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Prime Battery - Topping up?

Discussion in 'Prime Plug-in Charging' started by jgurley, Dec 27, 2016.

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  1. jgurley

    jgurley Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
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    II
    The main reason I bought a Prime is that although I put 20K miles a year on my car, my typical use is way less than 25 miles and my '05 Prius would always use the ICE, since I have a steep driveway and have to pull out on a rural highway. Possible loss of the $4500 tax credit with the new administration was a factor, as well.

    If I make a 5 mile run to the Post Office using about 20% of the battery, is the battery better off by topping it up every trip or waiting till the charge indicator gets a little lower? Most info on the web says "cycles" is the killer, but "depth" is an important factor, too. I don't see any guidance in the plethora of manuals that came with the car.

    We only pay $.08/kw, so charging is a no brainer.
     
    #1 jgurley, Dec 27, 2016
    priuscatprimeguy and bisco like this.
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
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    Plug-in Base
    it doesn't matter. i plug the pip in at any level when i know i'll be using it again. lithium is very forgiving.
    i'm sure the prime is even better. congrats, and all the best!(y)
     
    #2 bisco, Dec 27, 2016
    priuscatprimeguy likes this.
  3. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    If I understand "cycles" correctly, it's not about the number of times you charge but the number of times the battery is charged from empty to full.

    e.g. if your phone battery is at 100% and you charge it every time it drops to 80%, then you have to do it 5 times (20% x 5) for it to be considered "one cycle".

    Whatever you decide to do, use the "Charge by" function rather than the "Start charging at".

    The former means the battery doesn't sit at "full" (full by the computer's parameter since the battery isn't actually full. There's a buffer) for too long before you drive off. One detriment to battery life is a full battery sitting for a set amount of time. It's best to start using the battery as soon as possible after charging is complete.
     
    #3 Tideland Prius, Dec 28, 2016
    Optimus PRIME and Insirt like this.
  4. Olegoat

    Olegoat Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2016
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    Location:
    Central, Fl.
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Three Touring
    What kind of distance / mileage are you folks getting from a charge ? I was getting 28-30 miles per full charge, in the past month it's dropped to 21-22 per full charge. Dealer says everything is okay. I say what happened?
     
    #4 Olegoat, Feb 4, 2019
  5. CraftyCoder

    CraftyCoder Member

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    Model:
    Prime Premium
    It got cold outside.
     
    #5 CraftyCoder, Feb 4, 2019
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Plug-in Base
    not in central florida. i'm in orlando for the last 3 weeks, and it is perfect ev weather, no hvac needed.

    that is a big drop, i would have a look at tire pressure. do a full ev drive to see how far the car is actually going before the wall charge runs out.
     
    #6 bisco, Feb 5, 2019
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