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ICE Starts when Battery Bars are even more then Half, Is is Normal?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Athar, Jan 15, 2015.

  1. Athar

    Athar Junior Member

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    Hi All, I have Prius2010 1500cc. Just want to check if its normal that ICE starts when the car is in driving mode, even the battery bars sometimes indicates that its more then half? In this case the car mileage drops as it doesn't run the car on battery when it could be run easily and a little press on accelerator uses the engine power as well where it could be run just on battery. In such situation the ICE keeps on running (as the engine sounds could be heard clearly) unless the car comes in parking or stops, and once it is stopped it doesn't start again, just to charge the battery, unless the battery is being drained.

    Is it something that the ICE starts automatically to complete its cycle even if the battery charging is not required apparently? Can we call it normal?
     
  2. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    That's quite normal. Since your Prius doesn't have a plug, it seeks out the most efficient opportunities to recharge the pack. It will start the engine when the power load is at a balance where some of the resulting output can be used to generate electricity.

    Note the at the plug-in model does the very same thing when in HV mode. It took takes advantage of the engine.

    Also, keep in mind that some of the generated electricity will be consumed immediately and the fact that the energy-flow from the system will change rapidly & often. Watching the screen, you can see it happening anywhere from 10 to 20 times per minute. That's the result of having a PSD (Power-Split Device) connecting a gas-engine with 2 electric-motors.

    The dynamic nature of that design is often not realized by new owners... who question why the heck the engine started. You're not alone. That is indeed what's suppose to happen.

    If that makes sense, now consider the other goal of reducing emissions. It seems counter-intuitive to run the engine without having first exhausted the battery. Keeping the emissions from engine exhaust low requires heat. That heat is used by the catalytic-converter to cleanse the exhaust. When the engine runs, its own heat that it creates is used for the cleansing. The heat is retained by the coolant.

    It's an interesting cycle of one feature taking advantage of another.
     
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  3. FuelMiser

    FuelMiser Senior Member

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    Yes, its normal. The ICE will be incorporated in 99.9% of all driving situations. After all, the system is called Hybrid Synergy Drive, implying both systems are used to complement each other.
     
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  4. Easy Rider 2

    Easy Rider 2 Senior Member

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    And incase you need a 3rd vote: Yes, it is normal.
    The primary means of propelling the car is the gas engine; the battery is always secondary.
    If you had a plug-in model, the battery is primary until it gets below a certain point.
    It does NOT work that way with a conventional hybrid. It seems that a really LOT of people have trouble understanding that.
     
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  5. RRxing

    RRxing Senior Member

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    Also, depending on your location, in cold weather the engine may start occasionally due to the climate control system calling for heat, which comes from the engine.
     
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  6. Athar

    Athar Junior Member

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    Thanks all to help me understanding it :)