Will higher AC temperature ruins hybrid battery life?

run mine at 80 all of the time

 

no problem. if your concerned, you can always use an app to run the fan at high speed

 

You need to stop listening to those "some people".

But.....why would you not set it to a little lower temp for a bit more comfortable ride ??

 

i don't, but it doesn't get that hot here. and when i need a/c, i just run it manually until i'm comfortable.

look into carista, torque, elm. not sure if hybrid assistant or dr. prius will do this, maybe.

 

I don't think there's going to be a meaningful difference between 70 and 80.

 

What ruins your hybrid battery life more than anything is a low refrigerant charge on a hybrid vehicle with a electric compressor.

It’s having a compressor that’s a few ounces low on refrigerant that could never obtain the setpoint and lack of cooling back to the compressor because of the low charge of refrigerant

Setting your indoor cabin temperature at 80° is kind of a high and uncomfortable temperature but not to some. If your air-conditioning system refrigerant charge is 100% full it will have a very easy time at obtaining that 80° setpoint and there will be ample refrigerant left over to help call and lubricate to assist oil return to your compressor that Hass to maybe work in Arizona on 110° day.

On the other hand if you refrigerant level is several ounces low it will never obtain your 80° setpoint the software for the air conditioning system does not know it’s low on refrigerant and will forever just keep increasing the load on the compressor is spinning up it’s RPMs to 6000 or 7000 RPMs having a massive consumption of amp draw on your high voltage battery continuously you will notice much lower gas mileage and a engine that does not want to turn off at stoplights or maybe only turns off for a few seconds because the high voltage battery is dumping so much power in To keeping the compressor spinning at such a high rpm thinking it has the possibility to call when it does not.

There’s a brain and logic and sensors operating in the background in this air-conditioning system it’s not an old fashion system that relied on a simple on and off temperature sensor thermostat or a cycling clutch switch.

 

I think the notion that running ice-box AC is doing anything beneficial for the hybrid battery is 95% urban myth. At least...

 

What ? I don't understand.

 

I dropped off a friend for testing at a VA clinic last week. It was 92 degrees and due to covid they wouldn't allow people to sit in the waiting room / lobby so I along with others parked in the shade on a lower level of their parking deck to wait for our patients.

I had the A.C. temperature set to 74 degrees and had a couple hours to observe vehicle operations using my ScanGauge. When I first got back in the car it initially drew about 8 amps and gradually dropped as the car cooled down to about 3 amps. The circulation fan started at about 4 or 5 bars and it dropped back to one bar as the car cooled down. After the 10 minute cooldown, the ICE would run for about 2 minutes and then switch off for about 12 minutes. I looked at "SOC", state of charge of the battery and the ICE would start each time the SOC dropped below 40% and the ICE would switch back off when the SOC rose above 50%.

Correct me if I am wrong but energy would be consumed by electronics, the A.C. compressor, the circ fan, and a radiator fan when the ICE was off. Not sure if the traction battery cooling fan runs all the time. Energy would be consumed by electronics, the A.C. compressor, the circ fan, the radiator fan, the inverter coolant pump, ICE cooling pump and a second radiator fan.

It was the first time that I just sat in the car parked with the vehicle started and observed. It seemed very efficient to me considering I was sitting next to a Tahoe whose engine idled the whole two hours and I could hear the distinctive click of the Tahoe's air conditioning clutch engaging and disengaging over and over during that time..

 

Almost a month and no answer.
NO. It should NOT.
But the HV battery will see a little more "activity".

 

I doubt it ruins the hybrid battery.

Comment about low Freon may be the true "ruin-er".

Only battery "wear" issue I would imagine is at stop signs....no ICE and AC running on battery storage.
Also I'd imagine fan speed would also be a discharge factor.

I also understand that running the AC in a Prius reduces fuel economy, gasoline and perhaps also battery reserves/ power and maybe that is the basis of your friends comments.

In Calif USA "they" say set you thermostats at 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
Setting at 80F.. some like it warm

Good luck.

 

**I** don't do that at all.
You need to direct the question to someone else.

 

If you have a ScanGauge, there are three temperature readings for the hybrid battery. These are codes for the first temperature. You enter Xgauge parameters and give this Xgauge a name like TP1 etc.. Txd (transmit) 07D2225018, Rxf (receive filter) C56200000000, Rxd (receive) 3810, Mth (Scaling to degrees F) 000703E8FFC6.

Once you complete entering these parameters, when you scroll through the various parameters that can be displayed and select TP1 you will be able to monitor the traction battery temperature. There are also phone apps that can display that temperature and others that you can enter these parameters in and display temperature.

Since the traction battery cooling fan draws air from the floor of the cabin and I had the temperature set at 74 degrees I wasn't too worried about battery temperature.

 

That sounds like something "they" might say as a good idea ... for winter.

Setting a summer air-conditioning target at 68℉?? Never mind the energy that would use ... if I walked from 90℉ humid summer weather into that indoors, I'd fall right over.

 

Yes, 68F year round was the standard AC/ Heat setting.

Now with Calif year 2020 Summer power outages, "they" are now saying 78F summer.
Not sure if Winter recommendation has changed.

Is the Prius lowest AC setting 61F and highest Heater setting 90F?

I have never lived in high humidity summer areas, such as our co-member mentions in post 19.
I guess one acclimates over time
In my case, if the AC is needed (no matter the actual outside temperature), I typically set it at the lowest temp, dash vents only, highest fan speed and at start up use recirculating air option and once the initial heat is reduced, switch to fresh air / cabin filter option and reduce fan speed.

What did the OP conclude in their research about battery life and AC settings?