Bad for Long Term Health of Hybrid Battery?

New owner, new user, so forgive me if I'm out of my league here, but one observation comes to mind - the acceptable envelope for EV mode (temp, SOC, speed, acceleration) use is pretty tight. Wouldn't the reasons for that be as much for protection as performance?

I mean, Toyota can't predict when you're going to use it, they can only react when you do?

 

We sure think alike! ......

 

yes!

 

yes!

 

The problem with this line of reasoning is that during warm up the Prius tries to run the engine without making power. Engine control parameters are shifted to make heat, not torque. This is done for emissions, and is the reason that the Prius draws heavily on the battery for the first minute or so.

Ideally you want enough charge in the battery to support this mode of operation, and you don't want to accelerate heavily or you force the ICE to provide propulsion, which hurts mileage and emissions. Running down the battery the night before works against this normal mode of operation.

Tom