Anyone else disturbed by the disclaimer on page 93 of the manual? Capacity reduction of the hybrid battery (traction battery) The charge of the hybrid battery (traction battery) will decline gradually when the hybrid battery (traction battery) is in use. The rate at which it declines will differ in accordance with environmental conditions and the way in which the vehicle is used. By observing the following precautions, battery charge decline can be suppressed. - Avoid parking the vehicle in areas with a high temperature under direct sunlight when the hybrid battery (traction battery) is fully charged. - Do not accelerate or decelerate frequently and suddenly when driving in EV mode. - Avoid driving near the top speed for EV driving. (Page 40) - Leave a low level of charge in the hybrid battery (traction battery) when leaving the vehicle undriven for a long period of time. After confirming that EV mode has switched to HV mode, turn the “POWER†switch off. -Use the charging timer function as much as possible in order to fully charge the hybrid battery (traction battery) immediately before starting off.
Sounds like every other battery in the world. My four year old laptop's battery is nowhere near its original capacity. Using it normally reduces its capacity. Using it heavily reduces it even further.
It was discussed pretty thoroughly here: http://priuschat.com/forums/toyota-...-service-life-prius-phv-traction-battery.html
