I used to keep a spare car key in a magnetic box stuck under the car frame which saved the day a few times. Not I have the big electronic key that won't fit in a magnet box might get wet anyway. To compound matters I plan on leaving the Prius in ready mode 24-7 for a couple weeks to run refrig and other equip. I won't be watching the car all the time. I don't want having the spare electronic key make the car easy to steel. Maybe I just have to keep it in a backpack of valuables I don't want to leave in the car? What do you do?
Once the car is running it does not need the key. How are you going to run refrigeration with the Prius? A 12v inverter? Honestly I am not sure I would run it 24x7 for a couple of weeks. May not be good for the hv battery and a coolant problem might ruin the engine. The hybrid system maintains the hv battery at a low charge the whole time in this mode and cycles the gas engine every few minutes especially if the ac is on, which you may want to do since it indirectly keeps the hv battery cool. Meanwhile the frequent cycling of the gas engine will vary the coolant/engine temperature from 150f-205f, creating thermal cycling of the engine every charge cycle. You can lock the car with the manual key once its running. If desired, you could keep the electronic portion of the key in the car or take it with you.
Me neither. I think it would be MUCH better for you to figure out how to live WITHOUT all of those electric appliances. Mankind has survived for thousands of years without them, you know. AND...as was mentioned, it will be easy to steal without an actual key.
Remove the insert key that only opens the door and put it into your magnetic box. Remove the battery from the key fob and put it into a plastic zip-loc bag. Pry off the inside access cover for the replacement of the tail light bulbs. Place the fob in that space and replace the cover. You're all set. If you need to start the car, retrieve the insert key and open the car door. Open the rear hatch with the rocker switch on the door pull and retrieve the fob. Place the chrome Toyota emblem on the start stop button before pushing it to start the car.
Can the Prius lock with the manual key? I believe on my iQ it will instantly unlock, all doors. This could be a byproduct of the aftermarket alarm I confess. I think easiest way is to manually lock the little switch and then close the door. My opinion, invest in a gas generator, vs wear and tear on the Prius. moto g(7) power ?
Yes the manual key will lock all doors even in Ready mode. At that point only the key can unlock it. There will be a key icon on the dash, upper right. Here is a one minute demo video. Note the green Ready over the Speed display at the beginning and end. Once locked with the manual key the fob is disabled until the car is shutdown and restarted. I tested the fob disable but the camera missed most of it. Pic of the end frame while still in Ready after manually locking and unlocking. At this point the car was in EV mode.
