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Battery questions

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by try2hard, Jul 25, 2007.

  1. try2hard

    try2hard New Member

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    Hello everyone! I so enjoy reading all the great posts on this site. I am planning on becoming a new Prius owner within the next 30 days. I have wanted a Prius for some time now but had to get my finances in order first.

    I have studied a lot and learned so much since finding this forum!

    Two questions still remain. They may seem silly but I just want to make sure I understand completely.

    1) Exactly how many batteries are in the Prius? From what I understand, there is the Hybrid "big" battery and then a 12 v. battery. Are there any others? What is the "traction" battery?

    2) I know the Prius uses an electric A/C. However, what about heat? In traditional cars, heat from the engine is used to heat the cabin. What about in the Prius? Is there an electric heater or does it also use heat from the engine? Wouldn't this force the engine to run simply to heat the vehicle? I am moving to Florida soon (within 18 months), but I currently live in Cleveland (...well Greater Cleveland) and it get cold and snowy here. I want to make sure I can be warm and comfortable in the winter without sacrificing too much efficiency.

    Any knowledge will be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!
     
    #1 try2hard, Jul 25, 2007
  2. Bill Merchant

    Bill Merchant absit invidia

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    Hi Nick, welcome to PriusChat. You'll love your Prius when you get it.

    1. There are two batteries. The HV battery is the traction battery since it powers the motors which can move the car.

    2. The Prius air conditioning system has both electric and engine heat. The electric heat isn't much, won't really touch if it's below freezing, but better than nothing. Most cabin heat comes from the ICE, as in most cars.

    You will get best MPG when you don't need heat or cooling. If you drive at highway speeds you won't notice much reduction in MPG since the ICE will run a lot anyway, winter or summer. The Prius is a gasoline powered car, so all energy - for driving, heating, and cooling - comes from burning gas.
     
    #2 Bill Merchant, Jul 25, 2007
  3. jackstraw

    jackstraw New Member

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    For what its worth, I'm in Colorado up in the mountains and the heat works fine, and I can still get 50mpg no sweat (no pun intended). Obviously, having it garaged will help for quick warm ups.

    Someone else may be able to confirm this, but a dealer's rep told me that there's a system that will try to maintain a certain minimum temp in cold environments. After a couple of idle days it stops.
     
    #3 jackstraw, Jul 25, 2007
  4. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Nick Dearing @ Jul 25 2007, 12:49 AM) [snapback]484528[/snapback]</div>
    Welcome, Nick. In the winter the car retains heat fairly well so you can set the temp lower and still be comfortable. You can also block your grill & install an electric block heater to keep & get the engine warm.

    In the summer you can still keep the upper grill blocked (probably not in FL) and run the AC at 77-80 to be comfortable.

    Increasing your tp to at least 42/40 also helps economy. But regardless of whatever you do (or don't do)
    you'll love the car.
     
    #4 JimN, Jul 25, 2007
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