Storing My Prius

Dave,
There are multiple reports of the '04 12v battery dying in as little as 10 days. You're correct in that the NiMH is not at all, a concern.

If there is someone who can put the car in "Ready Mode", even if they don't drive it, for about 30 min. every week or so that will allow the NiMH to charge the 12v battery. There is no need, even, for the ICE to run, though it certainly will unless you engage EV mode each start up.

A trickle charge is also a good alternative and might be a good excuse to buy a new 'toy'. If the car is parked outside or where it will recieve a lot of direct sunlight you can buy a small solar panel charger that will keep it charged up while you're away.

As others mentioned, be sure you disable the SS/E as it puts a small but constant battery drain on. Also, it might be good to be sure the headlights are turned totally off since it's rumored that even though the headlights themselves turn off that by leaving the switch in the "on" position there's a small drain.

 

Wolfman is correct, if you choose to use the cigarette lighter/power point outlets. I used the included clips for my charger and attached it directly to the 12v, ran the wires through a convenient access point and now I just plug the charger into the wire when needed.

Paul's suggestion will work, but at the cost of resetting every one of your presets to the new vehicle default requiring reprogramming of your bluetooth, the window up/down mechanism, any presets on your NAV, and who knows what else. I think spending $25 on a solar charger or a bit more on a trickle charger, or just having someone start it up every 1-2 weeks would be a lot better way to go, personally.

 

You sorta ran a bunch of stuff together in one post there:

1)AFAIK NO Prius has the option, as of yet, to plug in to recharge. In fact, it's a complicated process for the service dept. to even get a minimal charge on the HV batt to even allow for start up.

2)Yes, UK, Japan, ?and Aussie? have EV standard. North America does not. Some of us have added EV buttons in N. America. Look in the Knowledge Base section of this web site for information on how to do that.

3)There are people actively looking into a means of recharging from the grid. At this time the battery is small enough that going over a mile is difficult in EV mode, and, thus, little benefit is derived from being able to plug in. There are also complex issues as to whether it is much (if any) more economical or environmentally friendly to use the grid than to just use gasoline.

 

To add to Evan's post, the power outlets are controlled directly or indirectly by the ACC relay. The first port is powered on by the ACC relay. Providing power to the first power (dash) port also closes a relay to the second power port (the console one I believe).

This is based on what I saw in the EWD's when I spent my spare time waiting for my car and read them day and night :-P

 

I've got one of those rechargable combo air compressor, jumper, work light, power supply gadgets that I paid $50 for. Should do the same thing with less effort. But I don't see why a bunch of batteries hooked up couldn't work. I just think it would be a little tenuous--better start the first try.