Gen 2 Prius Traction Battery Gauge in Energy Mon

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Gen 2 Prius Traction Battery Gauge in Energy Monitor behavior.

Other G2 Prius owners - How often does the traction battery gauge in the energy monitor indicate a topped up battery (the top green bar is lit)?
 
Not too often here; If I descend a long grade with the brake pedal lightly depressed, I can get it up to a full charge; that being said, when the battery is fully charged and you are still using regenerative braking, the computer will put the engine in 'braking mode' which is a lot like moving the level into the "B" position. There are mixed messages all over the web; my belief is 'b' shifting actually uses the battery to spin the engine up.

I usually get a fully charge on the same descent on my way home from work. There is a very steep descent over about 1.5 miles.
 
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We had a Gen3 Prius, which we loved by the way. The only time it would ever fill the gauge up is when there was a lot of downhill braking, or if you did some high speed braking using mostly the regenerative brakes.

I believe the charging algorithm purposely does not charge the traction battery fully so there is room to store charge from Regen braking. I also believe it has to do with battery longevity. From what I know NiMH batteries have a longer lifespan when they are not charged completely all the time.
 
Thank you, good to hear that mine appears to be behaving the same. I have never seen the top bar on mine lit until a recent trip to the mountains... where it was lit with some regularity.
 
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