Prius at the drive-in movies

If the car is in "ACC" (green light on button) or "IG ON" mode (amber light on button), then the main battery is isolated, and you're running from the aux battery alone.

For this sort of event, you want to be in "ACC". With just the radio on, you shouldn't be draining the battery too fast. "ACC" mode does have a timer though - it'll turn itself off automatically after one hour, just in case you've left it there accidentally. But you can turn it straight back on again.

If you then put the car into "READY" during the intermission, the auxiliary battery will recharge from the main battery, and the main battery will recharge from the engine if necessary.

The statement in the manual I believe you're referring to ("To prevent the battery from being discharged, do not leave the car audio on longer than necessary when the hybrid system is not running") is actually talking about the auxiliary battery. The main battery is disconnected.

The Prius's auxiliary battery is smaller than a conventional car's, but a couple of hours should be no big deal. Even if it does get somewhat drained it doesn't have to actually physically start the car, it just needs enough voltage to boot up the computers and perform a systems check before the main battery comes online.

 

My suggestion is to go to the drive-in and leave the vehicle in ready. Turn off the A/C system completely so there is no fan or A/C draw and leave it like that. The vehicle will basically continually charge the 12v battery while in ready along with being ready to give the HV battery some juice if it gets lower than the computer system likes.

I don't see this vehicle as being an issue with regard to disturbing others. It is very quite when it decides to kick in ICE and MG1 for recharging. Certainly, it wouldn't be like being in a Ford PowerStroke and doing the same thing.

 

You could always bring a battery powered radio instead.

 

Where do you live that you still have drive-ins? They are all but gone in California. Land prices, suburban sprawl, and air conditioning have killed them off.

 

There's a couple in Tampa Bay. My friend wants to go to one someday.
Also likes to see stars. Waiting for a clear dark night when we have time together.

 

Were you interested in the movie, or were you looking to be able to provide a different response in the current site survey? :lol:

 

You mean how well the defogger works? ;-)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(KTPhil\";p=\"102546)</div>

Go to http://www.drive-ins.com/ and enter your ZIP Code. It'll give you a list of open drive ins. Some even say what's playing.

Good question, I was curious myself. A couple of weeks ago we went in my wife's Windstar and I wanted to use the Prius (for one reason, at the one we went to, vehicles like the Windstar and trucks have to park in the back). I suppose you'd have to turn the MFD off too to save power. If you did, would it turn back on the next time you powered up, or just touching a button turns it back on?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(aaf709\";p=\"103295)</div>

[font=Comic Sans MS:894c656440]If you press the Display button on the left of the screen you can see the button to turn the screen off. To turn it back on, just press Map or Info.[/font:894c656440]

 

i know of a drive in in California.

You could leave your auxilary battery running. ( non ready mode).. the first stage. if it turns off in an hour, turn it back on. I've ran my system at a party. music up high. screen off.. so on.. it last for a good hour and a half. the system will start "flashing" audio and all. it's dying and turning it back on. just power up the car for a min or so.. then go back into whatever mode you were in.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(KTPhil\";p=\"102546)</div>

I just went to one a few days ago. Its not as great as it used to be though. A gasoline station opened up near by and the lights from the pumps make some movies difficult to watch.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(KTPhil\";p=\"102546)</div>

We still have some in NoCal, San Jose, even. They aren't dead yet. My daughter with the three kids loves them during the summer. I like the way they now run the audio through your car stereo using a low power fm station. Better than the tinny speakers, some of which were always missing. :roll:

Lisa

 

I took my '04 Prius to a drive-in last weekend, and here's my experience: I put it in accessory mode (powered up with foot off the brake) and sat through the whole first movie with no problem except for it automatically shutting off after an hour or so, but I just hit the power button again. At intermission, I put it in 'ready' mode, but the engine only kicked on twice for about 10 seconds to recharge the battery. I then put it back in accessory mode for the whole second movie. Afterwards, the car started fine, no problem. I didn't need to run the A/C or heat or anything else during the movies, just the radio at a good volume.

 

Hydrex, my experience at a drive-in the other weekend was nearly identical to yours. I had my Prius in ACC mode, and near the end of the first movie, it shut off. I put it in READY mode for a few minutes; the ICE came on maybe three times during the rest of the movie and intermission. After the 20-minute intermission I put it in ACC mode again. Again near the end of the movie, it shut off, so I left it in READY for the rest of the night.

I did have the AC on some of the time as the weather was very hot & muggy and there were approximately 1,000 mosquitos per cubic foot.