In READY mode, with the ICE start to charge the 12v battery?

I reckon that a person responsible enough to drive an automobile down public roads where inattention and carelessness can hurt or kill someone should possess enough wits to connect four terminals together in correct manner. I get it that a mistake can be costly on a Prius, whereas on a normal car it wouldn't be so bad. All the more reason to make sure this simple task is carried out with basic care. Like changing lanes going 75 on the highway, for example.

 

While I agree in principle, I also believe in the philosophy of “it takes all types”.

Out here, rust and other factors don’t retire cars, people do.

Some of these same people don’t understand basic concepts, which lead to mistakes.

While concepts may be simple, they are still not widely understood .

 

Chances are the capacity of the 12V supply one is not enough to toast anything in your Prius even if you were to connect it backwards. The jump pack itself would probably be more at risk in that scenario.

I've come very close, and I'm good with complicated stuff. Usually it's when I'm jumping somebody else's car, it's not familiar to me, and I haven't looked at their battery before. Have you noticed how many variations there are in how the battery terminals are marked? Sometimes there's a + and − molded into the plastic, black on black. Sometimes there's not, but it's on one of the labels somewhere near the terminals. Sometimes it's a dual-terminal battery and the symbols are next to the side terminals, facing the fender. Sometimes it's nighttime. Sometimes the vehicle's own cables are a different color scheme than red/black. Sometimes everything under the hood is covered with grime.

Anyway, I've been carrying cables with polarity LEDs for, like, a quarter century now. Problem solved.

-Chap

 

Another indicator of battery polarity besides color codes and the + and - symbol is the post diameter, the large post is always positive.

If you jump cars long enough sooner or later you will cross the leads.

 

When they're the same size, which is which?

-Chap

 

LOL! I see a wreck here almost every day. And I avoid being in one almost every time I drive. If you saw our drivers, you'd understand that you just proved my point. Just yesterday a DUI driver was arrested down the road for falling asleep, running a red light, and killing someone.

 

One problem I've seen begging to happen is the battery markings are small black indentations on a black case. Or not even there. Yup, -I- can tell which one is positive, but someone not "mechanically inclined" who doesn't care to even learn? Disaster waiting to happen.

A dead battery won't overload a boost device, though it would be good if it could. So reverse polarity is a danger even there. Worse yet, we're not talking about applying reverse polarity for seconds here, we're talking about electronics that can be fried by millisecond pulses! You know, the electronics that protects the fuse.

It happens frequently enough and not just to Prius owners. Which is why some boost packs now have polarity protection. Some will even switch polarity automatically for you. Just hook it up and go. Of course if the battery is -completely- dead that wouldn't work, but most "dead batteries" are still at over 9V output, especially with no load, which polarity detection can see.
So before connecting one, make sure lights are off and doors are closed? So polarity protection can work.

I sold Pearl to a friend, and a few years later he needed a new battery (Scangauge indicated the battery was at 10.5 Volts in the morning before putting it in "ready").
So he purchased a new battery and I changed it for him. When I removed that battery I checked it with one of my many meters. 10V even with no load. Still starting the car. Amazing!