Folks if you are hiring an electrician to install a level 2 charger in the garage you may as well go big and have installed a 40 amp charge plug and 50 amp breaker. It will only charge the Prime with the 3.3 kWh onboard charger at a rate of 16 amps and charge speeds are 4.5 hours from empty but what if you decide to buy a Tesla in a few years? That 16 amp charge plug and the inferior wire the electrician pulled and the 20 amp breaker will all need replaced unless you are ok waiting almost 3 times longer for the Tesla to charge vs a 40 amp. Just a suggestion. A 40 amp will dial down to the 16 amps the Prime will accept besides the cord on a 40 amp is beefier and will not get hot when charging your Prime.
Thank you Russell! This is very good information for owners. I pinned the comment so viewers would see it. Thank you for sharing very valuable information regarding charging.
I installed a Clipper Creek LCS-30P, primarily because it’s rated at *24A* (240V). I couldn’t find any other 24A chargers at the time with good ratings. Why is 24A in particular interesting? Because electrical code requires such devices draw no more than 80% of the circuit’s rated capacity (i.e., breaker size). We had an existing 30A circuit, nominally for the dryer (we use gas for the dryer), close to the garage. So we got an electrician to move that plug to the opposite side of that wall, which is inside the garage. Cheap, simple, works great!
I personally doubt if many people, even if they have a Tesla Model S P100D, really need 40-50A charging capacity. The Prius Prime’s charger tops out at ~3.5KW, so it certainly doesn’t need it. Remember that the charging capacity you need is not particularly related to the size of your (PH)EV’s battery. It’s much more closely related to how many miles you *drive* per day. Most Americans only drive 25-30ish miles per day, and even a 120V “granny lead,” can easily charge 20 miles worth overnight. True, *some* people do average more than 30 miles per day, and you definitely need to choose what’s right for your needs. I myself (excluding COVID19 lockdowns) drive more like 45 miles per day. Still, for *most* people’s usage, including mine, a typical 30A circuit is probably plenty!
Gary Morrison Even a 6-20 outlet is a lot of power. That’s 16x240 = 3.84 kWh, even if you had a Tesla or EV that’s about 15 miles of range per hour... overnight (8 hours) that’s a gain of 120 miles. A 14-30 at 24A would do 5.76 kWh for 180 miles overnight (8 hours)... it’s a lot of power.
pilot1226, indeed, and I mentioned that as well. Most people only drive a few tens of miles per day - around 3 to 5ish KWh - and even a 120V “granny lead” can easily charge that overnight. We installed a 24A level-2 (240V) charger in our garage, in part so that, on weekends, I can go rowing on the lake, drive back and charge it back in time to go grocery shopping, all on electric! By the way, just for the record, 16A x 240V is 3.84KW (not KWh). KWh is a unit of energy, whereas a KW is a unit of power (energy per time). Sorry, not nitpicking; easy to confuse the two.
This was an excellent video to watch. As a Prius Prime owner, I haven't had to put gas in my car in months, and it still has well over half tank of gas. I will be making sure I engage my engine at least once a week from now on. I can't thank you enough for making this video.
I would have these Prime's in Hybrid mode most of the time, as they are plug in Hybrid's and not EV's. I would hope that Toyota would put programming in to increase engine use as the battery depletes. Why would I use the engine, because it is there to be used and once you are over 30 mph it is better to use the engine anyways.
@@jrus690 There are actually 2 high voltage batteries in the Prime. The primary battery is for the first 25 miles for all electric. The second battery is the normal hybrid battery. Even if you never charge the EV battery, the hybrid batter will always be active full time to enable the car to behave like a regular hybrid vehicle.
I just purchased a 2021 prius prime the other day. I put in a GFCI outlet in the garage (my outlets are regular). Tonight I charged the car for the first time. I kept going out to check on the charge status and knew it would take about 5 1/2 hours to charge. I found that I shouldn't be charging the car into the evening. Interesting. Who would think charging the car and waiting overnight would have a negative effect on the battery life. I'll be setting up the scheduling so that the car charges before I go to work in the morning. The other thing with gasoline is not to keep the tank full if you're going to be mostly electric. That way when you run your car with gas you can cycle it out quicker. A full tank will take a long time to burn through. Great presentation and I learned a lot.
Ethanol is hydroscopic-absorbs water. That's why your gas powered small engines, lawn mower, string trimmer, etc, have so much trouble with this 10% ethanol gas.
It would be in the public interest if we eliminated ethanol additive from gasoline. It does not help clean air; it only helps certain farmers. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. We shouldn't have to seek out ethanol-free gasoline or buy little bottles of fuel stabilizer.
I agree for using "Departure time" option with charging schedule as optimal solution for battery protection. But anyway, when traction battery is charged to 100% (showed on the dash) it is actually charged to 84% State of Charge. On the lower end when you see 0% on the dash it has still 12% State of Charge. So it is not such a big problem to leave it at a full charge for a few days as it it not on 100% but actually at 84%. The same applies for depleted battery. This was engineered for ordinary people who does know anything about battery charging to protect the battery.
I've read numerous times it was 80-20. TX. Where did you find the info? I'm going to buy a new '23 prime as soon as available, and I'd like to know if that will still be true.
Ive been exclusively running my car as an EV and haven't changed used any fuel in like 5 months. thank you for potentially saving me some big bucks, ill start cycling it tomorrow.
I just bought mine the other day. I just charged it for the first time tonight. Had to put in a GFCI on the plug in the garage. I'll be mixing my driving mostly electric during the week and gas for the longer drives on the weekends. I'm excited about the car. Tomorrow I'll be driving around town and see how it reacts with electric. I'm the talk of the neighborhood. Most are Subaru people.
@@beebob1279 - I went from a 2014 Outback to my 2019 Prius Prime, mainly because gas was getting outrageously expensive in California in the summer of 2019 - almost $4.00/gallon, and the Outback was costing 15¢/mile at that price for gas. Gas hit $6.50/gallon for 4 months last year, and people with any kind of car that gets less than 40 mpg were crying every time they had to gas up. Hybrids and EV's were selling faster than the manufacturers could bring them in. I've been trying to buy a Rav4 Prime for 18 months and still haven't been able to because of the backlogged demand and waiting lists. My Prius Prime costs about 4.5¢/mile for combined gasoline and electricity.
I have a story about a salvage 2004 Toyota Prius I once purchased very low mileage. Some shop purchased the car from an auction and repaired the car. The car ran great during the test drive but after taking it home it would intermittently not want to start. So we towed it to a local dealership and they checked it out and they said that this car has actually been there before and that it was recommended to replace the whole hybrid wiring harness which was a lot of $$$$. So we took it to a shop that specialized in hybrids and they found the ACTUAL problem was that when the car was being repaired they didn't put some of the wiring back correctly and the tech was about to spot that and fix it for much less than replacing the whole hybrid wiring harness. So yeah salvaged hybrids BE VERY CAREFUL. After that the car ran great and no more buyers remorse.
Helpful?! This video is a revelation! I've been deciding what car to buy next and I knew none of this about the prius prime. Gap insurance? Holy cow. And getting rear ended is like the new normal. I am so glad I saw your video. Plenty to consider for sure. Thanks so much!
I purchased the best 2008 Prius that was ever built. Listening to you, I learned about battery filters which have never been cleaned. I will do it this weekend.
I clean mine every 6 months. I just blow them out with an air nozzle on a small Harbor Freight pancake compressor. Never seen any significant amount of dirt in the filters, but maybe that's because I keep them clean.
Just purchased the RAV4 Prime. Love it! I am so glad a friend sent me your vid. Now I can start off right wrt the battery and gas motor care. Your advice is simply priceless! Keep up the great work!
Just started watching him since I just bought a Hybrid. Once again this was great information and explained well. I have learned a lot watching him about many aspects of a hybrid.
FULL charge is prevented automatically. When it shows 100% on the display, actual state-of-charge for the battery-pack is 84%. That upper limit is a buffer within the software for longevity. Owners don't need to do anything special when recharging daily.
If you own a Prius Prime Refer to page 133 of your owner's manual.( Capacity reduction of the Traction Battery). And If you own a RAV4 Prime refer to pages 121-122 of your owners manual . Yes there are safety measures in place, However the battery is more stable at less than Full charge and preferably mid to lower charge. If you charge a traction battery to actual 100% there will be much bigger issues than reduced capacity over time. The safety buffer is designed for liability and overheating issues. If longevity was the intent then the charging schedule over complication wouldn't be needed and that would be a huge waste of R&D for the manufacturer. I highly respect your opinion, And with that I present the facts from my side. We can debate this for a long time, In the end using the charging schedule is not a difficult thing to do and is recommended by the manufacturer so I stand with the advice of following the manufacturer's recommendations on this one. For the sake of education for myself, If you have access to information that I was not provided during the factory plug in hybrid training from Toyota or the thousands of pages of print provided by Toyota to their employees and dealer associates Please share such resources if possible, I am eager to learn more and even though I am factory trained to work on these systems, I always could always learn more and want to learn more. Thank you for your comment.
It is impossible to charge the battery to 100%. The system automatically prevents that. With an ODB-II reader, you can clearly confirm maximum is 84% ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-b8Y8PixxUk8.html&t ...is the most recent video I have created to show exactly what you request. That information on the right-side is output from an aftermarket application designed to present real-time data not ordinarily available in a user-friendly fashion. It has served as a very helpful learning device, highlighting detail about what happens behind the scenes.
priusguru I was just checking your channel out! Nice content! You are correct on the max SOC. Our internal training documents actually indicate that max and min SOC are variable based on many factors most of it has to do with temperature. I wonder since you are actually checking the PID for max SOC has it ever varied from 84% and what’s the min you have seen?
No, I haven't ever seen charging beyond the max of 84%. The value can climb to 85% on it own (nothing via the plug), if the car heats up from the sun after recharge has completed. You can obviously exceed 84% by descending down a long hill after recharging too, another benefit of having that buffer available.
Thanks for this video. As always you are very helpful. I just bought a RAV4 Prime. I'd never go a year or 18 months without using the engine as in your example, but this was a good reminder why using the engine is important.
You my friend are a scholar and a gentleman.. this should be required to watch when you’re waiting at the dealership for them to take your money, give you the keys and show you the door
I am a licensed aircraft mechanic and inspector. Your presentation is excellent. I drive 26 miles per day. I purchased the Gen4 Prius instead of the Prime. With your video I realize I made a better choice for my use. Maintaining the filter gives me something to do, thanks.
Sir: Your site should be mandatory reading for anyone who owns one of these cars. I am impressed by your knowledge, & the fact that I have never heard you BS ing your followers. I have learned much by following your site. I follow 50 sites give or take. There have been a startling number of sites that I have expunged from my list of sites. People feeding unadulterated BS to folks who hang on their every word. I have rebuilt three Prius HV batteries. I happened to be looking for parts in a junk yard one day when I noticed a Prius that had been in a rollover. I talked to the owner of the yard & asked him if he had pulled the HV battery from the car. He told me that he had not had time as yet. I asked how much he wanted for the battery. He told me a scrap dealer bought Prius batteries & those from other cars. I asked what the scrap dealer paid for a battery that had no obvious physical damage . He told me, & I told him that I would give him $50 more. We have known one another for years & he agreed to sell it to me. I told him I wanted to buy some of the electrical cable assemblies as well. He grinned & asked me WHY I wanted them. I told him I wanted to disassemble the whole HV electrical interconnect so that I could build a test bench to test the batteries. He said " Once an engineer, always an engineer, " He told me to take what I wanted. I brought what I wanted home & I will tell you that I was IMPRESSED with everything. The quality of the plugs & cables, & the battery box itself & its construction. I live in western Canada, so access to parts & manuals are difficult to find, & the shipping is insane. I talked to a friend in Oregon who bought me the manuals & schematics, & shipped them to me. He gave me the name of a company in California that had the individual cells, & also stocked the internal box hardware. I replaced the metal fittings & hardware because of corrosion. All three batteries were subsequently sold to local farmers. After I had rebuilt the boxes, I cycled them several times & equalized them. There was no info on equalization procedures in any of the manuals, but I have built & installed solar arrays up
As per tip #1 about fuel... RAV4 Prime has on-board sensor that forced gas engine to automatically burn fuel after 6 months. It’s in the manual. Not sure about Prius Prime.
@@MylesV I honestly thought to myself as this guy was saying it, if it was true, Toyota is pretty irresponsible for not including that especially since the Chevy Volt was doing that from the first gen. Can't believe this guy would put out misinformation.
i thought that even though your running on electric, and you need extra power, like speed, or a big hill, the gas engine automaticly kicks on,if its working write! thats the way it works on my Honda hibred.
I use E-0 in my kitplane, and in all my small engines (welder, weedwhacker, ATV, etc.) but E-10 in all my frequently driven vehicles. BUT, a 2 week Prime owner now, I am starting to realize the more than 3/4 full fuel tank may remain that way for MONTHS. So, I will "burn it off", in a cost effective fashion, then refill with E-0, which we can buy here, but it (oddly enough) costs more. I didn't realize until watching this, that the car is smart enough, once it knows my departure time, to figure out when to start charging prior my driving off, very cool.
Great info. My question is, why doesn't Toyota solve the stale fuel issue with a software update? It knows all the history and usage levels. Seems an simple software solution.
Thanks for the video. I always wanted a Prius Prime for a car that I would drive primarily as an electric, and as a gas just once or twice yearly for vacations. I had always thought that the Prime would have the same fresh fuel protection system as the GM Volt, where the engine would turn on periodically to burn off the gas if the computer detected insufficient use of the gas... I was wrong! Toyota, why did you miss this?
How are you liking it? I just bought a 21 prius prime the other day. I'm trying to learn as much as I can. Now I'm understanding the battery more than ever before. I've always known to run the gas before it gets stale, but the charging cycle is interesting. I'm going to be setting up the charging schedule this week (once I figure that part out). Gone are the days of the regular leaded car. Pull it in your garage, pop the hood, and tear down the engine and re-build. I'll miss it.
CCN - merci beaucoup 😊 I am starting a go fund me site to subsidize your move from the Windy City to our town. We want you to open up shop here. On second thought a selfish thought on my part thinking about all your grateful customers who would be highly disappointed at you leaving. All kidding aside; Huge thank you for taking the time to explain sensible maintenance areas. Please know you are appreciated. Continued success CCN👍
I first watched your video about the 300K Camry engine rebuild, your video was informative and presentation very professional and honest! So I watched more. I bought the 2012 Prius Plugin when it first came out during the Toyota online preorder; I never drove a prius prior and completed my purchase when it arrived. I bought the 2018 Prime when my CA HOV decal expired and needed to buy a new car to get the HOV decal; I guess I got spoiled being able to drive in the California HOV lanes when they were free...not they charge an "arm & leg!" to drive in the express lanes. Anyways, I a network/system administrator, but always maintained my vehicles since I was 15. I'm not an expert and never had training or class related to vehicles; I learned by hands-on experience by reading and helping family and neighbors. I'm glad I watched your videos... I never bring my vehicles to the shop; so far actually never needed to; my savings I spend on tools to repair and tune my vehicle; and only use factory parts. All three of my vehicles are Toyotas, 2004 Tacoma Prerunner, 2012 Prius Plugin, and 2018 Prius Prime. All nice vehicles and very clean! I never knew about the hybrid air filter, will clean/replace if necessary. I typically got about 62MPG without charging my Prime and recently noticed it dropped to 48MPG, I started investigating, changed the air filter, checked my maintenance records, and was thinking something might be up with my exhaust system? One thing I noticed was I can hear the engine working harder, I did think it was a possible difference it the tire diameter which would change the overall drive ratio, but stayed with the factory size. It's been bugging me. But then your video mentioned about the Michelin Defenders. I have the Defenders on both plugins. They are good tires, I didn't notice any change on the plugin and they have good traction wet and dry and do last long, so I bought them for my Prime and noticed the MPG drop...that was the problem; at least now I know it's not and engine/car issue. I'll keep them for the time being and will replace them before they get to wear limit. Like I said I learn from experience! Many Thanks! I will continue to view your channel!
Well presented. I find it odd that a reputable company such as Toyota doesn't keep track of the age of the gasoline and run the engine anyway as other plug-in Hybrids do. For example, a Chevy Volt will run the engine anyway if it sits for too long without getting used. A message will come up on the screen telling you it's running the engine for maintenance. You can delay it from running once, but after that, it will run regardless of the battery state of charge automatically.
@filippinguiden5619 Not really any more questions, but the RAV4 prime doesn't have an alternator, thus no reason to run the engine for the 12v battery. In fact, there's a recall on the DC to DC converter that charges the battery from the traction battery for the 2022 model year. Although the engine does run for many reasons on the Rav4 prime. In cold weather to help with heat, if you plant your foot on the accelerator for more power, if you go over 84 mph, if the temp of the hybrid system is either too hot or too cold, or if you press the windshield defogger. Of course, the video is more about the Prius prime and maybe they fixed the stale gas issue in the Rav 4 and the newer Prius Prime.
@filippinguiden5619 just thought that since you didn't know that charging the 12v battery doesn't use the engine, you probably didn't know the specifics that trigger the engine to start either and if you're in a climate that allows it, it is possible. I don't doubt it's impossible for you specifically based on all the criteria in which it turns on, but that doesn't mean it's impossible for everyone. It's impossible for me to get 5mi/kWh in the winter, but it's not impossible for everyone.
I always enjoyed listening to your channel, even though I didn't own a Toyota car. Now that we have a RAV4 from 2023, this is my place to go for really good information on these vehicles.
I’m sure glad I found your channel now, before I get my Toyota Hybrid/Prime. The information you’re providing is gold! Almost scary for someone like myself as I get older and can’t do much in terms of DIY anymore. I’ll be doing a lot more viewing of your videos and checking other RU-vid videos as well. I’m looking forward to your videos on the 2021 Siennas soon. I’ve had two Siennas and will be leaning toward a RAV4 or a Sienna.
If you live here in New-Zealand this from the AA- Only Gull sells an ethanol blend - only in their 98 octane (a 10% blend, called Gull Force 10). They also sell an 85% blend for motorsport at 6 locations (Gull Force Pro).
I’m convinced about hybrids. Im awaiting delivery of my 3rd one. I’m not convinced by plug in hybrids. If you want to drive more on electric, why not buy a full EV? Then you can go 300 miles or whatever and never worry about stale fuel.
Two things for me. We just picked up our 4th PHEV. One, camping trips. Want to be able to go long distances without frequent charging stops and to places where fueling infrastructure exists but charging infrastructure doesn't. Two, ability to easily use the vehicle as a backup generator for our home.
👍🦘 I’ve owned 3 Toyota hybrids (2 x Prius & 1 Camry) and still do. I’ve learnt more from you since subscribing 1 month ago to your channel about my hybrids than I have since buying my first Prius back in 08, thanks.
Great point about not leaving the car at 100%. The same should be done for smartphones if you want them to last. For example, my wife's phone came with a rapid charger. She would plug it in at night, the battery would be fully charged in less than a 1/2 hr and sit at 100% all night long. After 2 years the battery was unusable. I replaced the battery with an OEM replacement and now only charge it (slower) from ~20% to 80% and never leave it on the charger overnight. After 3 additional years, it still has 98% of its original capacity. We also use departure time on our Bolt EV so we actually only charge it to 75% because we don't put that many miles on per day, we have an older model that you can't adjust the target charge level that low, so we set the departure time to 9:00am, but leave for work at 7:00am before it's finished charging.
today phones have battery maintenance and optimization. I'm using smartwatch that is about 9 years old (Pebble) and it still goes strong for 8+ days on one charge. That is OLD tech already and still works great.
@@krecikowi Yes, I finally got a new phone. But after 6 years, my old phone's battery was still at 97%. I just wanted a better camera and the OS was so old, I was having trouble with app support. My new phone also has battery optimization along with the ability to only charge it to 85%.
Thank you for all your Toyota car care information. We've owned many Toyota over the years and we just purchased a 2021 RAV4 Prime SE. Your information reinforces what we like about the durability of Toyota vehicles.
Its a shame other automobile manufactures are still figuring this out when Chevy solved this issue for the Volt a decade ago. Look up Volt Fuel Maintenance Mode
Yes, a good point! Volt also had a pressurized gas tank and also had Engine Maintenance Mode to keep oil circulated and engine lubricated, good engineering by GM on that Volt.
I'm pretty sure the Prius Prime has an internal timer to consume some fuel to make you go fill it up again. It's been a couple years since it came out/when I did it's specific training module, and I've only ever seen 1 at our small town dealership.
Great information. I'm a long time Toyota customer and am currently driving my second Prius (2017). I was looking into getting a Prius prime next time around and this video answered many of my questions, thank you very much!
Listened to your comment on tires. My current hybrid (2017 Accord Hybrid) came with low rolling resistance tires. My average mpg was 42.5. I live in KS where there are severe thunderstorms and black ice. The LRR tires became skittish is these kind of weather, particularly after 30/40k miles. I drive about 33K miles/year, so I decided to switch to Michelin Cross Climate2. Handling confidence in bad weather was dramatically better, and my average mpg dropped to 38.5. My safety was worth the drop in mileage.
Wonderful video, almost all my questions / doubts / self conclusions / routine / care has been touch by this video. I have been a Prius Prime owner since July 2019 and my daily commuting is less than 15 miles , so in a year I have barely used the gas engine, but always had the doubt about the gas, oil, etc. Recently change my tires to Turanzza Quiettrack because the Ecopia were noisy, has been only days since and still don't know the eco impact, lets cross my fingers is not that heavy. I was not even aware about the existence of the battery vents, how ignorant I was, thank god they were clean.
Glad I could help. I think the turanzas should be ok they’re usually not heavy. Do let me know how it goes I’m curious. I would put the lack of knowledge of the filter on Toyota for not including it in the maintenance schedule and the selling dealership for not bringing it to your attention. Best wishes and best of luck with your awesome Prius prime!
@@TheCarCareNut Thank You for taking the time to do this video. This afternoon I posted another comment making reference to the Tires, I don't think the weight is the factor that is causing the reduction in gas mileage, but the lack of Eco-Branding - Low Resistance Certification on the tire. Michelin Turanza did not have it either, so I called TireRack today and they allow me to exchange them for Michelin Crossclimate. Just got it today, will install them tomorrow
Thank you for watching my video! I saw your comment and you’re right on the weight. Noticeable gas mileage change when you switch from eco to non eco tires on hybrids.
Don't worry about fully charging a Prius Prime car. You are not leaving it at 100% (actually less than that in reality). You are driving the car, and lowering the charge of the battery in doing so. Maybe if you are going to leave the car for a long time, this he got right, don't leave it at 100%. Good videos, and mostly correct information.
Something else you can do is drive for Uber. I average 100 miles a day. I've gotten over 1000 miles between full ups. Most Ive gone is like 3 days back and forth to work without using fuel. I drive for Uber and I get like 3 short rides on battery. 2 weeks. And Ive heard the computer knows how old the gas is and will automatically run the gas.
Very interesting video. What you talked about concerning fuel going stale is something I've wondered about for a while now. Something else you mentioned that I've wondered about concerns the engine. I think you're oil change information makes perfect sense. Most folks don't think in terms of time where oil change intervals are concerned but there's something else. You mentioned that the car will automatically exit full EV mode if you exceed a certain road speed. 85 mph in this case. That number was higher than I would have thought it would be but the question in brings to mind is, what happens to the engine when it's started from a stone cold state and is then expected to propel the car at speeds => 85 mph? I can't imagine that's a heathy scenario for any IC engine. Just a thought!
You are right in that thought however the engine will not start and immediately go to high rpm like in a conventional torque converter car. It will likely stay at idle turning the charging motor to charge the battery then if acceleration demands it will rev up. But yes that would be a slight strain that could cause issues over time.
If you use an OBD-II bluetooth dongle and the Hybrid Assistant app on your phone, you can monitor what's actually going on with the both the electric and gas engine systems in a Toyota hybrid. My Prius Prime engine goes through 4 stages of "warm up" from a cold start, according to Hybrid Assiatant. I don't exactly know what's different about each of these stages, but I bet AMD knows. I'm guessing that the engine control computer is regulating engine power to keep it de-tuned until full operating temperature is reached, to reduce wear and tear, and tail pipe emissions while the engine is still cold.
They way I understand it, most electric cars limit the maximum and minimum charge levels. For example, when you leave your car charging all night and the next morning the display reads 100%, the battery is not actually filled to 100% capacity, it’s only like 80 or 90% to protect the battery from repeated overcharging. The cellphone manufacturers do the same thing. I’m not an expert, but this is what I’ve heard and it makes sense to me. Cheers. 😊
Most EVs do not in fact limit the battery charge to a large extent. In the Chevy bolt, 64 of the 65kwh battery is available. Few EVs cap their batteries below 90% It is up to the user to bring it down further. I keep mine set to 60% for instance. Phone batteries are even less protected from reaching 100%. Unless a battery protection feature is enabled, the battery is charged to its max voltage.
Thank you Angelina! The Prius prime is an awesome car. It seems like every new generation Prius that comes out they are more and more dependable given how complicated they are! Good luck with your prime purchase!
Just left you a comment for the braking in a Toyota, well, a lot, I mean a lot of good information here except maybe the recommendation of for break in period for the R4P... Thanks again :-)
I own a Rav 4 Prime and after the fuel sat for 3 weeks driving in EV only I noticed in my 27 mile commute the gas turns on runs for a mile and shuts off for the remainder of the drive. Rav 4 Prime will not charge to full. 18.1 kWh battery I can only use 15 kWh. It shuts off when the charge is complete and it liquid cools while charging and will not start charging if the battery is too warm but kicks on the cooler fan and when the temp lowers it will start charging. The Prime Rav 4 is a lot smarter than the Prius Prime
Thank you for your comment Russel! The RAV4 prime I think is the coolest new car to come to Toyota land in these times! For the full charge, for the purposes of my video I meant full allowed charge not actual 100% charge. I agree with you 100% on the RAV4 prime being smarter than the prius prime. This may upset some prius prime owners and that’s not my intent. The RAV4 prime advancement has a lot to do with the Prius Prime. I’m sure when a new Prius prime model comes out it will be more advanced than the RAV4 prime due to time of release. Question regarding the 27 mile engine start. Is it consistent? Also did you try to drive less than 27 mile in one drive then continue the following day?
Thanks for the information, the a/c should start for one minute every time the car start to keep the O ring lubed. I think I will trade my prius prime for the rav4 prime but they won't be sold here in Illinois.
@@TheCarCareNut North East ILL. Yes, long list, but still undecided if to go for the rav4 prime or the model 3. The PP very uncomfortable to sleep in the cargo area with that battery so high.
continued Brian Hind commentary: 50kw & attendant batteries, chargers, regulators etc. My question to you is " Does the battery, charging system etc, in the Prius have automatic battery equalization? The positive & negative rails along the inside of the box suggests it does. I thought it unusual that no mention of equalization was mentioned in the data that I possess. Thanks again for your marvelous videos. Cheers! Brian
Interesting about the Michelin Defensers... these are the tires I use on all my vehicles, and put them on my Prime @ 34k miles after OEMs and now at 70k miles. Not difference in EV range noticed. Been getting 25ish winter, 30 summer. I don't do a lot of interstate miles in EV mode, so perhaps that affects it more at higher speeds.
Thanks AMD for all you do for us Toyota Owners, I just bought a 2021 Prius Prime XLE from Carvana because of your videos. I live in Las Cruces, NM near El Paso - I think this will be a good car for my wife.
Hi Car Care Nut. Another vid packed with great education! Question: are there any fuel additives worth putting in before going on an extended vacation, just to kill off corrosive agent formation as much as possible? Thanks again for making the time to help us learn.
My Ford Fusion has an engine saving feature that forces the gas engine to kick in every now and then. If you go too king without having the gas engine kick in it will automatically keep the engine going to use up as much gas as necessary. I still only filled that tank 4-5 times a year. I’m not sure the RAV4 prime has that feature. Will soon find out! I just got one! So happy!
Candycane The manual says to use 87 octane gas, which is regular gas in California. Premium gas goes bad just as fast as regular unless you buy premium with no ethanol in it, which is hard to find. I couldn’t find anything in the manual about not adding fuel stabilizer. It works great to keep gas fresh
I'd advise against using any gas additives for any purpose in this or any other recent car chock full of sensors and computers. All the sensors and computers are assuming they're dealing with gas from the pump. Just put in however much gas you expect to use in the next month or two, and get gas every month or two. If using gas with any ethanol in it, it acts like dry gas and absorbs any condensation caused by a partial fill. If using 100% gasoline, filling the tank is better to prevent condensation from humid air in the tank. My current (pandemic) driving is around 800-1000 miles per month, which also happens to be my usual range per tank currently. The gauge scares you into getting gas by the time you're down 10 gallons, and I've been averaging close to 100mpg due to taking mostly trips around 100 miles, using the charge plus 1 gallon. Pumps here specify "up to 10% ethanol" but any given batch may or may not contain ethanol depending upon supply, no guarantees. So I always fill the tank and drive it to around the gas warning light coming on, give or take.
Thanks for the suggestions! I am considering a RAV4 Prime to replace my 03 Lexus ES300 in the next few years. I am not ready for a full EV especially in the harsh Minnesota winters where range would be halved at best. On that note, I was thinking of a potential downfall of driving a PHEV in winter. The car will drive in EV mode by default until the battery falls below a certain level and then transitions to hybrid mode. If it's say 5 F outside and this transition happens when you are driving on the highway at 60-70 mph, that's not good to ask a cold engine to have to push so hard. With my Lexus, I let it warm up for a minute, shift into reverse, wait a bit, and then I don't push this car hard at all (well, I don't even in the summer but especially not in the winter) when the engine is cold. Even on the highway I accelerate slowly. My plan if I get my RAV4 Prime is to force the car to go into hybrid mode when starting up to warm the engine (would be easier to heat the cabin as well) and only when that has happened to switch it back to EV mode. I may only get 20 miles on a 60 mile round trip commute, but it's still better than nothing.
Like your videos and hope you keep giving all the good info. I have a question. Would you recommend to have an oil trap between the pcv valve and the air manifold? Many mechanics believe by avoiding oil getting back into the engine will help to build up gunk on the top of the pistons and valves. Your opinion is truly appreciate. Thank you
I don’t personally think you need an oil trap or also called oil separator in most Toyota models. Yes you will get some oil on the intake but usually the injectors do a pretty good job cleaning the back of the valves. And if the car is maintained properly there won’t be any issues. Save your money.
Thx for your video! We just purchased (a week ago) a 2018 Prius Prime, so I’m starting on a new learning curve. Running almost all in electric mode, but, yes, I’m aware of the issues with the gas. One thing I worry about is how do these engines handle oil pressure and temperature in a scenario such as the following: your gas engine is cold and hasn’t turned over in several hours or days, and then you’re going onto the freeway, and all of a sudden your gas engine needs to come to life and provide significant acceleration, but has no oil pressure, the oil has drained off the bearings and the upper part of the engine. That sounds like a high-wear scenario. I believe the oil pump is mechanical and runs off the crankshaft. My plan is that if I’m going to be going on the freeway or other situation where the engine will be working hard, is to take the car out of EV mode and put it in hybrid mode a few miles before the freeway, and let the gas engine get warmed up and oiled so it is ready to deal with the power demand. This car replaced our 2013 Prius. That car was my best ever, super reliable. But on July 25 I was driving Lyft in San Francisco, and accelerating out of a light where it would transition from electric to gas light I started feeling a judder. Thought it was uneven pavement. Then accelerating out of a light again another judder. I was getting more and more tuned into this problem. I finished my last ride, and had to cancel my next when the engine started rattling and shaking. I parked it and checked OBDII for codes, none. Engine temp seemed normal. Temperature fine. Nothing out of the ordinary. Oil was just above the add mark as it would slowly go down over 10000 miles, and two days away from its 30000 miles service. So had it towed back to Elk Grove Toyota, where they found coolant in the #2 cylinder. Don’t know why it failed, but the bill was going to be $4500, and I didn’t have facilities at home to replace the head gasket or put in a replacement engine. So decided to sell the car, got $3000 for it. 😥
The short answer is that it's smart to have the gas engine warmed up by the time you plan to use it hard, but that regardless of what you do, some smart guys in Japan figured out what the car should actually do, regardless of what you're trying to tell it to do. What you do with the mode button, the gas pedal, and the shifter are more like suggestions rather than firm commands to the car. The car will figure out what you're trying to do, and then decide whether to do it the way you think it will be done, or do it another way, or simply not do it to the extent you're expecting. With EV and hybrid range both running out, and a cold engine that hasn't spun yet, you're not going to be setting any speed records when you stomp on the pedal. The long answer is that the more thinking you do, and the better you understand and have experience with the car, the more you can refine how you use the car, including getting max performance right when you want it I have a 2017 Prime that I've put 100K miles on. If I'm heading to a highway where I'm going to push the car hard, I make sure to have the engine in use before then, and preferably warmed up to the point where if I choose EV mode, it actually goes EV. Then I put it back to HV knowing the engine is as ready as it ever will be, for anything I can throw at it. One entrance ramp I use starts at a traffic light, is significantly uphill for the first half mile, and is a fun place to floor the gas pedal for significant time going 0 to 80 uphill with 90 degree curves both at the start and at around 45-55mph. If I've forgotten to warm the car up, I just don't floor it, but still switch to hybrid mode and let the car figure it out. Typically it will use A LOT of electric motor and very little gas engine for the first 10 or 20 seconds of engine usage since starting the car. Don't forget that just because you're in EV mode and the gas engine isn't running, it doesn't always mean that the electric motors aren't physically spinning the gas engine sometimes, especially at highway speeds. That is how it changes the effective gear ratio in a car that never engages or disengages any gears physically. Even if you're not using the gas engine, it sometimes seems be preparing for you to do so, especially as you accelerate to the magical 84-85mph transition, where the gas engine has to start spinning (whether by burning fuel or being spun by the electric motors) to change the effective gear ratio to prevent electric motor overspeed. It creates different effective gear ratios for the gasoline engine by varying the speed of the gasoline engine on one side of the planetary gear system, and the electric motors on the other side, whether or not it's burning any gasoline at the time. So your assumption that the engine is totally unlubricated when it fires up, is not necessarily true. The car knows whether or not the engine has been recently spun by the electric motors (or by car inertia when decelerating in B rather than D, etc) and does what it needs to in order to not destroy itself.
Thanks for the video! Agreed on stale fuel problem, plus gasoline engines need to be run regularly anyway. Regarding RAV4 Prime, I was amazed to see the manual (p.91) instruct to "refuel at least 5.3 gallons over a 12 month period". Way too long! Per same page in manual, the RAV Prime has a warning which will appear on display if fuel has not been added for a long time "No new fuel has been added recently, please refuel." But no data on how long before this message shows up. (6 months?) I will run the gasoline engine weekly or at least every 2 weeks for at least an hour, including at freeway speed. I have used the fuel stabilizer Sta-Bil in the past in lawnmowers, but am certainly not going to put it into an expensive modern car engine.
I use Stabil 360 in my 4Runner that I do not drive much. It is designed to be used in modern engines. I do not recommend letting a car sit with unstabilized fuel. Even ethanol free gas will deteriorate.
Excellent information! We have a Lexus NX450h, with same bones as the RAV4 prime. Have not used much gas in 6 months, but will take your advice, since we want it to last a long time.
New to a hybrid and thank you sir for fantastic information. I live rural so i use the gas engine often until I get to town. But knowing about the filters and everything else is extremely helpful
I absolutely loved your video! I have one question regarding the "stale gas" issue. I just recently purchased my RAV4 Prime and I'm not doing my normal commutes to my college campuses due to COVID and teaching from home. The dealership provided a full tank of (I would guess) 87 octane gas and I have not used hardly any of the gas. I don't anticipate starting my commutes again until Fall 2021. Would you suggest just taking the car out and driving it around just to use up the gas, and, would you suggest premium gas? I searched for non-ethanol gas stations in my area and the closest one is 24 miles away from my home (but close to one of my teaching campuses), so that option is not practical for me now, but what would you suggest?
Hi! I would try to use the gas and won’t leave it more than 6-12 months on the same tank for best results. Using premium gas wouldn’t really benefit anything. Also non ethanol gas would help but with gasoline that has 10 ethanol you’re good if you cycle it as much as possible.
Gas consists of compounds of various volatility. Parts of the gas evaporate at different rates. With gas generators, they recommend changing the gas four times per year, at least twice per year. I suggest the same in the car. Whether ethanol or premium, the gas will still separate and eventually turn to gum. Better to burn some gas occasionally than gum up your engine. That is expensive.
This was one of the most informative videos I have seen. I am purchasing a 2022 rav4 prime this month. These were great to know things for it. Thanks!!
Been leasing a Prius prime for just over a year, longest I’ve gone full ev is about 2 months but it seems when I turn the heat for the windshield it turns the motor on and my drives are longer then the range a lot of the times.
Geat information. Thank you, Sir. I live at the bottom of a hill near a freeway on-ramp climbing out of Pacifica. High RPM on a cold engine IMHO is not a good thing. You can hear that in the noise compared to a warm engine. My solution was to save enough EV Battery to make that climb (at a slower rate) and switch to Hybrid Mode at the top of the hill, thus reducing engine strain and hopefully increasing engine life.
kazadori164 The engine is already programmed to run as needed to maintain moving parts and burn fuel so it doesn’t go stale. This “master tech” missed some classes.
@@RobertLeBlancPhoto you sure about this im at 215 mpg mostly running ev since pandemic driving less than 25 miles. Engine has never turned on the f battery still has charge
Thanks very much for the info. My Prius Prime is in production in Japan, and I am getting it in February 2022. I hope I made te right choice. Also I bought the base model, and not the technology package !!!
Disagree. Time is important but synthetic oil doesn’t just stop working because it’s been 6 months since it was last changed. I had my oil analyzed on my 2011 Prius after 7.2k miles and almost 12 months of use by blackstone labs. They found lower than average metals in my oil, zero percent coolant, and a strong TBN (I.e total base number used to measure your oils ability to lubricate, clean and cool the engine). You don’t need an analysis but at the very least use a high quality oil and pull the dipstick from time to time. Look at the color, if it’s amber and you barely ran your engine on your prime after 6 months you’re probably fine. Save your time, money and the oil for another 6 months. Regardless, probably best to change oil no less than 12 months as recommended by Toyota. And do run that engine from time to time as stated by AMD.
The full charge level on a Prius Prim is about 85% and the lowest charge level is about 15%. This is by design. I own a PP and don't worry about its charge state.
That's pretty funny, James! I had to fast forward through your last video when you were trying to run out of gas! I wish that you would try again, this time don't stop at home to charge up your PHEV battery after your gas light turns on. Our Ford CMax PHEV has about two gallons of gasoline when it's gas pump light turns on. I'd be able to drive 90 miles on gasoline and if I fully charged the batteries, I'd to good for another 20 more miles.
@@mitchellbarnow1709 Thanks for watching! Yeah I know it was long. It was a hard video to make. I had SO MUCH FOOTAGE. It was nuts. Im totally ok with people watching my videos sped up. I wouldnt want to watch me. lol
James Klafehn I watched that video at normal speed! Even though you failed 😠 😂 but it was very interesting at the end. Usually running hybrids out of fuel sets some codes and ready off and good night. The prime is interesting. Try unplugging the fuel pump maybe and see what happens?
@@TheCarCareNut Wow thanks for watching! Thats awesome! Yeah I had that OBD2 scanner just in case I needed to clear a code. Thankfully I didn't need to use it but I also didn't cross the finish line :(
James Klafehn when I first saw the video thumbnail I had a different interpretation of I failed! I thought you actually ran it out of gas and EV range and bricked it! Curious did it set code p319300? Even pending? Check it for codes
This is poor programming by Toyota. I owned 2 Chevy volts and after 6 weeks and not running the engine. The computer would start the engine and warm it up to keep the seals and gaskets perfect. After a year the computer starts the engine and runs it until the tank is empty and tells you to fuel it up. Crappy programming by Toyota!! I own a 2020 Prius prime and I love the car and hate the programming. I am getting rid of it as soon as I can.
Martin Bernard I hear you. I can imagine it’s a simple software tweak to do this. I wouldn’t rush to get rid of it, it’s a very nice car. But every car will have its few things that are not ideal but overall I think it’s an excellent car! Best of wishes for you!
The Prius Prime is meant to be run in hybrid mode from time to time. If you never go longer than the tiny Prime EV range then a small EV might be a better choice. Japanese hardware makers tend to make oddball software, but if you like to tinker the amount of control is appreciated.
my 2018 Prius Prime has 50,000 miles on it now, driving 60+ miles daily (charge at home and work), with overall 230 MPG, current battery life still has 90% of original mileage. Total cost at 50,000 miles on maintenance + gas +electricity is about $1,000. This car is a gem
@@johnersoy6535 pure EV first, normal mode, I'm 65,000 miles now by the way, still going strong. Current total cost on gas+electricity+maintenance is about 1,800
Thank you for the comments on scheduled charging. This should be pushed in the infotainment system. I have been trying to use charge schedule since new, but sometimes I really need a full battery for use a day+ later.
Thank you. All you said was exactly what I thought must be the case. Petrol engines need to be used occasionally in order to lubricate them properly. Once I had to leave a VW Beetle standing for six months and it became totally seized, which was not a surprise of course. No machine benefits from being left standing. As for the batteries; exactly the same approach needs to be taken to charging phones and the rest. All very clear and of course the big message is, read the manual.
Ahmed I really appreciate you taking the time to educate us on these important preventive maintenance procedures that most people would easily overlook, I never knew that about ethanol fuel, and prolonging battery life, thank you sir....Javi G.
