Best Practices for battery life. Esp in hot summer

if you are comfortable, so is your battery. the easier you drive, the less you will stress it. i think you've nailed the rest.
you shouldn't have any problems, you can change your car info now.

 

You are in CA, you can tint the rear window and rear side windows. (I think the front side windows are tinted to the legal limit by Toyota)
California Tint Laws - 2017 & 2018 - Car Tinting Laws
Use B mode when descending long steep downhill slopes, this will slow charging of the HV Battery, reducing expansion.
Use the A/C to keep you comfortable, it also keeps the batteries comfortable.
Park in the shade, even if you have to use shades inside the car.
There will be an air vent in the c's rear seat area, never obstruct it.

 

Just an FYI, the c hatch's vent is on the driver's side right below the rear seat cushion.

(Jimbo, apparently you posted this image before!)

 

I have never owned a c, (or sat in one) I was trusting google images. Sigh. I removed the incorrect picture.

 

We know how hot and humid it gets in Florida. And LA County CA can reach the 90's a few weeks per year. A man in Florida, Todd Thomson, manages Tampa Hybrids. He recommends this:

"Preventative care for your battery pack would be parking in a garage or covered area if possible. When that is not possible, have the windows tinted, always close the cargo shade if the car has one, invest in a windshield shade and/ or window vent shades so you can crack the windows and not get rain inside. Always use the air conditioning when its hot outside. The hybrid cooling fan pulls in cabin air to cool the battery so if you are not using AC then you are cooling your battery with hot air which will shorten it's life. If you have a pet that rides with you and sheds or you drive on dirt roads, the pet hair and dust will find its way into the cooling fan and reduce its efficiency. The fan should be cleaned periodically to keep it running well."

I'm in So Cal. This is my first Prius. Unfortunately, my car is always parked in the sun. I went and got the darkest window tint. And I bought a front & rear "Heatshield" from the Priuschat store. Even with all that, my Prius still gets very hot inside. White is supposed to be cooler??? Sometimes I will lower the windows 1" when parked, but then I get lots of dust and little flying bugs inside. When driving, I have the AC on 90% of the time. (Probably worry about it too much.)

 

I think we PC readers tend to worry too much. I live in Las Vegas. It will be 108 degrees today. That means it's also 108 in my garage. If I crack the windows, it's still 108.

I talk to every G2 Prius driver I encounter. I've yet to meet one who has replaced their HV battery. Ordinary folks who own Prii just drive them like they are regular cars. Perhaps we should, too?

 

Keeping a car out of direct sun light is always a good idea for any car when you can. It is good for the paint, tires and the interior of a car.
Sometimes it is just parking near a tree or in the shade of a building and all the things that make you comfortable will make the car happy.
Sometimes it just can't be done.

 

Great comments, egg salad. I had the exact same thoughts this morning. "Why am I now 'thinking' about this car so much?!" For the first year, I just drove it like any other car... and mostly in PWR mode . And you know what? I was much more relaxed then! Now I've been in the Eco mode for several months, and I find myself watching the Hybrid indicator too often, and checking the "score" too much, and looking at the battery status all the time, and keep checking the MPGs, and worrying about heat.......

Totally unnecessary. Distracting! Gives me a headache. Just drive the darn thing.

I was hoping some Prius owners from Nevada and Arizona would post their comments about heat and the hybrid battery. Good to know you haven't had any problems.

 

Assuming the car was originally purchased in California, it has a 10 yr/150k mile warranty on the HV battery so you should be covered during your note.

 

I suspect the most punishing time for ours is sitting in our garage after a drive on a hot day. The garage doors are solid wood, west facing, and it gets pretty warm in there. I've installed a thermostatically controlled dual-fan window fan, one exhaust, one intake. It helps, slightly...

 

Great info you guys have here.

 

Is it still OK to have a minder aux battery charger, just in case?

 

Definitely agree with parking in the shade of a building. The best side of a building to park on is the one that casts shadows later in the day.

Directly under a tree though? No way. Tree sap / bird droppings / tree debris / etc are worse for your car's body than direct sunlight is. Those things stick and leave holes / divots in your clearcoat which can lead to failure if they're not taken care of. Paranoia? Maybe. But I like to keep my car looking good pretty much all the time.

I definitely recommend a windshield shade though. I use the HeatShield one available through the PriusChat shop for my v wagon and it works well enough.

 

Great info!
Also Ive been readings to balance the HV battery every so often... with Prolong battery systems... or else with people like your buddy Todd... that should help a lot to make the battery last longer.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

About the B mode on steep downhills. I usually avoid it, most of the time I use B mode just to help me brake before a stop or when I get too close to a car and I'm in too fast. When I use it on downhills (and I have 2 BIG ONES going down from my residential area to downtown) using B mode the engine revs way too hard, it doesn't sound right neither safe. Am I using it wrong or am I right? I mean, if it is a moderate slope I do use it and it helps me slow down effectively. Anyways what's this expansion phenomena on downhills your talking about, how does it work and what does it do to my battery?


Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.