Hello, I own a 2018 Prius Prime and was wondering how many people charge their cars in the garage. My concern is with the air cooling system releasing air into the garage, is that air safe to breathe. I do notice that the garage does get a little stuffy, on warmer nights. When the car was new I would charge it right when I got home, even on hot days and the fans would be on at a fast speed. I now charge the car at night on the scheduling system, but always wondered if I damaged the batteries in the beginning. I guess my concern is that they maybe developed, a leak from the early days and now the air is flowing over them releasing it in the garage. I hope that just me overthinking it , thanks!
i've been charging in my attached garage for 12 years. you didn't damage the batteries. if there were a problem with them, you would have a trouble light. the air is safe to breathe, all the best!
If you don't mind recharging your cell phone on the night stand, right next to where you sleep - I don't see why your would be concerned about your car charging in the garage. They're the same battery chemistry, just on a larger scale with many more safety cut-offs and sensors than your cell phone charger.
Well, to make your anxiety worse, there is a battery vent tube in case it gases, which it shouldn't do under normal circumstances. As seen here And here
The blower should be taking care of any off gassing. If your garage was constructed per city, county, state, and federal guidelines; the garage should be ventilated to outside air. I had a friend that owned a newish townhouse; no ventilation in the garage - don't know how they pass building inspection code.
Probably overthinking it. Garages tend to get stuffy, especially after driving home with the air conditioning on the way home on a hot summer's day and then bottling a hot car up inside. Your case may be different, but my garage isn't that well insulated either. Maybe there's some information in the trend displays. If something's really degrading your battery, you'll find it there first.
I quick charge in my garage mostly during the daytime and early evening so that I can unplug the cable. Leaving the cable plugged in uses a small amount of electricity. The garage is not heated or cooled so the ambient air temp depends on the outside air temp. The garage temp is normally cooler that outside. I have not noticed any added heat or air quality due to charging.
@2018 Prime does the garage have window(s)? In summer months, just to reduce heat in the garage, I put in a window-mount fan with thermostatic control. The one I'm using has 2 fans; I set one to exhaust and the other to intake.
Thanks everyone! I’m probably overthinking it ( a little OCD ) It sounds like the majority of people charge their Primes in their garage. If there was an issue with the cooling exhaust air, it would probably be a topic on this forum.
I have no windows in my garage and that I live in a townhouse, I cannot add a window or exhaust fan. It does get hot in the garage in the July in Tennessee but I have not had a problem so far. If I did have a problem the only solution would be to open the house door to the garage and let the air conditioning cool the garage. That would be costly and not my choice.
The picture in your avatar looks like a roll up garage door. You can raise that just 5 or 6 inches to let air flow through. Add a floor stand fan if necessary. Charging a Prime does not take forever. A 2021 should charge in just a few hours if you start in the morning or evening.
Recharging the traction pack in a hot sealed garage, probably isn't a good idea. The traction pack needs to cool during charging operations. Without proper cooling will probably shorten the battery life. Turning-on the AC cooling function of the car, probably isn't going to help much because even more hot air is being generated in that enclosed space. Just saying; only time will tell the whole story.
Yes I have a roll-up garage door. But it never gets hotter in the garage than outside. BTW I charge at level 2 so it only takes 100 minutes to fully charge from ---%
