"In neutral too long" light in car wash

Yes, normally.

Just once in a while, I find myself waiting ten minutes or more in hot weather, under the beating sun, in line behind a couple other cars, waiting for a car wash. Even though there is probably no harm done, I don't like it when the engine runs (edit: not starts) in the car wash. But more importantly, the rules of most car washes state that the the engine must be turned off.

Instead of trying to explain to the attendant, or going through in IG ON neutral without AC, I sometimes prefer to put enough charge in the battery to make shure I can go through the car wash in READY neutral with a little AC, without discharging the battery below the comfort zone.

By comfort zone, I mean at least one bar on the battery SOC indicator. IIRC, there is still about a 16% buffer zone below that (down to 34% SOC) on my gen2, before automatic shut down.

Yes, I admit it's overkill and I'm overthinking it. But that's just what happens when I'm waiting in line at the car wash and my mind wanders.

 

The battery gauge is not linear, six bars can mean anything from about 58% to about 65% and there is at least a few minutes difference between those. Five bars can go down to like 54%. At or below that the car could easily drop to two bars in those 3 minutes. But at the top of 6 bars you could get 10-15. I think your workaround is good.

On a side note, the other day I was in P and hit the gas not thinking correctly and the engine came on and the scangauge indicated current to the battery. Can the gen 3 force charge this way rather than just in D with the brakes applied? I was surprised by this.

 

And I recommend NOT doing that at all.

I know they are different vehicles but my C will do.......NOTHING if you press the gas pedal while the brake is engaged.
Same thing while sitting still in park or neutral......I think......gas pedal does nothing when the "logic" says that increasing the engine speed would accomplish nothing, or be downright dangerous.

 

No they do NOT. I have never seen one like that.

 

Just tried "P(ark)" in my UK Yaris Hybrid (same as your Prius C) with all the accessories switched off and handbrake on and the instant you depress the gas pedal any appreciable amount, the ICE starts up straight away. There's no point in trying the same thing in neutral since the HV battery doesn't charge in neutral anyway...

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