1 year old - Got "low 12v battery" warning

Gen 4 12v is: 45Ah 295 CCA. IIRC the Gen 3 was 35 or 38Ah ?

 

is that a significant improvement? what about the chemistry?

 

The label has lead and explosive gas warnings so I would assume it is lead acid.

 

Waiting to load onto a car ferry is usually not in an enclosed space (actually never in my experience, but I won't rule it out).

I wouldn't suggest keeping it in ready for long in an enclosed space, but the engine would only run for a couple minutes to charge up the battery a little. Probably harmless unless it's sealed up very tightly and runs several times. Still, not recommended. Bottom line, if you're in the garage, and you need to have power to the car for some reason, either set a timer (as in don't just sit and listen to the radio) if you want it in ACC mode, or open the door and put it in READY mode. I often just reach in and hit the power button twice to look at the odometer or something. But if I'm waiting for someone and want the radio, I keep it in READY. That's what the owner's manual says, also. That's true for any car. Thankfully, we have an option that non-hybrids lack.

 

I haven't seen any Toyota documentation saying the 12V battery is "vastly improved". It's still a 12V lead acid battery, of rather small size. It can still be drained if you try hard enough. ANY modern car has this problem! Just ask a Ford owner! In fact, the Prius will run just fine with a compromised 12V battery once in "ready", but a Ford won't. The automatic transmission won't work (a friend's experience).

The "improvement" in the G4 is that you can use a battery from more suppliers and it's a bit easier to get at. Oh, and it should be less expensive, I guess. THAT remains to be seen.

The answer to the problem is in the owners manual, as has already been posted above. Leave the car in "ready" when you are listening to music etc.

 

it's in the walk around video review danny did with the toyota prius expert, early on, when he went to japan i think.
but since you haven't seen it, it must not exist.

 

That is not a Toyota documentation. It's a "Danny doc."

 

I believe the Toyota Prius expert is a Toyota employee.

 

Just so I'm reading this correctly: you're advocating leaving it in Ready - which can fire up the ICE at any time - in an enclosed space, as long as it's "not for very long".

 

The best recommendation is not to do this in an enclosed space. The alternative, is READY mode.
The manual already states you should not be using accessory mode for this. Since they warned of issues using Accessory mode, I would not expect any warranty assistance if their advice is ignored.

 

Just get out of the and have life....

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

That would not be "leaving it in READY."

But, if a few seconds would hurt you, then you wouldn't be able to safely walk past the tail pipe with it running. Mechanics start dirtier engines than this one in their garages for a few moments and have done so for ages. You'll soon know when it's time to shut it off. You fire it up, say "Whoo hoo, it works," and shut if off. Not recommended, but often done.

 

how does 'open the door' not tell you it is no longer a closed space?

 

I didn't say it was, I was just responding to your query about why the Accessory mode even exists. There are occasions when you need power when in an enclosed space. Just one example, I don't think my neighbours would appreciate me having the ICE on in our communal underground parking complex while I'm cleaning inside the car, or updating my nav destinations or whatever.

I think that considering the mode does exist, it's not unreasonable to think you won't encounter issues by using it on occasion. In my case, probably just the third such occasion.

 

On occasion. I was exaggerating a bit and it's unfortunate that that has become central when it was mostly just a wise crack. ACC can be useful once in a while. But it's not for listening to the radio. I sometimes use ACC for opening my windows. But you make it sound like your engine will run the whole time it's in READY. It only runs a little now and then (assuming it's warmed up), and many people in this country idle their cars far longer in communal (or private garages with the door open) in the winter. I don't advocate it. It's not good for the car, the environment, or the wallet, but they do it. It would seem that Belgian drivers are more enlightened, and that's good news.

 

ive seen an instruction to top up battery electrolyte, on 4th gen Prius. Thought it was in owner's manual PDF, but of course now I can't find it. Bottom line, it's very conventional, and maintainable.

 

Some of the side roads to the main feeders for the inner ring in Brussels can be on red for 3-4 minutes. Doesn't sound so bad but when you're sat there it can seem like an incredibly long time, probably made worse because you can see the countdown for the pedestrian crossing which changes at the same time.

Not sure about your second question. I've seen police ask bus drivers to turn their engines off when letting passengers on and off which seems crazy given the black plumes of smoke that billow out when they're turned back on.

 

That would also turn the Air-Conditioning off - could get dangerously hot - or wear out the window winders each time.

 

Except in a Prius. The air conditioning is not dependent on the engine. I started home last night in EV mode with air conditioning running.