i had to drop off someone, wait 2 hours on the spot, and pick up. i powered off the car after the drop off. turn it back on right away without stepping on the break - to bring up accessory mode so i could listen to FM radio. exactly 60 minutes later, all inside courtesy lights lit up for 15 sec, radio powered off, and the dash displayed "auto power off - to save battery". very cool. questions 1. if i didn't close a door completely or a forgot to turn off a map light, will the prius auto power those off too? 2. if the 12 v battery is depleted, but the hybrid battery is not, will the car start and run?
I've accidentally left the map lights on for about 3 hours and the 12V battery was fine. It did not turn off by itself. AFAIK, the car needs the 12V battery to detect the keyfob, and boot up the system, so if it is drained it will not be able to fall back on the HV battery.
No. The HSD needs the 12V battery to initially power on and the 12V battery will only charge from the HV battery when the HSD is on. If you drain the 12V battery you won't be able to start the car.
If you do that a lot it will reduce battery life. The battery-safe way to use the radio or other accessories is to leave the car Ready (ON), in Park, and with the parking brake set. Of course this should not be done if the car is in an entirely enclosed space that has no ventilation. [Uhh, just like Jimbo wrote. D'ohh!!]
