We have about 500 miles on our new Prius and have noticed 2 things that seam strange. 1. when I let off the throttle and coast without hitting the brake I notice a slight charge of the batt, is this normal? 2. The batt never fully charges, is that normal? Thanks.
Yes and yes. If you want to see a fully charged battery, go down a long and steep hill. Regen occurs when the gas is released if possible.
#1 Yes this is normal. It's called regenerative braking and does not require youto touch the brakes. #2 Yes this is normal. The battery only uses only 40% of its capacity. This increases battery longevity. It can discharge to 40% or charge up to 80%. Under normal driving situations the battery will be between about 55% and 65%. Going up or down hills or trying to maintain very high speeds will cause the battery to drain below this number or charge above it. When the battery charges above 77% (usually going down steep long hills) or so the engine will try to bleed off power by spinning the engine at a higher RPM but this does not affect the driving of the car. It just sounds funny to hear the engine racing at 3000+ RPM when you are just cruising.
A small amount of regenerative braking applied when you lift your foot off of the gas. This is done to simulate engine drag found in normal cars. Toyota has tried to make the Prius feel as normal as possible to avoid having to relearn driving skills. Tom
Ahhh I wondered why they would do that. Seemed inefficient vs. coasting but it makes perfect sense now.
I am interested in a prius. The person stated that the battery has just been replaced At 228,000 miles and its 11 years old. Should I be worried about any further issues with the car concerning the battery? Or buying a lemon? What things should i be looking for when buying a used hybrid?
