I just had to get my lead battery jumped and am wondering how long I need to leave my prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon) running to charge the battery up. Because the car "turns off" automatically, there might be something else I need to do??
I would think 15 min would be enough. It will charge as long as the car is in ready mode regardless of the engine.
Best to buy an AGM battery charger and charge the battery overnight. A fully charged battery should be at 12.9 volts or higher. Leaving it up to your car to charge would take forever.......
the car does not do a good job of charging a deflated battery. get a battery maintainer/charger recommended here, and a voltmeter to test the health after charging.
On my Porsche I used an AGM battery for years and never heard of a need for a special "AGM Battery Charger" or "AGM Maintainer". I participated on many Porsche forums and, given how Porsche owners obsess over their cars, I'd have thought I'd have seen someone advocating such a charger/maintainer. I used both charger and maintainer (both at least 10 years old) as I would on a normal car. The difference is the maintainer won't come on if the battery is not almost charged but then the maintainer can be left hooked up for months. The charger will charge from a low charge state but most cheaper chargers need to be disconnected or they boil the battery through overcharging. Really great (and $$$) units combine the best features of both. Most cars, at idle, don't really charge the battery significantly. Go run for 20 minutes at the equivalent of 3000 RPM in a normal car or a bit longer in a Prius and I'd feel better about your chances the next start. Given where you live and the temperatures and if you think the battery might be weak, I'd be first in line for a AGM battery as they are liable to sell out quickly. Sudden cold spells always expose battery weakness and the crowd in the line to replace their marginal but now failing batteries grows longer.
It would be MUCH better to buy a small automatic battery tender type charger and leave it connected until the green light comes on. And if the battery is more than 3 years old, it might be prudent to just replace it.......and charge the new one with your new charger too.
That is because you DO NOT need a special charger for an automotive AGM battery.......but some people are stubborn and maintain a "My mind is made up, don't confuse me with facts" posture. And the engine RPM is not a factor with this hybrid design as the 12 V battery charges via an inverter that runs off the HV battery even when the engine is not running.......if the HV charge is high enough.
My wife has discharged her original 2008 battery on two occasions with no bad results after a 15 minute built in inverter charge. It's still going strong, the car gets 48 mpg and the dealer has not gotten hundreds for a replacement.
