Hello, it’s been pretty hot here in CA lately, l noticed that my 2018 Prime’s cooling fans running every time I place the charger handle in.(which I do every time after driving, I also keep the battery full at all times, not sure that’s the best practice after reading about the scheduling at night and before departure. No one or pets rides in the back and the lower vents are clear, I’ve replaced the inlet filters on the rear seat too. I notice a slight plastic smell which I think it’s the converter, also my cabin and garage seem warmer during charging. My concern is that the battery is being damage (out gassing or leakage) also the fans pushing the air into my garage, is that air safe to inhale?
If you're concerned about damaging the battery, this is a good thread to read. Maximizing battery health - Heat and State of Charge | PriusChat Me? I use the timer to charge at night. 1. For the health of the battery. Even if full is not 100% SoC, the manual recommends not keeping it there for long. 2. I have time of use plans living in CA due to high electricity rates. Charging at night reduces my costs and the electrical demand for everyone else during the day. 3. Batteries work best when warm. Since it just charged up full in the morning, the battery is still warm and will give me maximum distance and residual heat keeps the cabin warm in the morning.
Normal and safe. The charger fan always runs when the charger is running. That's probably what you hear. If it's hot enough and you said "yes" to the car asking it it's OK to run the battery cooler while charging, you may also hear the air conditioner run. That'll pump even more heat into the garage. Nothing to worry about. But keeping the battery full all the time will shorten its life. Better to charge before you leave. That's why Toyota went to the trouble and expense of making the scheduling system. And welcome to PC. I'd encourage you to spend some quality time with that owner's manual. You'll like the car even better. You can download a free PDF at toyota.com/owners.
welcome! the fans running is a good thing, and an obvious sign of the weather. these batteries don't off gas, that's not a worry. the plastic smell could be anything in the heat your experiencing, i wouldn't worry about it. prius is designed to protect the battery under all conditions, no concern there either. leaving it full isn't the best practice, especially in hot weather. i would use the charge timer as much as possible.
Thank you for the feedback, that makes me feel better about the fans and garage heat. I’ll start using the schedule program during the week, but on the weekends when the car sits and has a occasional trip to the market, should I leave the battery down? I work M-F and on the weekends the car is barely used.
Check your garage vents, make sure they are clear and unobstructed. People tend to block or cover-up these vents while setting up a work shop or simply storing "junk" . Toyota's on-board diagnostic system system would catch any leakage or abnormal out gassing. The air should be safe to inhale; otherwise Toyota would be looking at a very large product liability lawsuit.
when i might need the car at a moments notice, i leave it half charged so i can put as many electrons as possible. if i don't get enough and use the engine once in awhile, it's good for it. leaving it closer to full once in a while is not an issue, especially when it cools off a bit.
On days that I don't work, I leave it unplugged. I typically get home with about 30% charge showing. If I find I need to go somewhere, my L2 charger almost always gives me enough charge to get where I'm going. In fact, my wife used it today to go to the grocery store and there was no need to charge it at all as it still had plenty left from yesterday. If you just have the OEM charger on 120V, you"l need to plan farther ahead. To override the schedule and charge immediately, it's a simple matter of unplugging the cable from the car right after plugging it in and then plugging it back in within five seconds. It's all spelled out in the manual.
