Are the power steering and AC compressor electric in the Prius?

They are. In the Gen2 there is a belt that only turns the water pump. In the Gen3 I believe the belt has been eliminated.

 

The belt that typically turns these devices has nothing to do with timing, just turning to make them work. But yeah, going to electric for these items and taking the drag off the ICE improves the efficiency of the internal combustion engine while allowing them to still work as the engine stops powering.

 

I'm no mechanic so I'm not sure about whether your Gen3 has a timing belt or chain. A word search in here will likely bring up all you ever wanted to know about it though. The more I learn about the car, the more I love.

 

"Lifetime" timing chain. No belts. The internal drive chain has also been eliminated in the GIII (the GII has a chain in the drivetrain - in the "transmission").

Boring eh? Nothing to watch or replace.

 

I get a kick out of people looking under the hood asking where the alternator is.

 

The water pump is electric, too.

 

Great! don't ya! think!

 

Yep chain for timing, no belt.

DBCassidy

 

That I didn't know the drive chain went away in the Gen III. How is the power routed in the Gen III now, sans drive chain?

DBCassidy

 

3rd Gen Hybrid eCVT Transaxle in the Classroom | PriusChat

 

What about the AC compressor?
I think I read it runs from high voltage DC direct from the traction battery.
You can see the beefy wires going into the compressor and yet it is mounted on the engines accessory case.
I suspect it is also engine driven when the engine is turning. Why else would it be mounted on the engine?

I have the 'AC' button on my remote. I read about it but haven't used it yet.
Can I use it like a remote starter and set the climate controls to 78° to warm the car?
Probably not. That would be a source for a news story: "Prius parked in garage kills family when toddler presses red button". Joking....
The pre-cool function only lasts a few minutes according to the manual.

 

The A/C compressor is completely electric. I would guess it's mounted on the engine so it would be isolated from the body of the car.

 

Fluids get old too.

Since the steering is electric, there isn't any of that either.

 

If you look at the passenger side of the engine- you'll see the grooved crankshaft pulley is still there for AC pump, PS pump, alternator, etc... but alas- no belt on it, just a vestigial pulley that powers nothing in the gen III.

 

Yes, the "pulley" is still there, but it's because it's a crankshaft vibration dampener as well. It would have been rather expensive to build a different one without the pulley just for the Prius. That one is used on many cars that have the 1800cc engine, whether in Otto cycle or "Atkinson" cycle.

 

Runs from 200 ACV from separate section of Inverter powered by either mg or battery. Specifically not engine powered at all because sometimes the engine is not on.