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How long should battery run air conditioner for?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by priuscamping, Jun 8, 2018.

  1. priuscamping

    priuscamping New Member

    Joined:
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    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
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    Hello, I've just bought my first Prius, a 2008 with around 100k miles.
    One of the main reasons for going for the Prius was to be able to have something I could sleep in the back of where I could run AC during the night.
    I was wondering for a general car of this age, how long should it run the A/C for without turning on the engine? In the heat (high 80s, low 90s here lately) it will sit for maybe four minutes before turning on the engine for a couple of minutes. Is that normal or should the battery be lasting longer than that? I have to confess I haven't sat in it at night yet to see how long it goes between start ups.
    Would it be worth investigating a reconditioned battery to get longer time between engine start ups?
    MPG seems to be solid, in the mid to high 40s.
    Thanks and apologies for all the questions, I've done some searching but couldn't seem to find a specific thread on the battery idle time for older models, so would appreciate any links as well.
     
    #1 priuscamping, Jun 8, 2018
  2. 09Prius2

    09Prius2 Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I haven't tried it but you can extend the charge cycles by turning the temp up and can down.

    Try 70-75 with fan at mid to low.

    You may get a few extra minutes between cycles this way.
     
    #2 09Prius2, Jun 8, 2018
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
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    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
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    Plug-in Base
    congrats and welcome!

    once the battery gets down to 2 purple bars, it will just keep cycling the engine to keep the charge level there. probably a minute or two.

    as far as replacing the battery is concerned, there's no need until the car tells you there is with dash lights and the correct trouble codes.

    if the time comes to replace it, forget rebuilt, they are unreliable. start saving for a new $2,500. battery.
     
    #3 bisco, Jun 8, 2018
  4. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
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    IV
    Some handful of minutes sounds about like mine. Once you've adjusted to the starting and stopping so that you're sleeping right through it, you won't obsess over it much. :)

    -Chap
     
    #4 ChapmanF, Jun 8, 2018
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