I plan to take a 6-week trip to Asia, I'm a noob and would appreciate anyone with more experience who can give me advice. My 2015 Prius One C 12v battery is under the back seat, I was wondering what the best/easiest practice would be for the battery maintenance? Do I need to remove the battery entirely or is there a way to disconnect it to the same effect?! 1)Do I need to remove the battery from under the seat to connect to a smart trickle charger at home? 2) Remove and charge the battery and leave it out until I get back? 3)Leave the car with the battery in at the airport and get a jump pack ready to use for when I get back? Do I need to put the air to the maximum written on the tires? Is it safe to drive with that pressure?! or should I get a portable pump for that? Any other tips? Any points I am missing? Thank you!
easiest would be to put a trickle charger on it in the car. you don't have to remove anything. there is a jump point in the fuse box under the hood that is easy to connect to. if you'd rather leave it at the airport, yes, jump pack, but you'll kill the battery, so plan on a new one soon. tires to max sidewall, and yes you can drive it safely at speed limit
The c One trim doesn't use smart keys or anything like that, so there will be less parasitic drain than other models. That said, if it were me? I'd make sure the tires were up to normal pressure before going, and I'd disconnect the battery once parked. Take one key with me for convenience and leave the other at home for safekeeping. And that's it. I don't think you should have to do anything else. 6 weeks is not difficult. 6 months would be a different story.
... Thank you for the reply.. a probably dumb question: Can I use the trickle charger while parked in the airport? do all trickle chargers need to be plugged in?
...... Thank you for the reply! that really put my mind at ease.. that is true, no smart key or anything on this one. Should I disconnect the battery from under the back seat? or are you also referring to the under-the-hood fuse?
You could make sure the hybrid battery is charged up by putting the car in drive and with your foot on the brake floor the accelerator. This is caused "force charging."
If you're going to disconnect it, do it under the back seat. Some configurations of the Prius even include an easy quick-disconnect integrated into the current measuring system in the "pod" thingy on the + terminal. If yours has that, you can pop it off and click it back on without tools. Worth a quick check in advance. Otherwise, take the ground strap off with a 10mm wrench and leave the wrench in the car.
I remember when I first saw that 12v Battery switch in a Prius C... I was like, why don't they do this in all the Prius?
Also, let us know where the airport parking is cheap enough to leave it there 6 weeks. Inquiring minds want to know.