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New owner with a ?

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by John Brewton, Apr 17, 2007.

  1. John Brewton

    John Brewton New Member

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    Just took delivery on an '07 w/option package 5. It's actually my wife's car and she loves it. We have talked the talk for many years and now we are finally walking the walk! Anyone interested in a '97 Pathfinder which is now superfluous to our needs?
    I have a question which a neighbor raised. If you take a long highway trip does the battery go flat? My answer (or guess) :) would be that since the battery is not being used at highway speeds there would be no drain. However, I don't know that for a fact. My neighbor hypothisized that with no regenerative braking taking place the battery would drain down to nothing. Anyone volunteer to lay the real deal on me?
     
    #1 John Brewton, Apr 17, 2007
  2. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(John Brewton @ Apr 17 2007, 08:28 PM) [snapback]425003[/snapback]</div>
    Wow, no the battery will never go flat..in fact it'll never drop below a 40% state of Charge (SOC). The majority of the charging of the battery is via 1 of the two Motor Generators (MG1 & MG2)...MG1 is attached to the gas engine (aka ICE - internal combustion engine). There is essentially continuous charge and discharge from the battery and MG1 as you drive as the computers balance the power flow to the wheels and battery while it maintains the ICE within it's most efficient RPM range to maximize fuel economy.

    Only a fraction of the charge to the battery comes from regenerative braking and coasting.

    I strongly encourage you to explore at http://john1701a.com , John has been a Prius promoter for years and has put together some very easy to understand materials to help you better comprehend how the complex systems of the Prius work to make it more efficient, but in an easy to understand format.
     
    #2 efusco, Apr 17, 2007
  3. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    Evan's answer is right on the money, as you would expect. I just want to add a conceptual point. Think of the battery in the Prius as a flywheel. It stores extra energy when it is available, gives it back when needed, and generally smooths out the flow of power. It can't take you very far by itself, but it's always in the power loop as a helper.

    Tom
     
    #3 qbee42, Apr 18, 2007
  4. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    The only convenient way to get the HV battery below 40% is to run out of fuel and continue driving on electric only. The Prius owner's manual (and a majority of PriusChatters) advise against this, but we welcome reading the experiences of the few who do, by accident or design.
     
    #4 tochatihu, Apr 18, 2007
  5. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(John Brewton @ Apr 17 2007, 08:28 PM) [snapback]425003[/snapback]</div>
    Welcome to the site.

    Only if you don't get out of the way of the steamroller. :)
     
    #5 JimN, Apr 18, 2007
  6. carlisle

    carlisle New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ Apr 18 2007, 08:36 AM) [snapback]425251[/snapback]</div>

    I think my Mazda has the same concept of the Prius as the battery just like a Mazda flywheel that stores energy when needed... But I think with a bad battery this belief is not possible...
     
    #6 carlisle, Jun 2, 2007
  7. morpheusx

    morpheusx Professor Chaos

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(John Brewton @ Apr 17 2007, 09:28 PM) [snapback]425003[/snapback]</div>
    Usually when I take a longer highway trip the battery will hit the 7th green bar when going down the off ramp, meaning that SOC is usually high after a trip.
     
    #7 morpheusx, Jun 3, 2007
  8. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    Congrats, John, and welcome to Priuschat!

    Shoot! I didn't see this thread when you started it. And here I would have started out with a reply explaining how Toyota has a fleet of Mobile Recharging Units (MRUs) cruising America's roadways so you can recharge the battery without stopping, much like aircraft that refuel inflight. These MRUs have extendable boom-mounted wiring harnesses that plug into the front of your car to recharge the hybrid battery. That's what the round disk on the front bumper is for. Of course, the difficult part is making the connection because it requires precise driving skills to match speeds and hold the car steady - an endeavor made difficult in the cross-winds of the open plains. But once the connection is made and the MRU starts the flow of electricity, it's just a matter of a few minutes until your hybrid battery is fully charged again. The best part is that it is completely covered by Toyota and while recharging, you can draft off the MRU.

    But since they already ruined my fun, I'll have to hold onto that nugget of B.S. for another time.
     
    #8 TonyPSchaefer, Jun 3, 2007
  9. Family Hybrid

    Family Hybrid Junior Member

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    We tried this when I was at a training class. We disconnected the fuel pump relay to simulate an empty gas tank. The car eventually crawled to a halt after about 1 mile. The HV battery didn't completely discharge as the computer shut the hybrid system down at about 20% charge. When we reinstalled the fuel pump relay and powered up, the ICE came on and started to bring the battery back.

    However, you definately do NOT want to run out of gas. You can weaken the battery to the point that it will not come back. As far as the recharging unit, the guys at the training center told us there are only 3 HV recharge units on the east coast.

    Moral of the story: if the gas tank runs low, fill it up.
     
    #9 Family Hybrid, Jun 3, 2007
  10. Rae Vynn

    Rae Vynn Artist In Residence

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ Jun 3 2007, 10:38 AM) [snapback]454448[/snapback]</div>
    I must admit, the MRU sure came in handy for me on the trip around the Olympic Peninsula!! There we were, cruisin' along the highway, and my "battery low" warning light came on, and the car was beeping, and then, there they were to rescue us!!

    Dear Hubby and I were able to complete our trip with no troubles :D
     
    #10 Rae Vynn, Jun 3, 2007
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