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Charge long or often?

Discussion in 'Prime Plug-in Charging' started by MNdriver, Aug 15, 2017.

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  1. MNdriver

    MNdriver Senior Member

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    I'm getting 38 miles per charge. Because I have a fairly short commute, charging every other day is more than sufficient to get me to work and back.

    Question - am I better off charging a half drained battery every night or an almost fully drained battery every second night?

    I've only had my Prime during warm months, so every other night probably won't suffice once winter sets in.
     
    #1 MNdriver, Aug 15, 2017
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i'll go with #2, just to let the battery have some not full time.
     
    #2 bisco, Aug 15, 2017
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  3. MNdriver

    MNdriver Senior Member

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    Ok, thanks for the advice!
     
    #3 MNdriver, Aug 15, 2017
  4. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    Recharge every night. Set the timer for maximum cold-soak. That battery rest time is all that's needed for longevity. Charge-Level doesn't come into play with routine use.
     
    #4 john1701a, Aug 15, 2017
  5. MNdriver

    MNdriver Senior Member

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    Cold-soak:

    'A pre-fermentation cold maceration (or "cold soak") involves the aqueous extraction, as opposed to the alcoholic extraction, of compounds from the fruit flesh/pulp/skins/seeds into the must. Wines made in this way are commonly perceived as more fruit-forward and complex, with increased aromatic and colour intensity.'

    Sounds good.

    If there's no disadvantage to more frequent charging, is there an advantage? Other than just getting into the routine so I'm less likely to have a senior moment and forget to plug in?
     
    #5 MNdriver, Aug 16, 2017
  6. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Well the battery doesn't like sitting at full charge so it's best to use the "Departure" setting such that the car is driven as soon as possible after it's fully charged.

    Also, I'm not sure it makes a difference since its life cycle is based on the number of "cycles". One cycle is when it's drained (in HV portion) and then fully charged. That means if you charge from 0% (let's use 0% as the point when it goes into HV mode for the purposes of this discussion) to 100% (again, for the purposes of this discussion......) that's one cycle. but if you charge from 50% to 100%, you have to do it twice to count as one full cycle.

    The advantage? You can pre-climate the cabin (so have it warm in the winter before you get in or cool in the summer) while the car is plugged in.

    Also, I believe if it's plugged in (even if it's not charging), it'll allow the "traction battery heater" to operate - probably not a bad idea in an MN winter. It helps keep the battery temperature closer to 32°F. A warmer battery means a more efficient battery, allowing you to get more miles.
     
    #6 Tideland Prius, Aug 18, 2017
  7. GT4Prius

    GT4Prius Active Member

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    Do we have documentation to confirm that the battery heater only works when the car is plugged in?

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #7 GT4Prius, Aug 18, 2017
  8. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    It would make sense to only work when plugged in. You would not want to let the car sit and come back to a dead battery.
     
    #8 Prodigyplace, Aug 18, 2017
  9. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Page 126:

    upload_2017-8-18_15-57-9.png
     
    #9 Tideland Prius, Aug 18, 2017
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  10. MNdriver

    MNdriver Senior Member

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    I park in a condo garage which has a lot of disadvantages. But on the flip side, it's heated! With my 2009 Prius, I noticed a huge difference in winter mileage when I moved from a house with a freestanding unheated garage to my condo.
     
    #10 MNdriver, Aug 18, 2017
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  11. scm2000

    scm2000 Active Member

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    but theres really just one battery so it never drains if you use up the ev portion plus you never fully charge it. at ev full its way less than 100 percent of true charge.

    in hybrid mode it is constantly partially draining and partially charging. so i dont see how anything you do on a daily cycle with a charger is going to effect things. my traction battery lasted 10 years before i traded the car

    plus in 10 years i never noticed my traction battery losing charge because the car sat sometimes for days
     
    #11 scm2000, Aug 18, 2017
  12. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    I understand. In a regular Prius, Toyota kept the SOC at 60% (which is represented with 6 bars). The full range, as you know, is 20%-80% with the NiMH batteries.

    Now the Li-Ion battery in the Prime is different. I can't remember where I heard it but the Li-Ion chemistry in the Gen 4 is different from the Prime because of their different purposes. The Gen 4 is meant to function like a hybrid vehicle, providing assist and acting as a buffer for regen as well as providing electricity for the climate control system. The Prime will be recharged way more often than a Gen 4 so will need a different chemistry that is capable of handling the more frequent charge/discharge cycles.

    In the Prime's owner's manual, it states that if you're going to park the car for a while (say a 2 week vacation), it's preferred to leave the battery with the HV portion left so it appears that it's happier with a lower true SOC than the battery in the regular Prius.

    I don't know how that translates into whether dipping into the HV portion in EV mode will shorten its life but it may in a regular Prius with NiMH.
     
    #12 Tideland Prius, Aug 19, 2017
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  13. scm2000

    scm2000 Active Member

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    im going to charge my prime any chance i get partial or otherwise, and im going to drain every posible electron i can before the overnight charge, and ill let you know in 10 years how that turned out.
     
    #13 scm2000, Aug 19, 2017
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  14. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    You mean you will just drive it and use it to suit your needs?
    Radical idea!! :D
     
    #14 Prodigyplace, Aug 19, 2017
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  15. scm2000

    scm2000 Active Member

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    i finnally cracked open the manual last night and the impression i get is toyota is saying charge whenever you can and if there is no charger then use charge mode.
     
    #15 scm2000, Aug 21, 2017
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  16. dstrauss

    dstrauss 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV Touring

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    These are Li batteries, not NiCad, so if they are anything like other electrical devices, it is best to top them off than to drain them down completely (well, to 20% - in reality they only charge in that band between 20-80%). it was the older NiCad tech that developed the memory effect and slowly adopted only the storage capacity of the previous "emptiness."
     
    #16 dstrauss, Aug 23, 2017
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  17. huskers

    huskers Senior Member

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    Top off whenever you want. It is all good.
     
    #17 huskers, Aug 24, 2017
  18. markabele

    markabele owner of PiP, then Leaf, then Model 3

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    Very true that your extremely cold days in the middle of winter that you will have much less range than you are getting currently.
     
    #18 markabele, Aug 27, 2017
  19. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Living in Alabama, I will walk to the car when plugged-in and hit the fob "A/C". Then I find something else to do for 5-10 minutes. When I get back, the car is at a nice temperature.

    Bob Wilson
     
    #19 bwilson4web, Aug 28, 2017
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  20. Pdog808

    Pdog808 Active Member

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    I usually kick back in the car with my phone or Kindle while the Remote A/C is running :)
     
    #20 Pdog808, Aug 28, 2017
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