Reverse in a 2008 base model

Nope. No charging in reverse. Just the way it's designed.

 

combsad7,

I'm really impressed that the Gen II will run in reverse for a mile.
I'd bet I've never backed-up for even 100 ft.

IIRC, the car will only go ~1.5 miles forward in EV mode with a full
battery.

Two questions:

Do you start your run in reverse with a "full" HV battery?

Do you back-up because of difficulties caused by the Traction Control
on gravelly, leaf covered, or otherwise slippery surfaces, or is it just
a narrow roadway with no turn-around even at the end?

I've never experienced anything like this and I like to try to know more
about how the Gen II operates than just what I typically see on a daily
basis -- just in case. You never know what tomorrow may bring.

 

what happens when the battery gets too low, ice?

 

I -thought- Prius DOES charge in "R", just not in "N". It can also generate power with the ICE and MG1 and feed it to MG2 while in "R". It does not use the ICE to power the wheels in "R" as there is NO reverse gear. "R" is "backwards turning" of MG2 only (the inverter does this via computer control).

Note that if you just started the car, it will not "want" to generate or use a lot of ICE power due to the cat warm-up low emission cycle. If you wait a minute or so you get past this limit.

 

ICE can recharge the battery in reverse. HSD just tries to avoid it because it is inefficient.

HSD in reverse is in pure Series hybrid mode. It is powered only by electric motor. ICE does not turn the wheel in reverse direction.