I may have missed seeing this in the operator's manual, but is there any problem with charging a battery and using the vehicle BEFORE the traction battery is fully charged? Say for instance in the morning I use 40% of traction battery running errands and return home. I then put the charger on but have to use the vehicle before the battery is fully charged. Any concerns with this?
Kinda like a cell phone or most other battery powered electronic these days.... You can plug it in before fully depleted and you can unplug it before fully charged. Doing both those today as we speak (or type i suppose
It shouldn't be; older battery technology used to develop "memory" when they were 'short-cycled'. This was 20 years ago; current technology/manufacturing processes has virtually eliminated those issues. Our old memories, like rumors - die hard.... IMHO - Just don't make a habit of it. If you 'short-cycle' your battery a couple times a week - it shouldn't be an issue; as long as you let it get to 100% most of the time. Remember, you've got a 10 year, 150K mile warranty on that battery pack.
That "memory" issue was for the obsolete nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries and to some extent older Nickel-Metal-Hydrid (NiMH) batteries. It is not an issue for Lithium batteries, like are used for the Prime and other battery-powered cars.
As I understand it, the battery is never 'fully depleted' anyway - always enough capacity for hybrid mode. Lithium Ion batteries are happiest somewhere in between 20-80% SOC, so NOT fully charging may be better for long term battery health. It's also why (I've seen recommended) you want to use the charging schedule to finish charging right before you start driving - less time sitting at peak topped up charge. I personally don't have a very regular driving schedule so this is gonna tweak my OCD a bit! Disclaimer - I don't yet have a Prime, but am heavily into the pre-purchase research phase. My mother is also getting a RAV4 Prime as soon as the dealer can get one.
before you worry about the plug in stuff, think about just how quickly the battery charged and discharges, in regular driving. there a huge amount of current flowing through there.... when you're plugged in it is much more stable and gentle than when driving
