So there has been ample discussion of the air intake vent for the traction battery, which on the Gen 5 is located under the driver’s side rear seat. However, just this evening I noticed this smaller vent on the passenger side (see picture). I can’t find any mention of it in the owner’s manual and a cursory search on the interwebs hasn’t turned up anything, either. Does anyone know what the function of this vent might be? My initial guess was that perhaps it could be an exhaust for the traction battery cooling system, but information I have found thus far seems to indicate that the air-cooling system exhausts heat to the exterior of the vehicle. This is my first Prius, so not sure if this type of vent has existed on prior generations as well…just a curiosity
First - you don't say if you have a plug in or a regular prius. They have these kinds of vents for traction pack Cooling though.
Apologies - I thought it was self evident I was referring to my 2024 LE as noted in my profile/signature line. And what is “impact cooling,” if you don’t mind elaborating?
The traction battery cooling exhaust has always been directed to the lower rear cabin vent. Is this vent on all hybrids, or just the AWD models? It might be to allow airflow to the rear motor inverter.
Traction battery air inlet, shown cleaning in the owners manual under maintenance. My LE is the same.
Sorry, I thought I saw a video of that filter. The element was actually under the plastic cover just to the right of the grille. Please delete this post. I guess I can't trust my eyes anymore.
