Going on Vacation w/o Prius

Many people have gone away for weeks with no problems. If your 12v Battery is starting to get weak it could run down and fail. You could connect to a trickle charger if your near electric, or just budget $180 for a new 12v Battery, by chance, should it give you problems upon return, though it may never happen.
Also I'd make sure the Traction Battery, is fully charged (many bars on the Dash) before parking the car.

 

I wouldn't worry about two weeks too much--but if you have a friend who can easily get to your house to drive it once, that wouldn't hurt. There are a couple of folks on priuschat who have reported batteries dead after two weeks.

 

you can also disconnect the 12v negative so it won't drain. you will lose your presets however. i have left my 04 and 08 up to 5 weeks in an unheated garage feb/mar with no deleterious effects. but it all depends on the health of the 12v. nothing else in the car will come to harm. (unless mice get in)

 

We've been away for more than two weeks and we've never had a problem. I've heard the stories of people who've gone away and come back to find their 12V discharged but I've yet to actually meet someone who's had this happen to them. As with all things, your mileage may vary but if our experiences are anything to go upon, then going away for a couple of weeks is not something to worry about.

 

I actually do know one person it happened to. I haven't heard if it ever happened to her again.

 

Was away for about a week and half and had no issues when I got back home.

I did drive it "hard" before parking it to be sure the battery was at near of a full charge as possible.

 

I've been away for a month and no problem. One thing I discussed with the dealer when I bought it was this. The dealer said his son goes to India for about a month at least once a year and it was OK but any more than that he suggests you disconnect the 12v battery. If you disconnect the battery you would want it in a garage with something to prop open the trunk so you can connect the battery again when you return to operate the locks etc. 2 weeks are no big deal especially on a 2012 (still a new battery). Don't worry.

 

What kind of trickle charger might someone recommend? I'd hate to lose my satellite radio settings.

Thank you

 

...on Gen2 models (2004 - 2009) I believe it helps to disable SKS smart key system for long periods, but believe Gen3 models do not have that problem and should generally be OK for two weeks as most have noted. I always lock the doors to make sure that works OK as a check.

 

When we spent two weeks on vacation, I hooked up a CTEK 3300. It can be left on indefinitely. For two weeks it's totally overkill, but...

 

We went away for 16 days in July and again 16 days last month. No prep, no problems.

ThunderBolt ? 2

 

what if I connect a small solar battery charger into the aux power outlet and placed the solar panel on the roof of the car?

 

Nothing. The 12V outlets are disconnected when the car is powered off.

Back when those outlets were just cigarette lighters, they stayed live full time. But when numerous appliances capable of draining and killing the battery (e.g. electric coolers) became commonplace, disconnecting then became a necessity.

 

Hmmmm. Maybe I could install a plug directly to the battery box then. A small solar panel would work for me since the car is parked outside with a cover o
on it

 

Just be sure it has a circuit to prevent overcharging the 12V. Oh, and put the solar panel outside of the cover

 

I left my V-wagon sitting for 3 weeks in July. I didn't disconnect the battery but I did turn off the keyless entry system. Three weeks later, it started just fine and the traction battery still had 50% or better SOC.

I'm willing to bet that your 2012 lift back will be just fine. Just to be safe, disable the keyless entry system. Worse case, you would need a jumpstart when you come back. But, I highly doubt it.

Have fun. Don't worry about your car.

 

I have left my car for a month without driving while going oversea for vacation, and it start up just fine after I came back.

 

When I had my 2006 I couldn't let it sit for 2 weeks. So I would always have a friend "babysit" the Prius while I was away. I haven't had to leave this one yet. But I will in March....