Soon to be new to prime family - charging

This warning is about hybrid battery (traction battery) charge mode explained on p83 of the manual, not about the charging of the vehicle explained on Charging (→P. 102). Yes, the engine will come on during charge mode, but it is designed to be used while you are running the car, not when the car is parked. So you are fine charging your vehicle in your garage. Read page 102 of the manual.

 

The "Charge mode" happens when driving the car and running the engine, not when it is parked. It has a special use case but NOT in the garage or even parked in the driveway. The CHARGE mode lets the engine bring the battery state of charge to 80% by burning gas in the engine.

The normal plug-in to put a charge on the battery uses a J1772 plug while the car and engine is turned off.

Unlike a regular car, the Prius Prime air conditioner is like a small, window air conditioner and imposes a very small load. It is my practice to hold the "A/C" button to start the cabin cooling about 2-3 minutes before getting in the car. This cools the cabin nicely and away you go.

Ours is a Prius Prime Plus, the lowest level trim. My understanding is other trims can have air conditioning enabled remotely.

Bob Wilson

 

In anticipation of your new Prime ownership, WELCOME to this forum.
I believe that the reference you cited in the owner's manual refers to a feature of the Prime that allows the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) of the Prime to charge the "traction" or power battery of the car. You would never operate an ICE inside a closed garage or under cover of snow for fear of injury from carbon monoxide etc. The car is easily and conveniently charged using an electric source located anywhere, including inside a closed garage. I have an L2 rated charger, 240 volts, which I use to charge my Prime Advanced as much as 3 times/day. Recently, I have experienced 108° temperature here in Anaheim California while my Prime charged in my closed garage. The car will prompt you (fairly quickly) during shutdown, to ask if you wish A/C to be activated during charging. I always say yes, to hopefully extend the traction battery life.
The Prime has a CHARGE MODE feature that is used to replenish the traction battery while driving with the ICE. This recharging provides renewed electric power for better performance and which can be used in areas where you want to run strictly in EV, electric mode.
I hope this answers your concerns.

.

 

Side subject:

Wildfire smoke? Risks?

I have an aunt who lives in Anaheim.

Bob Wilson

 

Yeah, Uncle Bob, I'm hopefully far enough away in "low-rent district" of Anaheim, but my oldest son lives in one of those mansions about a mile away from all the action, so I'm sweating blood til they stop this thing!! The smoke is really bad! I think Mother Nature is really P.O.'d at humankind and letting us know it!!

.

 

The "Charge Mode" referred to here is one of three modes the car can run in: EV mode (default) runs the car in electric only mode; HV (hybrid) mode runs the car with a mix of gasoline and electric power as in a regular hybrid such as the Prius. You can switch back and forth between these two modes by hitting the button labeled EV/HV next to the EV auto button. To switch into "Charge mode" you need to hold down this button for about three seconds. After doing this the gas engine will run continuously while it charges the battery (even when the car is stopped at a light, for instance). It will continue to run in "Charge mode" until the battery is 80% full, or until you hit the switch again, or until you turn the car off.

The "Charge mode" referred to here has nothing to do with charging the car from an electric wall socket.