Short version: Any issues with running the heat pump inside the garage for a while? Longer version: Yesterday, our 2017 Prius Prime got into an accident (at age 62, my first-ever accident where there was any appreciable damage). Nobody was hurt and no damage to the stationary object I hit. I have an appointment to begin repairs in a little over a week. However, I had just charged the battery up to full and the object I hit was literally yards from our house. So, it just occurred to me that this means the battery will be sitting fully charged for a week, which fits into the “not recommended” category! Although the right-front fender has been “can-openered,” it appears to be drivable, and everything under the hood looks to be intact. Nevertheless, I’m not sure it would be wise to drive it more than necessary. I’m thinking the simplest way to burn down the battery a bit would be to “warm up the garage” for an hour or two — run the heat pump in the garage, with the windows and doors open. Good? Bad?
Update: Maybe it’s not a critical question. I did so for about a half hour and the battery is already down to 80%ish. Perhaps that’s sufficient, and no need to burn it down much further.
A "fully charged" Prius Prime is only charging its battery to 85%. Nothing to worry about. You're lucky you never had accidents in all those years. I had two life threatening accidents in my 43 years of driving. Both not my fault but could have ended my life. First one was in 1990 when a 18 wheelers changed lane to get into an on-ramp I was already into and pushed my small 1988 Nissan Pulsar SE onto the guard rail. If it would have ran over me instead of pushing me with the trailer's rear wheels, lights out. Second one was in 2008 in my 2005 Civic. At 4am in the morning, a sleepy driver hit me head-on. We were both in a curve on a foggy night so I only saw her in my lane at the last second. When she apologized for falling asleep, I told her I was glad she wasn't driving a truck (she was in a Sonata). That's my car after the accident (obviously)
I’m familiar with charging margins, but still, better to … store (sorta) … the battery at about 1/2 to 2/3 charge than even at 85%. This is a rare circumstance though, so storage at somewhat-high charge, just this once, may not be so bad. My main concern, however, is that it will undoubtedly be in the shop for a month or so, and holding a high charge for that long may not be so good. However, I do expect to drive it to the repair shop, which will burn off more, so probably not too bad. Anyway, yes, I have indeed been lucky to avoid accidents. Some other factors undoubtedly also have helped, such as driving familiar routes most of the time, driving conservatively and alertly, living in areas where other drivers also tend to drive comparatively conservatively, and keeping the car parked in our enclosed garage. My luck ran out though, it would appear…
I'm similar, prefer my "well trodden" routes, feel uncomfortable when outside them. Probably good for you though, taking on the occasional fresh destination/route.
no harm at all in bring the battery as low as you want inside an enclosed area. that's the great thing about ev's. personally, i would take it down low, in case thwy don't get it back to you in a timely manner.
The only potential issue I could imagine was if something might overheat in the small space of my garage. Seems unlikely…
That road where I had the head-on collision is a road I took daily to go to work. The road where I was hit by the eighteen wheeler was a road I took almost daily while seeing my girlfriend (now wife). It just take someone else to not know the road, like that eighteen wheeler driver that saw at the last minute that it was that on-ramp it had to take (and never stopped, probably not knowing he hit me) or that lady that fell asleep at the wheel to make your day a bad day.
Indeed, driving mostly well-known roads only helps, potentially, for cases where you’re at fault. It didn’t help in my case either though: I just pulled out of my driveway, and turned straight into the morning Sun. I suddenly couldn’t see a bloody thing! I began braking then “crunch”! Somebody had parked a trailer, apparently made of steel bridge girders, in my path! That’s OK though, because they oh-so-kindly parked in the shadow of a fence, to maximize invisibility… Pre-collision didn’t help because of the changing angle (near-zero time in the radar’s line of sight), but the parking sensors did go off, best I can recall, a fraction of a second before impact.
Something similar happened here four years ago on the other side of our street. The street here is facing due east/west and in the morning, the sun affects visibility. The car of the house owner across the street was parked in front of their house. A lady further up the road, who take this road daily to go to work, didn't see the car because of the sun and well, plowed right into it, pushing it several feet. Good thing it wasn't people walking as there are no sidewalks. It's also why I walk against traffic when there is no sidewalks.
Actually, thinking about that again, that seems even less likely considering that a heat pump actually cools the air around it, so, if anything it creates a cold spot in that area of the garage!
