Sub-Arctic operation (Battery Concerns)

I was in actual -40 one winter. Damn transmission froze in 1st. Had to drive 12 miles to work, I finally slipped it into 2nd as I approached the station, Oh yeah, the shocks WERE FROZEN SOLID That kind of crap will kill you!!!

As far as the battery, if there is any liquid in the battery and you should check this out and it freezes it would expand, thus cracking the battery.....
It depends on the thermal characteristics of the cells themselves. I would think somebody at toyota should give be able to give you an answer.

I would also ask some of the other Prius owners you see up there and see what they say!!

A battery blanket might not be a bad idea, or heres that really good excuse to build that garage you have always wanted!!

Boy, and I blew out of Wisconsin 30 years ago cause I thought 10 above sucked big time!!

Now living in Sunny Shakey So Cal!!

I love LA!!

73 de Pat KK6PD

 

If it's a lead acid battery, it needs supplemental heat at those temps. I would also put a cabin heater inside the car and heat the inside up to freezing or so if possible.
I wonder how a CVT can get stuck in "first"? Maybe it was trying to force the ICE to reach operating temp sooner?

 

I've lost the Panasonic link to the battery used in the Prius. Perhaps someone will post the URL (Evan?). My Sanyo Engineering manual states the NiMH battery should not be stored below -20C, well above your temps. It didn't get cold here last winter in Edmonton, only down to -30C (still above -40C/F), so while I had no problems, it's not much help as an example.

The reason they don't want the battery to go lower than -20C was that due to material shrinkage electrolyte could be lost. I suspect Panasonic has solved that problem. Any car battery sold in North America would have to be tested in very cold conditions (and I know Toyota tested the Prius in Northern Canada, in temps at least as low as -40C). I saw some pictures of the testing.

An interior heater wouldn't be a bad idea, as it would at least help the plastic parts of the interior, keeping them less brittle.

You'll find the 201V battery has NO trouble starting the engine even when left for several days at "cool temps" (I call it "cool" when it gets into the -20C range, "cold" when it gets below -30C, and "darn cold" when it gets below -40C).

At -40C and below, we say it's cold enough to "freeze the balls off the brass monkey", so we also say "bring in the brass monkey tonight!" when those temps are predicted.

Today it's going up to +30C. I still have trouble imagining winters of -20C and below that last 6 months during the summers here. Even after over 30 years of it! I guess that's why so many of us stay.

 

Hi there, I'm sorry, I had said that I left Wisconsin 30 years ago, at that time I was the proud owner of a E-100 Ford Econoline van. My first vehicle!!! Boy I loved that truck, I installed a Marantz Stereo, yes the 110 volt AC version, with a AC inverter to power it, BIC speakers, and a nice Teac cassette deck! Sounded really sweet.

However that being said with a 4 speed on the column and a manual choke, and the clutch, it was quite the most basic of trucks!!!

Today I have a 4Runner and the Prius, I still love trucks, but I am really enjoying the Barcelona Red Baby!!! Besides you still can not put a piece of plywood in a prius!!!

Sorry for the confusion!!
73 de Pat KK6PD

 

Check with some Toyota dealers in Alaska for what they sell as a "winter" package. Long ago some new prius owner said the dealer in Alaska put on a winter heating package including the main battery. Don't know if true but could be. Otherwise don't worry, should be no problem.

Wayne

 

Any vehicle operated in temps of -40 and colder will experience issues of some sort. The plastics will contract, resulting in things like the glove box door popping open. Some parts may break

The Prius has an advantage in starting, as instead of a small starter and a 12 vdc battery cranking it over, it has the M/G and the 208 vdc NiMH battery pack spinning it up

I know at Thule AFB, Greenland, the equipment is equipped with large coolant heaters, oil pan heaters, transmission pan heaters, even axle heaters. Plug ins are everywhere, and it's policy to plug in as soon as you stop the vehicle

With the Prius, I would suggest the following:

1. Consider Mobil 1 0W-20 oil at least for winter. This oil offers a cold pumping viscosity under 6,000 cP at -40 C, compared to the cold pumping limit of 60,000 cP. A 0W-20 is the viscosity used by the Military in their Arctic Oil meeting MIL-L-46167

2. The Prius "block" heater is pretty wimpy, around 400 watts, and doesn't directly heat the coolant. It fits into a machined hole in the aluminum block. A better solution would be a circulating coolant heater, but I have no idea how to make one work given the complexity of Prius coolant switching valves and coolant pumps

3. Consider an electric cabin heater mounted in the rear hatch area, to keep the NiMH battery warmer than -40. Many safety issues arise from the use of a car heater, you will have to trade off better performance and fuel economy, vs the very real probability of a car fire. Here in Winnipeg, it seems we lose around half a dozen cars every winter due to the car heater starting a fire

4. You may want to consider a stick on pad heater for the Prius cvt sump and the engine oil pan. The Prius cvt fluid is Toyota WS, which appears to be at least a semi-synthetic
Hope this helps

 

I guess I should pop up, then. I'm still living in Wasilla, with a 2002 with 158k on it now. I just bought a block heater from Danny because my youngest kid is in college in Fairbanks now, and I may be up there sometimes during the winter. I haven't needed one in "tropical" SouthCentral AK, though it did snow here yesterday and today. What I really need are giant rubber bumpers to protect me from crazy recent transplants, especially drivers from Eagle River.

I'm busy reading the various techniques for installing the block heater, so if anyone has a favorite method let me know (that's a hint, Wayne). If I do park outside in -40 temperatures overnight, I'll likely leave a light bulb on in the trunk along with the block heater. I figure about 60 - 75 watts will work fine. And I just won't be in a hurry in the morning; I'll let things slowly warm up. I'll still go bump, bump, bump down the street for the first five miles or so, though.

That's the nice thing about having all the batteries in the trunk (Classic Prius). I think it will be a lot easier to keep that space relatively warm, compared to the drafty engine compartment. For the moment, the coldest I've routinely started my Prius is about -28, with no problems, and that's been a few years ago. And since then, I replaced the stock 12v battery with a Miata battery that seems to have a lot more energy.

By the way, the local Prius tech is named Beau, and he works for Kendall Ford in Anchorage. He and I have had a lot of fun over the years figuring out some of the Prius quirks. He's a smart guy, and a good mechanic.

 

I just moved to CA from Anchorage last December, having lived through two full winters there with my Prius.

As for tolerating the severe Fairbanks winters, I had no issues with cold starts, and I only used the OEM block heater. Since it doesn't directly make contact with the coolant jacket, I left it on all the time to achieve the most effective result. The traction battery and the small 12V battery should be fine. The 12V battery isn't subjected to too much current draw, and I never had an issue with it, even at -25.

Hope you've got snow tires!