I'm sure this has been answered somewhere but I can't find it. Is there any difference between jump starting a PIP and a regular Prius? I've watched the video about how to jump a regular Prius - under the hood, using the positive terminal in the fuse panel. I have a 2012 PIP and I'll be doing road trip / car camping with it. I have a battery pack strong enough to jump my van that should have more than enough juice to start Pippa if I accidentally run down her batteries in the night, I just need to know where to attach it - under the hood, or to the small battery in the rear?
Leave your PIP in Ready, and it will not run down at night. (it will start about every 1/2 hour and recharge) Jump starting is the same, and once you ever have jump started it, replace the 12 volt battery as it never really recovers.
Thanks Jimbo. I hope I never need to jump start her, but it would be embarrassing to cart all this equipment around and then be at a loss for how to use it. Do you know if the car will come on that often if I'm not actually using the battery but just in Ready mode?
Doesn't make a difference for jump starting the PiP whether you attach at the front fuse block or the battery at the rear, though the front is easier to get to. But for jumping another car from the PiP (I have done it), be sure to use the front point, and have the car in Ready so the Inverter is active, and let the dead car's battery charge for a few minutes before starting.
I had to jumpstart my PiP (the trunk is harder to close than my regular prius so it get left open-completely my fault). After than that one time, PiP's battery died 2 more times. It was not so fun. Yea i don't feel the battery ever really recovered
Oh brother. So ... I decided to test camp in pippa. In my driveway. so ... I turned it on including ac and then plugged in, thinking I could top the battery with 110 instead of gas starts. Mmm ... no. Half an hour later dead as a doornail. I plugged in again w/o any aux. accessories running in the hopes of restoring power to start it in the a.m. but it doesn't seem to be charging at all. Ergh. Ohm. Anyone?? Anyone?? How long should I expect before I see some sign of life?
