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Low battery

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Nush, Jul 24, 2007.

  1. Nush

    Nush New Member

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    With the A/C going and the traffic standing still, my battery meter dropped down to 1 and 2 bars. This gave rise to a question that hadn't occurred to me....can the battery lose all its power and if so, what happens then. I sat there in heavy traffic on a hot afternoon wondering about turning off the a/c, etc. to conserve battery power. Should I have "gunned" the engine? Fortunately, the accident ahead of me cleared and I never had to find out if my concrn was a valid one. But next time.......? Just curious
     
    #1 Nush, Jul 24, 2007
  2. San_Carlos_Jeff

    San_Carlos_Jeff Active Member

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    I've had that happen a couple times in similar circumstances. Don't worry about it, once the battery gets to a certain state the engine will kick on to charge it up. The guage we see isn't really from 0-100% of the battery state of charge, it's something like 40-80%. So it wasn't really as low as you thought.
     
    #2 San_Carlos_Jeff, Jul 24, 2007
  3. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    As long as you DON'T leave it in neutral, it'll take care of itself. The engine will come on to recharge around 2 bars (methinks it's the border between 2 bars and 1 bar... IOW, just before it drops to 1 bar, the engine will come on to recharge).
     
    #3 Tideland Prius, Jul 24, 2007
  4. Nush

    Nush New Member

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    Thanks for the info and reassurance...I guess i was just about at that point when traffic began to move.
     
    #4 Nush, Jul 24, 2007
  5. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    And don't shut off the A/C. The battery system uses cabin air to cool itself. Shutting off the A/C on a hot day can hurt, not help, fuel economy.
     
    #5 richard schumacher, Jul 25, 2007
  6. Cheap!

    Cheap! New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(richard schumacher @ Jul 25 2007, 04:31 PM) [snapback]484988[/snapback]</div>
    I second that! The batteries like to be cool on hot days and warm on cold days. So be comfortable.
     
    #6 Cheap!, Jul 25, 2007
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