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Tips on battery charging?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by AndyMartin826, Sep 12, 2007.

  1. AndyMartin826

    AndyMartin826 New Member

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    Any tips on preserving the battery when parked at work all day? My battery gets to the 6 bars through the drive in, but it seems that when I crank up after the car has been sitting in the parking lot I have maybe 4 bars which go down very quickly, absolutely killing my mileage as I bring it back up. Any tips?
     
    #1 AndyMartin826, Sep 12, 2007
  2. AndyMartin826

    AndyMartin826 New Member

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    Any tips on preserving the battery when parked at work all day? My battery gets to the 6 bars through the drive in, but it seems that when I crank up after the car has been sitting in the parking lot I have maybe 4 bars which go down very quickly, absolutely killing my mileage as I bring it back up. Any tips?
     
    #2 AndyMartin826, Sep 12, 2007
  3. douglas001001

    douglas001001 smug doug

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AZTriGuy @ Sep 12 2007, 11:23 AM) [snapback]511353[/snapback]</div>
    Most likely you are going too fast too soon, in stage 1 of warm up the car uses battery to push while the gas engine warms the emissions system.

    So go easy for the first minute.
     
    #3 douglas001001, Sep 12, 2007
  4. douglas001001

    douglas001001 smug doug

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AZTriGuy @ Sep 12 2007, 11:23 AM) [snapback]511353[/snapback]</div>
    Most likely you are going too fast too soon, in stage 1 of warm up the car uses battery to push while the gas engine warms the emissions system.

    So go easy for the first minute.
     
    #4 douglas001001, Sep 12, 2007
  5. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    There's quite a bit of hysteresis with the battery SOC and what's displayed on the MFD. Your shut down and start up true SOC are probably nearly identical (there is a bit of a drop immediately at start up). There's nothing you can or need to do to maintain the SOC. And the point above about driving very gently for the first minute or so after start up is on target...during warm up the ECU will restrain the ICE rpm in preference to using the battery until the emissions system is fully warmed up so you'll see a rapid drop in SOC in that initial phase. You can minimize that by driving very gently that first minute.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    Image credit: Wayne Brown http://privatenrg.com
     
    #5 efusco, Sep 12, 2007
  6. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    There's quite a bit of hysteresis with the battery SOC and what's displayed on the MFD. Your shut down and start up true SOC are probably nearly identical (there is a bit of a drop immediately at start up). There's nothing you can or need to do to maintain the SOC. And the point above about driving very gently for the first minute or so after start up is on target...during warm up the ECU will restrain the ICE rpm in preference to using the battery until the emissions system is fully warmed up so you'll see a rapid drop in SOC in that initial phase. You can minimize that by driving very gently that first minute.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    Image credit: Wayne Brown http://privatenrg.com
     
    #6 efusco, Sep 12, 2007
  7. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    I just want to say that graph is very well done. A+
     
    #7 dogfriend, Sep 12, 2007
  8. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    I just want to say that graph is very well done. A+
     
    #8 dogfriend, Sep 12, 2007
  9. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Notice that a drop from 55% (5 OR 6 bars) to 54.5% can mean a drop to 4 bars. So it's entirely possible that your shutdown at 6 bars and start up at 4 bars are nearly identical SOC.
     
    #9 efusco, Sep 12, 2007
  10. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Notice that a drop from 55% (5 OR 6 bars) to 54.5% can mean a drop to 4 bars. So it's entirely possible that your shutdown at 6 bars and start up at 4 bars are nearly identical SOC.
     
    #10 efusco, Sep 12, 2007
  11. AndyMartin826

    AndyMartin826 New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Sep 12 2007, 10:42 AM) [snapback]511415[/snapback]</div>
    Great charts, helps a lot to understand how the state of charge readout works. Didn't realize the the ICE only worked to warm up the engine for the first minute, I thought still helped in the acceleration but knowing that I'll take it little easier during the first minute or two.
     
    #11 AndyMartin826, Sep 12, 2007
  12. AndyMartin826

    AndyMartin826 New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Sep 12 2007, 10:42 AM) [snapback]511415[/snapback]</div>
    Great charts, helps a lot to understand how the state of charge readout works. Didn't realize the the ICE only worked to warm up the engine for the first minute, I thought still helped in the acceleration but knowing that I'll take it little easier during the first minute or two.
     
    #12 AndyMartin826, Sep 12, 2007
  13. douglas001001

    douglas001001 smug doug

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AZTriGuy @ Sep 12 2007, 02:35 PM) [snapback]511479[/snapback]</div>
    You can watch the consumption screen to figure out when its over, you'll get a noticeable jump up when it is done if you're rolling slowly, also btw this is the point when you can enable ev mode.

    If you have a scan gauge, watch ign, when it flips to positive from -10 you're through it.
     
    #13 douglas001001, Sep 12, 2007
  14. douglas001001

    douglas001001 smug doug

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AZTriGuy @ Sep 12 2007, 02:35 PM) [snapback]511479[/snapback]</div>
    You can watch the consumption screen to figure out when its over, you'll get a noticeable jump up when it is done if you're rolling slowly, also btw this is the point when you can enable ev mode.

    If you have a scan gauge, watch ign, when it flips to positive from -10 you're through it.
     
    #14 douglas001001, Sep 12, 2007
  15. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AZTriGuy @ Sep 12 2007, 02:35 PM) [snapback]511479[/snapback]</div>
    If youi stomp the accerator hard enough the ICE will rev higher and give more power, but you're pushing it into a very inefficient range doing that.
     
    #15 efusco, Sep 13, 2007
  16. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AZTriGuy @ Sep 12 2007, 02:35 PM) [snapback]511479[/snapback]</div>
    If youi stomp the accerator hard enough the ICE will rev higher and give more power, but you're pushing it into a very inefficient range doing that.
     
    #16 efusco, Sep 13, 2007
  17. darelldd

    darelldd Prius is our Gas Guzzler

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Sep 12 2007, 10:00 PM) [snapback]511758[/snapback]</div>
    Not to mention polluting more.
     
    #17 darelldd, Sep 13, 2007
  18. darelldd

    darelldd Prius is our Gas Guzzler

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(efusco @ Sep 12 2007, 10:00 PM) [snapback]511758[/snapback]</div>
    Not to mention polluting more.
     
    #18 darelldd, Sep 13, 2007
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