I made another post in the tech forum asking if you could check the health of the hybrid battery like you can the 12V. I encountered an issue where the hybid battery had difficulty getting a "full" charge. It would frequently be in the three to two bar range which got my attention. I did learn that there is not a way to check the hybrid battery. I also have not encountered the problem since crossing the great divide on the way back to St. Louis. It just made me wonder if there are any other Prius owners that have this issue when they frequently encounter mountainous driving?
Unless your hybrid battery has been replaced it has been going for 10 years... I have read other posts reporting the same behavior on mountainous terrain, so I think you're fine. I have also read reports of inverters over-heating on that terrain, if your's didn't, you've been taking care of it, so I'm sure your car is okay!
You didn't stay in the discussion long enough. There are several ways to instrument and check the health of the HV battery. It is true that driving up mountains and in heat can stress the HV battery resulting in a somewhat shorter life. My 2004 HV battery lasted 200k miles before needing to be replaced. JeffD
I have noted the same battery loss issue when driving in western PA aroud my Dad's house. Lots of pretty steep climbs at lower speeds 30-45 MPH. This seems to discharge the battery pretty regularly. I also often go to 2 full green bars (Full Charge) when going down some of these same hills. So you do get some of it back but of course it doesn't equal out. Since one of the issues that is commonly discussed to shorten or measure battery life is the number of discharges I actually did not recommend a Highlander hybrid to my parents. They ended up getting a regular Highlander and are quite pleased with it. In that kind of an envrionment where you have the potential to charge/discharge a battery completly dozens of times per day it doesn't seem like it would be good for it, IMO. Chris
I experienced the same thing on my latest trip to the midwest. On the long climb from Needles, CA to Kingman, AZ I was down to 1 bar for a long time but as the grade went down, the bars started coming back. The only time I could get green was when I took the off ramp to stop for gas. Now that I am back home, all is normal again.
