Am I correct that you get full ac in battery mode + turning on the car will place it in battery mode. And once the battery gets low the engine will turn on and charge the battery...eventually turning off once the battery is charged - then keep repeating this cycle even if not driving?
Think of it as 2 separate systems because it is. When the car is in READY mode, it takes care of itself. When the battery gets too low or too high, the engine turns on and either charges or discharges the battery to keep it happy as long as it has petrol in the tank. Same thing when the engine gets too cold. If the AC is on, then this puts a load on the electrical system. Eventually it will discharge the traction battery enough that the engine will turn on and charge you up from 1-2 bars on the MFD to 3 bars. And unless the engine is cold or has decided you need more charge, it will most likely shut off at 3 bars on the SOC gauge on the MFD. Rinse, wash, repeat, as long as there's a load. There is no "battery mode". It is a hybrid, not an EV. The PSD is always engaged, the dinosaur motor is always in the loop. It just may not be burning gas all the time, but it is there at the ready.
When I go out to my car to read at lunch time, if it's hot and humid out, I roll up the windows and turn the A/C on. What's nice about the PiP is that there's plenty charge in the battery, so the ICE doesn't come on.
What is the PiP? "Eventually it will discharge the traction battery " any estimate of how long it takes to run down ? and how long it takes running with ICE to charge it back up? Are the times predictable in every cycle (given an unchanging environment) ?
PIP = Plug In Prius IIR from last summer- you lose 1 EV mile every 7-8min or so of moderate ac use (fan on ii or iii at 76 deg). If you start off with a full traction battery- running the ac for 30 min will not cause the ICE to start.
Good thread. As a new Prius owner, I've been wondering about the exact in's and out's of this also. Pretty much what I figured above. But I have a little different question on it. Say we have the dogs along and want to leave the AC running while we run into a store, etc. Does the fob have to be in the car, or can we leave it in Ready, lock the doors and take the Fob's with us? I'm just wondering if the car will eventually shut itself down if a Fob is not in it.
All you have to do is leave the car in ready mode with the A/C on. Lower your drivers window, hit the door lock to lock all the doors, then hit the automatic window button to raise the drivers side window up. Walk away, but with dogs I would still crack all the other windows except obviously the drivers side window which is being raised automatically to the top by itself.
The car will stay in ready mode until the power button is pushed or it runs out of gas. The small problem is it won't lock with the fob button while ready. Use the mechanical key to lock/unlock, just keep in mind that if someone jimmys the door they can drive off with your dogs.
Ah, good idea about the mechanical key. The two dogs in question are pure bred German Shepherd's (which is why we went with a v instead of a HB), so not overly worried about a break in.
I've used this method while car camping, to power a small fridge plugged into the 'cigarette lighter' port. The mechanical key trick works very well. The car turns itself on maybe once an hour, and runs for only a couple of minutes. With AC, it would run for longer, and more often. Leaving the windows cracked would seem to defeat the purpose of running AC - if you use the vent setting rather than recirculate, there will be plenty of fresh air. And yes, I would think the dogs would provide adequate security. Still, it might not hurt to add a note to the car so some kind soul doesn't break a window to 'rescue' your dogs.
Yes! This is a great idea. Also with all the fur you may want to consider an air filter, panty hose or something to keep it out of your hybrid battery fan area. I don't know how the Prius v is but with my Prius Three I want to cover the vent so all the fur from the German Shedder doesn't get in the hybrid fan and gunk it up. On a side note: I love my GSD! She is such a great dog! I have the regular HB and she'll fit but she's not very big, around 70 pounds is her top healthy weight. I do wish I could get some sort of a crate in there for her so she's safe if we ever get into an accident, though I might just get her a harness that clicks in the seatbelt.
I'm working on the pre-filter, but thanks for the suggestion. I've already torn the intake apart and it's clean as a whistle so far. I hope to keep it that way. Our GSD's are not the big ones either. 75lbs each. Here are the girls out with us for a hike here in the Ozark Mts a couple of years ago. The blond one was still a puppy:
