Battery Discharge & Damage (200v)

no, discharging the hybrid battery is not possible and what you see on the info screen is only partial discharge and will not harm it. 5-6 bars are most common and there are plenty of threads here discussing it. you should be good for a long time and if you are in a carb state, the battery has a full 150,000 mile warranty. welcome to priuschat, and all the best!

 

I have a 2007 Prius with 224,000 miles ! And to keep it charged I go down hill in the regeneration mode(b on shift lever). This will recharge the battery.

 

The B mode on the shift stands for brake. Unless the hill is particularly long and steep there is no need to use B. The HV battery will still charge.
Using B mode forces the engine to be spun "without fuel" to help slow the car down saving some use of the brakes, but wasting energy. However if the HV battery is below full charge (80%) using the brakes will charge it more quickly through the regen operation of the brakes without wasting energy spinning the engine until the battery reaches the 80% charge level "all green bars". Using B can increase the amount of fuel you use.

John (Britprius)

 

Just to reinforce what bisco said, your car is acting completely normal. There's no telling how long the battery will last. Most people on here agree that age is more of a factor than mileage but, obviously more mileage equals more charging/discharging cycles (theoretically at least although, it is also dependent on the city to hiway ratio).

Just to give you some perspective, my 01 is still on the original battery after 12+ years and 127,000 miles. The 01-03 models were fitted with what most would say are "inferior" batteries compared to the Gen II/III.

 

Your battery state of charge behavior is quite normal. Even when the state of charge declines to one pink bar, it is still ~40% while eight green bars is ~80%. It is certainly possible that the traction battery may need to be replaced in two years, but it also may continue to provide service for a longer period.

There is really nothing you can do, just drive the car and enjoy it.

 

Like others have said, I don't think you have a problem. Actually I think you have a very NICE gift.

Enjoy the Prius and don't worry about it. If you take care of it, it will take care of you.

Lots of tips and tricks here on PC that will help you get the most out it.

Best of luck to you and "Welcome to Prius Chat!"

 

That battery seems like it's in perfect condition Karis. Everything you've described sounds exactly as it should be. While it's true that continuous deep discharge cycles may shorten the battery's life, the occasional one like that wont hurt it at all.

As others have said, even when the screen displays zero battery charge it still has some reserve, so it was never completely flat anyway. I think your father was probably concerned unnecessarily over the incident. It sounds like you've got a very good car.

 

Only once? That makes it a very gently used Prius. While the battery still could go out in the next couple years, it won't be because of that single climb.

Many of us have hit the maximum discharge that the computer allows (which as numerous others have stated, is not even close to truly fully discharged), very many times. While my more powerful Gen3s don't do it climbing the Rockies, they do in other situations.

 

I would say that it is typically normal for the battery of a car to be discharged fully especially being that it was given to you used with 122,000 miles on it. From what I know these type of cars typically stay on a consistent setting for the meter so I would not worry to much if I were you about it only staying at 5 or 6 bars typically. As long as there are no major problems going on with your car or making your cars not start, I would say you are ok.