Tried it on 2 cars today. 2nd car had not been warmed up much at all. Had a hard time charging up. In the end reported 57% life (2015, 128k) Any chance that would be better if I drove it 10 minutes first?
First car had been driven maybe 2 miles before testing. 73% (2015, 105k) Last week tested one in dealer parking lot after it drove maybe a block. 85% (2012 135k)
The battery pack needs to be warmed up to ~75 f. At ~75 degrees the hybrid computer begins to pay attention to the internal resistance of the modules, as they are warm enough. After the pack is warm, charge the battery to 72% and then load it with ~6.5 amps and wait until the charge drops to 40% - this is the end of the test. I wouldn't torture the gen3 & gen 4 engine trying to charge the battery pack by stepping on the gas pedal.
So the 57% might be wrong if it was colder? I liked the car but for that. I'll check the app on my prius hatch. I assume it will tell me temperature.
I guess that's the difference between testing in VA and MN, lol. Thanks for the info - it does seem like torture to press gas and brake and try to charge it up. Next time, I'll do the test drive first and see if I can't shorten that phase.
