How many belts does the 2008 Prius have and what do they drive? Does the prius have any fewer hoses than a typical car? Does the 12v battery actually start the engine? Details on this would be good because I bet it is more than a simple yes/no.
umm... I know it doesn't have an A/C compressor belt cause the A/C is electrically powered and I believe there's a timing chain not a belt for the engine. No idea. The engine is from the Yaris/xA/old xB but modified to run on the Atkinson cycle Not quite. It is used to start up the computers which will then turn the car on.
One belt, which drives only the coolant circulating pump. A glance shows a not-unusual number of hoses. The 12V battery powers stuff like certain computers, the brake accumulator, the coolant transfer pump, and the traction battery relay and some accessories; it does *not* crank the engine. Even so it is small and can be drained by leaving the dome light on or the rear hatch open overnight. If you are concerned about reliability or maintenance costs Consumer Reports shows the current 2004-2008 model Prius to be much better than average.
The ICE is cranked by MG1 which spins the ICE to ~1000 rpm before there is spark. MG1 is powered by the HV battery for purposes of starting the ICE.
One belt only, and a couple of extra hoses since the drive unit (transaxle) has it's own cooling system which also cools the invertor/convertor assembly. There are also a few hoses that run to the "thermos" and coolant pump located just behind the left headlight. The "thermos" keeps a supply of coolant at operating temperature for up to two days in order to assist in getting the ICE up to temp as quickly as possible to aide fuel economy and reduce emmissions.
