So I have a Prius Plug-In Advanced. About two months old. About 2,500 miles on the odometer. I love it, but... Recently, the EV range displayed after an overnight recharge (charge complete) has been shrinking. It started out around 11 miles, which is what I thought I should be getting. Now it's down to about 9.5 miles. Any explanation from all you experts out there?
How would my driving habits affect the initial charge level when the display shows I have a full charge?
It's not just showing how much charge you have. It's also estimate how far you can drive with that much charge. That estimate is based on your driving habits. This is a very common concern for most new owners. It has been discused here many, many times. You can read more about it in these existing topics. EV Miles estimate after Full Charge LOW | PriusChat Full Charge Decline | PriusChat Declining EV every day after full charge?? | PriusChat
get it back to the dealer asap, sounds like a bad pack. there have been a few so far if you search the skies.
Omg you got another one of the Chinese versions!? Take it back immediately before it catches fire!!! Seriously, can we create a faq sticky already????? At least I searched and read before I even made my purchase! We really really need an FAQ STICKY!
Frank get a scan gauge. Your charge is the same. If you live I'm San Fran or San Diego you will be getting about 10 or 11 miles of EV. In LA in the flats I get about 15-16.
Mine did the same thing and I asked the same question and got the same answers. The interesting thing is that as you start to realize the best ways to drive the car to maximize your charge, that initial estimate after a full charge starts to creep back up. Mine started over 11 and then dropped to low 10's and is now almost back to 11.
This is a very strange occurance, it seems that all battery packs made to the same specs should show the same range. I can understand the range increasing thru use, mine went from 12.2 to 15.1. Generally it shows 14.7 to 14.9 If you get no satisfaction from Toyota try running all the way to zero a couple of times, if that does not work try the opposit, charge it and then drive in EV. I have also rebooted, but I can't say there was a direct correlation as my improved charge did not occur until 2-3 cycles later, but who knows? Hopefully, Toyota will eventually get this straightened out. It took about 15 years to get around the 12 Volt battery problem. Which they never openly admitted.
It was happening to me also - and I took it to the dealer complaining. It is all dependent upon how you drive, and more importantly, where you drive. I was down to a low of 10.8 after a full charge with the air off. The last two miles to my house is all uphill and was using up the charge rapidly. So I started a test: I engaged the HV mode about a mile before I get the the uphill section - yes, I know I am using gas and I am getting home with some EV range left. After six weeks my car read 16.0 this morning. It takes a l-o-n-g time for the computer to adjust to your daily route and driving habits.
After charging place car in READY and then look at the Estimated Miles for EV. Then push the OFF button for the heater /AC system to get the fan off. Watch the EV estimate when you do this and you'll see a jump of 1.0 to 1.4 miles in the EV range for a full charge (it's lower for partial charges). Mine was down to 9.4 to 9.6 after a charge for 2 to 3 months. Did the dealer thing and they said to turn off the AC, lights, nav system etc. What I discovered is that the FAN must be off. I was turning on the fan then turning off the A/C with the A/C button for fresh air ventilation thinking that would stop the battery draw. I discovered it's the FAN BEING ON that created the high draw and low EV estimates. Even turning on the defroster turns on the fan. So now I get my estimate without any heater a/c systems going to ensure the fan is off, then I do whatever I want with the A/C now that I know the batteries are full up. It seemed weird to me that even the dealer had not turned off the fan and got the same "apparently low" charges that I got. The A/C is the system that draws the 207 ac volts to operate, but the fan being on (regardless of speed) is the thing the computer evidently uses to make it's estimated EV calculations. Good luck - Mine is back from 9.4 to 11.6 provided the fan is off. P.S. sit there and try different things to see what happens to the estimated EV range as you turn them on and off, the running lights, parking lights, headlights. high beams lights, radio, nav system, etc etc. the ONLY thing I found was the FAN!! The lights evidently and all the rest operate on the 12 volt system, though I thought the fan would too. If it does then the computer programing is using the fan to indicate the a/c is on, even when it is off according to the switch. ??? Luck.
The fan doesn't take that much energy, but it kills your estimated range. I had to take an 11 mile trip. I got in the car and turned on the air, and it said I had 10.1 mile range. Oh well, I kept the air on anyway. I made it the entire trip in EV. These are simply estimations folks. There is a rather significant margin of error at work here. Heck driving home one night I had 5 miles of EV left, and 15 miles until home. I was on the freeway and doing 65-70 in EV the entire time (yes the engine came on when needed) and I was amazed that I was able to pull into my driveway with .3 miles EV left. You bought the car stating it gets 11 miles EV range on a full charge. And it does, and then some more. If you have the AC on, on flat roads, the radio up, and accelerate as fast as you can without turning on the ICE, you will get 11 miles if you drive <62MPH.
((Hits himself in the head for not thinking of that.)) Of course, you're right. It worked. Back to showing an 11.0 EV range on full charge. Thanks.
it does seem odd that they choose the fan as the thing to change ev estimate. and as the estimate goes down, the differential between fan on and fan off becomes less.
I did the same when I figured it out!! Hadn't seen anyone on the forum mention this from what I've read. Enjoy
Maybe because Toyota is used to very powerful fans... Any interesting to read this thread and see a resolution to the mystery.
