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Charge after short drive?

Discussion in 'Prime Plug-in Charging' started by PorscheBoy, Apr 27, 2018.

  1. PorscheBoy

    PorscheBoy New Member

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    Hi all,
    I'm a new Prime owner (under a week). Used to own a 2G Prius a few years back.

    I've been researching the best charge methods to maximize battery life, while still minimizing gas use. I still do have a question though:

    Lets say I do a short (5 mile) drive, return home, and then am planning on doing a 20+ mile drive later in the day. Does it make sense to charge the battery to have full juice to cover the 20 mile drive?

    This would obviously result in minimal gas use, but I'm just concerned that charging the battery too often would diminish its life.

    Thanks!
     
    #1 PorscheBoy, Apr 27, 2018
  2. ElectricSpike

    ElectricSpike Member

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    Thanks for asking this question, PorscheBoy. I had exactly the same question. I thought there were so many charging cycles that the battery was rated.
     
    #2 ElectricSpike, Apr 29, 2018
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  3. CharlesH

    CharlesH CA HOV Decal #5 on former PiP

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    The deal with charging cycles is the number of full charging cycles. If you charge it up 20% 5 times, that is one charging cycle.
     
    #3 CharlesH, Apr 29, 2018
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  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    congrats and welcome!
    the only thing to keep in mind is not leaving the battery full all the time. best to charge just before leaving when possible.
    all the best!(y)
     
    #4 bisco, Apr 29, 2018
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  5. Darken

    Darken Active Member

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    Congrats on your new prime!

    Personally I wouldn't worry to much about 'over-charging' your new prime. If you think about it you're constantly discharging and charging the battery at various levels while driving, so topping it off after a short EV drive will certainly not hurt anything or effect the overall life of the battery in my opinion.

    If it were me and I knew I was only going about 20 more miles after a short drive I would probably just try to make it with the miles I had left for 'fun'. :D
     
    #5 Darken, Apr 30, 2018
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  6. PorscheBoy

    PorscheBoy New Member

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    Thanks all. Great input here.

    We are definitely enjoying the car a lot. We have a Sienna and a Cayman too, but the Prius is definitely getting used the most.
     
    #6 PorscheBoy, Apr 30, 2018
  7. John6012

    John6012 Member

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    Should the battery fail, it's warranted for 100,000 miles so I'm not concerned to much about failure.
     
    #7 John6012, Jun 24, 2018
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    agreed. if you're not keeping it beyond 100k, or 150 in carb states, degradation would be a bigger concern.
     
    #8 bisco, Jun 24, 2018
  9. PorscheBoy

    PorscheBoy New Member

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    Yes; it’s the degradation that I’m concerned about
     
    #9 PorscheBoy, Jun 24, 2018
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    not to worry, as long as you're not leaving it fully charged all the time. i've been charging several times a day for 6 years and 40,000 ev miles with no unusual degradation.

    toyota recommends not leaving fully charged for long periods of time, and that is the rule i follow.

    i also use the timer if i'm going out in the morning, so it charges just before use.
    and if it is 90+ degrees outside, i try to let it sit awhile after use before recharging.
    but if i need it right away again, i don't hesitate to charge it right up, it isn't that often that all the factors are working against you.
     
    #10 bisco, Jun 25, 2018
    Witness, PorscheBoy and Tideland Prius like this.
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