a lot of downhill driving
    purple low state of charge, usually after climbing a long hill.
    hope this is simple enough.
     
    #3 Frank Hudon, Sep 12, 2004
  4. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    purple?

    you mean red(pink?) or does that color change depending on the back ground color?
     
    #4 DaveinOlyWA, Sep 12, 2004
  5. jchu

    jchu New Member

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    Actually it is quite simple!!!
    As you already know and all you need to know is that the number of bars represents the relative amount of charge in the hybrid battery. When the battery charge is low, 1 or 2 bars, the bars will be pink. When the amount of charge is in the middle range, they turn blue. When the battery is reaching full charge, 8 or more bars they turn green.

    It is just a second representation of the amount of charge on the battery. Think of the colors as a 3 point scoring system instead of a 10 point scoring system. The Prius computer generally aims to keep the charge in the middle, blue range for many reasons but that is not something you need to worry about. Just drive it and don't worry about the bars too much. The Prius will take care of itself and there is nothing to gain by trying to coax the battery into a higher state of charge.

    Hope this helps!!

    Jon
     
    #5 jchu, Sep 12, 2004
  6. jchu

    jchu New Member

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    Geez,

    Look at all the (older??) guys rushing to the aid of a young maiden!!!
     
    #6 jchu, Sep 12, 2004
  7. jamarimutt

    jamarimutt New Member

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    You included!!!
     
    #7 jamarimutt, Sep 12, 2004
  8. jchu

    jchu New Member

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    Yup, I was including my old married self!!!
     
    #8 jchu, Sep 12, 2004
  9. bruceha_2000

    bruceha_2000 Senior Member

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    Jon, You are the only one who posted who's age is shown. How do you know all the others are 'older guys' :)

    And for vespastic: The descriptions are correct, however you still know little more than zilch about how MOST cars work :)

    I was actually thinking about this yesterday as a 15 Y/O skater was driving off in the family Prius (mom in the passenger seat of course). What is she going to do when she gets in a "normal" car and has to find a key to put in a slot and turn it. Will she be worried when the car jerks as she speeds up and slows down or the engine doesn't shut off at a stop ;-) Probably nothing to worry about, they most likely have her drive the other car as well :)
     
    #9 bruceha_2000, Sep 13, 2004
  10. jchu

    jchu New Member

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    Inferences from other postings and have chatted in the chatroom with Dave.

    And notice the ??? after older in that post
     
    #10 jchu, Sep 13, 2004
  11. vespastic

    vespastic New Member

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    thanks all! especially for the clear and simple explanations! i've already decided that the consumption screen is my favorite, so i won't be so distracted by the energy bars...i just got back from bakersfield, a 2hr drive, and pulled into my driveway at 53.0 mpg! that's good right? i'm actually taking my time and enjoying the ride! i love this car! i figure the only thing i really need to be aware of are any little red scary lights on the dash...everything else, i'll let the car take care of....thanks again for your help!

    cheers!
     
    #11 vespastic, Sep 13, 2004
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