New Prius (2017) enhanced with a hybrid battery heater?

Whatever, it's a great idea for you guys in the less than tropical climes h especially for those winters!!
By the way, welcome to Prius Chat and keep in touch with us when you can.

 

I'll check when my friend's Tech. package comes in next week.

There is a warning in the owners manual that he found that says the battery may not "be available" when the temperature is below -30C. Don't you just love these strange comments?

The recall was for the block heater. As I have been harping incessantly, it's a poorly thought out design, trying to conduct 400W of power through heat sink grease. It dries out and the heater element overheats. It's also hard on the cord end that plugs into it as it operates at a rather high temperature. I don't think this will apply for the battery heater. It would be a "blanket type" I assume, or bolted to some plate on the battery, and wouldn't be too powerful or operate that hot.

The only "block heater" I would accept is the type that inserts through a "frost plug" to be immersed in the coolant. Like a tea kettle. The actual element (heater "wire") doesn't get hotter than boiling water, so it lasts a long time. Unless you have no coolant in the engine. But then you have other issues.

 

Via the "grapevine" so take my comments with a pound of salt.

Well, my friends 2018 is "in" (the dealer's garage), and they "have" to install the "new" "block heater", according to Toyota Canada. Now I know you guys in California find the old 400W heater just fine, but up here in Canada it is basically unnoticeable in -20C and below weather. When you actually need it, even though it isn't powerful enough. But I digress.

The "fix" to an overheating 400W block heater is to make it a 200W block heater, maybe with a new and better cord and connector. Unbelievable!

Thanking the gods, if there be any, that I managed to get Pearl S without that 400W fire starter that they wanted HOW MANY dollars to install?!

Still waiting to actually see the car and whether it also has a battery heater.

Next week, I guess. Once delivered I'll take measurements of the "block heater" and battery heater if installed.

Oh, and my friend is happy, the dealership is treating him well. It's in actually earlier than promised.

 

On the plus side, the LiIon battery is more efficient at accepting and delivering charge. This is probably why it's smaller in capacity than the NiMH battery.

We just don't know about how long it will last, but I'm betting it's going to be just fine. Fewer cells should mean better reliability. It sure looks well constructed in the videos.

 

how often does it go below -30c? this sounds potentially serious, and something toyota should make sure dealers make potential buyers aware of.

 

If it gets that cold I'm staying inside. The record for Buffalo NY was -29C in 1934.

 

Got to the car today, and it has a 200W block heater. No battery heater seen (no cord). This is a 2018 Advanced Technology package Canadian car. The block heater has a much nicer abrasion resistant cord. I see it also has no solar panel and a slightly smaller sunroof (compared to Pearl S) with tilt or slide action. It has a funny looking thing, battery maybe, under the hood too.

 

I have the 2017 Technology Edition as well. I live in Ottawa, Canada, where temperatures below 30C have been seen.
The first time I opened the hood I saw this power cable with a plug and I thought it was for an engine block heater. However, it is actually for the traction battery heater. I have the same sticker on page 84 of the manual .
It is highly unlikely that I will ever need it, as I park indoors in an apartment heated garage.

 

I would love to actually see or see a picture of this battery heater. I have a "Battery Blanket", a plastic encased thing you wrap around a lead-acid 12V battery, but using that would probably cause overheating of the traction battery. The one I have is 60W, but does make a big difference in the dead of winter! Cars and trucks that have one powered up would actually start! Even when maybe they shouldn't. Not sure how they would heat the traction battery, maybe heat an aluminum plate slid under the traction battery?

I wondered if my friend's was actually a battery heater, but the cord traced to the side of the block facing the firewall. Couldn't see exactly where it went after that, but that's where the block heater cord is routed so I "assumed". We all know how reliable that is!

 

My 2017 Prius Technology came with the battery heater factory installed. Had the block heater recently installed by the dealer and they installed/connected it to the the battery heater harness so I have one plug only for both. You might have them both and be mislead by the one plug. Check with the dealer