Leaving Prius unused for months

Well, as far as the suggestion of using the "dribble" charger - I guess you mean "trickle" charger - on the auxillary battery, I wouldn't.

A regular trickle charger will apply a continuous 1-2 amps to that tiny 12 v battery. It doesn't look any larger than what you'd find in a garden tractor or a motorcycle.

Try to find a fully automatic charger that will monitor the battery and keep a "float" charge on it. If the battery charge should happen to go low, then the automatic charger will switch on a "trickle" charge. It will stop and switch to "float" once the charge is repleneshed.

The better ones even claim to remove sulphation from the battery by using a high frequency pulse. The battery can't be hooked up to the vehicle to use this feature. Here are some sites that may help:

http://www.batterychargers.com/details.cfm...%2D12S&catid=18

http://www.griotsgarage.com/catalog.jsp?SK...SKUupsell=77655

http://www.fhcotn.com/northern_tool/store/...tive/167951.asp

http://www.vdcelectronics.com/automotive.htm

As far as the 208 v NiMH battery pack, once you power down the car the relays are open so the only discharge is from internal chemical reaction.

I would hope the large battery pack doesn't lose much charge. The Prius doesn't have a conventional starter and alternator, the only way to turn over the motor to start the car is with the high voltage battery pack.

Even if the 12 v auxillary battery is fully charged, if the main battery is too low or dead, the car cannot start. Since the main battery is 208 vdc, it would also be impossible to boost.

That said, forum members have reported no problems or very few problems if the car is properly stored. If your local dealer doesn't have any answers, call the toll free number and see what Toyota has to say.

 

Hello Walter:

As far as the 12 v battery, it sounds like you already have the correct charger. That should be fine then.

The Prius 12 vdc system is used to "boot" the computers in the car, to operate the headlights and running lights, the heater A/C fan, engine cooling fans, brake boost pump, and radio.

The 208 vdc NiMH main battery pack is used to operate the traction motor, the variable speed A/C compressor, and is used during regenerative braking to "absorb" forward motion.

When the car is powered up and the Ready icon is on, the high voltage inverter/converter is responsible for keeping the proper charge on the 12 vdc battery. The Motor/Generator is used to either charge the main battery, act as a "snubber" during regerative braking, or to add more power during acceleration.

I suppose it helps to visualize how the Prius system works, but since you have no direct control over it anyway it's best to just not worry about it.

A few forum members have reported storage times as long as you have in mind, and it does appear with some basic precautions the car will sit that long without too much trouble. Eg: if your Prius has Smart Key Entry, poke the disable button under the steering column. That system can cause a lot of parasitic drain and the 12 vdc battery will usually go dead within a month.

If the local dealer isn't of any help, it doesn't hurt to call the toll-free Toyota number and get their take on it.

I would be leery of depending on somebody to stop by every 2 weeks to run the Prius for 30 mins. Not too many trustworthy folks out there.

There isn't any reason why Toyota couldn't develop an at-home charger for the high voltage battery pack. We're not talking about huge current here, just enough to keep a float charge.

Jay

 

Jack Stands so the tires do not develop a flat spot. Use a gas stabelizer and fill the tand all the way up.
Disconnect the battery and put moth balls in the car to make sure mice do not make it a home.

Charge the battery when you get back and take a long drive.

This is how I used to store my vette.

Blue