Neutral at traffic lights

You are liable to roll into somebody stopped at a light in neutral with no brake. Also I believe the car will not charge itself in neutral. Use the brake.

 

put it in park. battery charges, can't roll, and you only have to put it in drive as you are doing now.
not sure if it is legal though.

 

I think @rjparker has it, this is not recommended for Prii as you could run down the hybrid battery, say A/C is on, and say you were already low charge when you pulled up to the light.

Gen3 is a little better than Gen2 about shutting down before the HV battery is totally drained, but I am not sure when that protection kicks in.

 

The switch would be where I'd worry the wear would come in. You are exercising it how many times a trip versus twice?

 

If your foot gets tired, use the OTHER foot.
Or set the parking brake.

 

This maneuver is likely easier on the Prius than it is to a traditional automatic transmission car.

But if it is a matter of keeping a foot on the brake, the better solution all-around is to use Park, not Neutral.

 

I used to put my previous car (Scion xB) into N at stop lights and turn off the engine. It was quicker to start the car when the light turned green. The advantage with the Prius is that I don't have to do that stuff any more and I can keep the AC on.

With summer coming up, AC really drains the traction battery at stop lights, so I wouldn't put it into N. D or P is better.

 

Unlike putting it in N while decelerating, which hurts MPG, N at a traffic light should only drain the battery and annoy other drivers. (if your foot is not on the brake, they can crash into a stopped car that does not LOOK stopped)

 

Damn, that's a good safety point. I just realized the OP doesn't have his foot on the brake. I'm assuming that the emergency brake is engaged? Even a slight incline or decline will roll the car without any brakes.

 

As will a no-brake lights on, tap from the rear, roll the car forward.

 

Seriously, don't do this. Keep it in D.

If you really are complaining about your foot put it in P. But if you have the door locks set to lock / unlock when you shift in and out of P the constant unlocking / locking could wear them down.

 

What the hell? I thought the whole "putting it in N at stop lights" went out in the 70s?

Putting any Prius-based vehicle in N will prevent the system charging the HV battery. It's small, and can drain much faster than you realize. The farther it drains, the easier it can be damaged. A new HV battery is not cheap.

If your right foot gets tired, use your left foot, or shift into P and have your right foot hold the brake just enough to make sure that the brake lights are on when you are stopped.

If your foot continues to get unusually tired at stop lights, see a doctor. Modern power brake equipped vehicles should not cause this for healthy drivers.