Should I leave the Prime plugged in when not in use and charge is complete?

well that's the question, isn't it? i don't know if it's a japenglish problem, or if they're being deliberately obtuse. but after reading gm's new '40% degradation is acceptable' language, i think they're all trying to avoid liability.

 

PiP (and Prime) traction battery is completely isolated from the system when shut down and Lion batteries self discharge is extremely low. Toyota's recommendation for storing is ~24% SOC which IMO will be completely safe for 6 months or more.
Why Toyota recommends ~24% while batteries experts say 40-50% is better for long term storing of the battery - is a mystery to me, maybe to prevent those who are not charging at all coming to Toyota by saying: Hay, are we taking risks?

 

keep in mind that they moved the battery to the engine bay on gen 4. it is larger and hopefully able to withstand longer periods of downtime.

 

I thought someone posted that the Prime also smart-charges the 12V battery when plugged in? If so, keeping it plugged in is a "good thing (tm)".

 

The traction battery is isolated upon shutdown, but the 12V is not on a PIP.

 

With the PiP, only when actually charging IIRC.

 

I believe we chatted/covered this before but..In cold weather the heater will draw power for up to 3 days if still plugged in.

“Traction Battery Heater”
When the outside temperature is low and the charging cable is connected
to the vehicle, this function automatically warms the hybrid
battery (traction battery) until it reaches or exceeds a certain temperature.
● When the charging cable is removed from the vehicle or remains
connected to the vehicle for approximately 3 days, the system
automatically stops.

“Traction Battery Heater” may operate when charging is not being performed.
“Traction Battery Heater” can be turned on and off in the “Vehicle Settings”
settings on the multi-information display. (→P. 732)

 

I think the question posted was about whether or not the 12 v battery gets charged while plugged in.

 

But that's still good info. as the outside temp. here is currently -22C, that's about -7.6F for those metrically challenged. It's -8.8C in my insulated but unheated garage. IF I had a Prime I would have that heater -ON-!

 

Will every Prime be equipped with a traction battery heater ?

 

Kind of surprised I'm bumping a thread that's more than a year old to get an answer to this question, but this is the most appropriate thread I could find. Other searches just took me to info about the heat pump (cabin heating/cooling system).

If I charge my Prime overnight in my garage (~50 degrees F this time of year) and I have the traction battery heater set to turn on (after charging is complete, presumably), will the heater turn on and continue to draw a charge? Or does the traction battery heater kick on only at much lower temperatures?

 

I have a 2018 Prime, live in Colorado and we travel for months at a time, both winter and summer. I tend to leave the car with: full tank of gas, 50%-60% on the battery, and the 12v battery connected to a battery tender. On our older 2008 Gen III Prius, we had the 12v battery go dead if the car sat unused for more than a month; hence the battery tender. When we leave for more than 2 months, I mix fuel stabilizer into the gas and run the engine a bit before we leave.

 

Why full tank of gas, if I might ask. I have octane 92 ethanol-free available locally. Would that be a better gas to put into the Prime than the 10% ethanol variety. Does ethanol-free gas also require fuel stabilizer if engine isn't run regularly?