Wasting fuel to have a full battery

[Rob88]

New to me anyway, I found out recently, by accident, how to fully charge the hybrid Battery (mine never shows totally full on the gauge, always has top bar empty but it’s as fully charged as it can be). 

Normally my car will always be around half charged - rarely more than 1 bar over or under. Obviously downhill cruising will get it charged up plenty too.  

if you set the heaters on max (or at least reasonably high), the engine will keep running to provide the heat, and the car will charge the batteries fully, presumably to provide load on the engine for extra heat and less wasted energy.

Im not sure what use this info would be to anyone, unless they were parked up and thought they would like to go a bit further in Battery power next time they set off...but it’s a thing I noticed and I’m in a sharing mood this evening so thought I’d share 😁

[Catlover]

One tip for hybrid owners I read..... to remain comfortable whilst driving in the colder months...... set the temperature in the car to your comfort level meaning the car engine will be running more then on a warm summer day, BUT when you are comfortable turn the heater off and manage with the heat built up in your carbon space. During that time the car engine will not be running as much so you will be using the Battery more thus getting better mpg. Obviously when the cabin temperature falls too much you have a choice to put the heater back on.

[Rondhol]

I had changed my 2006 AC condenser in Prius 2006. In USA we can access Dealer Service Manual.  The heater in hybrid comes from 2 parts. Heather core from engine radiator and heater element from Hybrid Battery.  Regular car only use engine radiator and that's the main heat source for hybrid too. In winter, Hybrid will run longer until coolant temperature  reach about 90C when you feel strong heat from the car. 

[IanML]

10 hours ago, Rob88 said:

New to me anyway, I found out recently, by accident, how to fully charge the hybrid battery (mine never shows totally full on the gauge, always has top bar empty but it’s as fully charged as it can be). 

Normally my car will always be around half charged - rarely more than 1 bar over or under. Obviously downhill cruising will get it charged up plenty too.  

if you set the heaters on max (or at least reasonably high), the engine will keep running to provide the heat, and the car will charge the batteries fully, presumably to provide load on the engine for extra heat and less wasted energy.

Im not sure what use this info would be to anyone, unless they were parked up and thought they would like to go a bit further in battery power next time they set off...but it’s a thing I noticed and I’m in a sharing mood this evening so thought I’d share 😁

Now one begins to see the advantages of a plug-in hybrid.

Just had a thought - with a PHEV, it should be possible to programme it to pre-heat the cabin in the morning.  And if it's below zero, heat the windscreen, back windows and mirrors if needed.   Just unplug and go!

[roadster-rav]

The cars ICE control algorithms have to take account of several factors but have been significantly improved in the new model. The usual charge level of the traction Battery is held within a range that includes optimization of overall Battery life for this type of Battery. Ultimately the driver still has the choices about acceleration, speed, interior comfort etc. and its fairly obvious that higher power demands have some impact on fuel consumption and longevity as with any vehicle. What I like about the car is that it will respond effectively to any driver inputs in the best possible way and that would include sitting on your driveway in ready mode with the heater on full blast and radio blaring if that is what you choose to do.