Just took delivery of my used 2011 Prius Three yesterday. Having been sitting in the lot at work all morning, the car has gotten hot inside. I went out to make some changes to the radio settings, and I tried to cool it off inside to no avail. I pressed the Start button twice (without my foot on the brake) to get the car to "ON"... the blower works great, but after several minutes, it was still blowing hot air. "A/C" on the climate control was clearly on (lit), and I touched AUTO, which was reading ~15 degrees cooler than the outside temp. Am I not doing something right? I was hoping that I could at least cool off the car before I drive off anywhere...
You should put your foot on the brake and get the car "Ready". Any other way, you'll drain your 12v battery and you'll end up with another problem. What you are doing is equivalent to not turning on a regular car and using the AC. It probably won't work properly
You didn't get the car to ON, you got it to ACC mode. You must push the brake AND the start button for the ON mode......where the AC will run.
Thanks! You're exactly right - I tried it, and A/C works almost immediately when the car is in Ready Mode (foot on brake then Start). Seems like a dumb first post, but I'm completely new to Prius. Should have thought about how it works on a "regular" car, then translate into "prius-speak"....
The A/C compressor is not 12 volts, it is from the high voltage battery, which is only connected in READY. If A/C could be powered by 12 volts, other cars would have electric A/C.
Since this car is new to you, don't use Acc function at all, if you want to listen to the radio, etc always put the car in ready. The 12 volt is smaller than one in a normal car, and can be run down in acc mode very easily.
Something you might try, if you have an A/C button on your remote, is to press it for a few seconds until you hear a beep. The AC will start up and cool your car for up to 3 minutes.
Nope: Just open the windows & DRIVE!!! Tip: Purchase a SunShield (available at any local PriusChat Shoppe near you). Leave all the windows cracked open about 0.5" (1 cm) and when you start the car turn A/C on ("Auto"). You need to remember that unlike a regular automobile's A/C, the A/C in a Prius is powered from the Traction Battery (not the ICE) , and conditions the air IN THE CABIN (from whence is drawn the air to cool the Traction Battery & electronics), so it's important to keep the cabin temp cool, (in order for the Traction Battery to be comfortable). It has been my experience that 10 minutes driving (A/C on "Auto" set to 72F with 96F outside temp) is sufficient to bring the Soc indicator back to ALL GREEN! Good luck! - Wil
