I have a 2017 Prius Prime Advanced. I’m curious about the built-in wireless charger. How much power does it consume if left on all the time? I’m not charging my phone all the time, so there could be times when the charger is just turned on but my phone is not in the charger. Should I worry about turning it off when not charging my phone so my EV batteries last longer per charge? Also, is it preferable to use a USB cable in terms of charging efficiency?
The USB port is pretty anemic when it comes to charging. Do you lay metallic objects on the charging pad other than your phone?
NO.....and maybe but not enough to worry about. Obsessing over insignificant details is not good for your health.
Does it even use power when not charging a phone? I gave up using both OEM remote charger and OEM USB port for charging my phone. They are sooo slow. I now use PD3.0 and QC3.0 63W 12V car charger. It takes less than 15 min to charge my phone from ~30% to full.
It is preferable to use a USB cable connected to a good quality 12V power adapter (I like the 2-port Anker models). The existing USB port is woefully low on current. My iPhone 7 Plus will discharge when plugged into the existing USB port on the car, so it never plugs in there. The only device I have found that will keep a charge on that port is an older hard-drive iPod. Only if you are concerned about the 2 inch EV range difference.
Im pretty sure it does not use the traction battery but it's not hard to just turn it off Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
The Prime has no alternator, and when the car is in IGNITION ON, 12V DC loads are powered from the traction battery via a DC-DC converter under the hood. In EV mode, all power for the vehicle comes from the traction battery, including this (very small) load. When the car is off or in Accessory, 12V loads are powered from the 12V battery. When running the engine, the engine charges the traction battery and the traction battery continues to power the DC-DC converter. In this case, the original source of the power is the ICE, but the DC-DC inverter is always powered from the traction battery.
