Battery level short one bar on 2014 Prius c

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Philip Florio, Jan 31, 2015.

  1. Philip Florio

    Philip Florio New Member

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    On my Prius c it seems that the top bar on the battery indicator won't fill. Is this normal or maybe there's an issue with the batteries?
     

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    #1 Philip Florio, Jan 31, 2015
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome to priuschat. that's normal, it takes a lot to fill all the way. do you have any long elevation drops to fill the battery?
     
    #2 bisco, Jan 31, 2015
  3. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    Living in a flat area, you could go for years without ever seeing "full". Here in Minnesota, it wasn't until a trip up north by Lake Superior that I finally saw all the bars.
     
    #3 john1701a, Jan 31, 2015
  4. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Evidently to extend battery life, Toyota applies "The Middle Way" as far as battery charge goes. My understanding is the battery gauge is not an absolute. In other words, if you ever see it full...the battery is not truly totally full..and if you see it empty it is not truly totally empty. The system works to remain a percentage range.

    I can see mine reading as totally full, but this is usually only after a longer downhill stretch. For 99% of driving it's 2/3rds to 3/4ths and varying up and down from those baselines.

    You could try a downhill stretch to see if you can get the meter to read full. But for the majority of driving the fact that it isn't reading totally full is perfectly normal.
     
    #4 The Electric Me, Jan 31, 2015
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  5. Philip Florio

    Philip Florio New Member

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    I live in Tennessee, lots of ups and downs! I'll try to find a long drop to see if it goes all the way, thanks
     
    #5 Philip Florio, Jan 31, 2015
  6. Easy Rider 2

    Easy Rider 2 Senior Member

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    And since nobody else mentioned it:
    You won't see it go completely empty (no bars) either.....except in unusual circumstances.
     
    #6 Easy Rider 2, Jan 31, 2015
  7. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    And note that it will actually have to be using a lot of regeneration while descending the hill. I sometimes fill on a nearby low speed descent of 400 feet, but not always. At higher speeds and other conditions, it might need a 1000 foot descent to fill the gauge.
     
    #7 fuzzy1, Jan 31, 2015
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    And that reluctance to completely fill is likely not 'cause it's hard to top up, more because the car start's reducing charging as the battery get's to optimum "full", starts doing engine breaking, switching over to friction brakes.

    Anytime we come down a local ski hill ours'll go to full bars in short order, too quickly actually. You want to try B on the transaxle shifter in those conditions.
     
    #8 Mendel Leisk, Jan 31, 2015
  9. Deleted member 111882

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    I haven't even seen it go down to one bar... I'm not even sure how to do that but it would scare me :eek:
     
    #9 Deleted member 111882, Jan 31, 2015
  10. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    But at least on a Gen 3 Standard Prius, You can see it full. Not very often, but if you go downhill for a significant while- the gauge will show filled.

    Yeah, I've never seen mine "totally" empty.
     
    #10 The Electric Me, Jan 31, 2015
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