Car battery jump start
- Thread starter mb7299
- Start date
Wait its a Prius....
First, it has a giant battery pack. How does a little light bulb run down the batteries?
Second, Don't you have to charge the Prius with a plug in of some sort? Or is the hybrid engine the only way it charges the batteries?
First, it has a giant battery pack. How does a little light bulb run down the batteries?
Second, Don't you have to charge the Prius with a plug in of some sort? Or is the hybrid engine the only way it charges the batteries?
The Prius is a bit strange. It has a small battery that is used to turn on the electronics when you press the "start" button. The main battery pack is then used to actually start the engine or move the car. What the Prius really needs is some mechanism to allow the main drive batteries to charge the start battery if it is dead. That way you could pop the hood, throw a switch, wait a while, and drive away.
Thats something it took me awhile to figure out is there is a 12V battery and the big battery. 12V is what gets all the electronics running if thats not running the car isnt going anywhere even if the main battery is fully functioning. Strange how that works.
You should fire your car sales person. Why anyone would take home a Prius without understanding what to do when the battery is down is beyond me. Jump starting a Prius is very simple and should have been demonstrated by your sales person before you took the car home. Yes, I sold Toyotas for 5 years before I retired.
alright got it going but have a check engine light still on and on the touch screen it says problem. no clue what is going on with that but atleast I dont have to pay for a tow, taking it to a dealership now.
They might have done this for a couple reasons. I would have been a little skeptical about jumping the car knowing there could be a whole lot more energy there than a regular car. I also wonder if the main battery pack runs at a much higher voltage than the 12V starting battery. That would make a little more sense but they should still have a way to keep the 12V from dying.
