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Should I leave the Prime plugged in when not in use and charge is complete?

Discussion in 'Prime Plug-in Charging' started by rmnelson, Dec 6, 2016.

  1. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    well that's the question, isn't it? i don't know if it's a japenglish problem, or if they're being deliberately obtuse. but after reading gm's new '40% degradation is acceptable' language, i think they're all trying to avoid liability.
     
  2. giora

    giora Senior Member

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    PiP (and Prime) traction battery is completely isolated from the system when shut down and Lion batteries self discharge is extremely low. Toyota's recommendation for storing is ~24% SOC which IMO will be completely safe for 6 months or more.
    Why Toyota recommends ~24% while batteries experts say 40-50% is better for long term storing of the battery - is a mystery to me, maybe to prevent those who are not charging at all coming to Toyota by saying: Hay, are we taking risks?
     
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  3. rmnelson

    rmnelson Junior Member

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    Thanks for the interesting comments about this issue. The car gets used on an irregular basis, and I wondered if keeping the traction battery topped was a potential issue over the long term. I had not realized that the 12V is isolated when the car is shut down. In our Gen II I replaced the 12V with an Optima Yellow Top and kept it attached to a battery maintainer when not in use. So perhaps the Prime is going to require a maintainer as well. In my experience the maintainer dramatically increased the life span of the 12V on a car that saw 4000 miles per year of use.
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    keep in mind that they moved the battery to the engine bay on gen 4. it is larger and hopefully able to withstand longer periods of downtime.
     
  5. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    I thought someone posted that the Prime also smart-charges the 12V battery when plugged in? If so, keeping it plugged in is a "good thing (tm)".
     
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  6. CraigCSJ

    CraigCSJ Active Member

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    The traction battery is isolated upon shutdown, but the 12V is not on a PIP.
     
  7. giora

    giora Senior Member

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    With the PiP, only when actually charging IIRC.
     
  8. JamesBurke

    JamesBurke Senior Member

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    I believe we chatted/covered this before but..In cold weather the heater will draw power for up to 3 days if still plugged in.

    “Traction Battery Heater”
    When the outside temperature is low and the charging cable is connected
    to the vehicle, this function automatically warms the hybrid
    battery (traction battery) until it reaches or exceeds a certain temperature.
    ● When the charging cable is removed from the vehicle or remains
    connected to the vehicle for approximately 3 days, the system
    automatically stops.

    “Traction Battery Heater” may operate when charging is not being performed.
    “Traction Battery Heater” can be turned on and off in the “Vehicle Settings”
    settings on the multi-information display. (→P. 732)
     
  9. priuscatprimeguy

    priuscatprimeguy Senior Member

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    I think the question posted was about whether or not the 12 v battery gets charged while plugged in.:confused:
     
  10. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    But that's still good info. as the outside temp. here is currently -22C, that's about -7.6F for those metrically challenged. It's -8.8C in my insulated but unheated garage. IF I had a Prime I would have that heater -ON-! ;)
     
  11. civicdriver06

    civicdriver06 Active Member

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    Will every Prime be equipped with a traction battery heater ?
     
  12. draheim

    draheim Member

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    Kind of surprised I'm bumping a thread that's more than a year old to get an answer to this question, but this is the most appropriate thread I could find. Other searches just took me to info about the heat pump (cabin heating/cooling system).

    If I charge my Prime overnight in my garage (~50 degrees F this time of year) and I have the traction battery heater set to turn on (after charging is complete, presumably), will the heater turn on and continue to draw a charge? Or does the traction battery heater kick on only at much lower temperatures?
     
  13. Colorado_Hiker

    Colorado_Hiker Junior Member

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    I have a 2018 Prime, live in Colorado and we travel for months at a time, both winter and summer. I tend to leave the car with: full tank of gas, 50%-60% on the battery, and the 12v battery connected to a battery tender. On our older 2008 Gen III Prius, we had the 12v battery go dead if the car sat unused for more than a month; hence the battery tender. When we leave for more than 2 months, I mix fuel stabilizer into the gas and run the engine a bit before we leave.
     
  14. srivenkat

    srivenkat Active Member

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    Why full tank of gas, if I might ask. I have octane 92 ethanol-free available locally. Would that be a better gas to put into the Prime than the 10% ethanol variety. Does ethanol-free gas also require fuel stabilizer if engine isn't run regularly?