HV Battery charge level

[seetek]

I cannot use the search facility to narrow down anything useful so can anyone tell me what the charge level of the HV Battery should be. I know it will fluctuate but when driving today, I started with 4 bars and it dropped to 3 and stayed there until near home it went back to 4 bars.

Does the Battery ever get a full charge (8 bars)? Using the charging view it seems to be taking out as much as it puts in.

The car is a 2020 GR Sport 2.0 with 17.5k on it.

Yesterday I had the 12v Battery issue, dead as a Dodo. Needed a boost start. Would that affect the HV battery charge?

Thanks in advance.

[AndrueC]

What you are describing is normal. The charge indicator will rarely reach 'full' and when it does the car will work quickly to reduce it.

About the only time you'll ever see it 'full' is during a long downhill run.

[seetek]

Thanks AndrueC I've been on YouTube and can see that now. I do think Toyota could have a better way of displaying this though.

 

[Roy124]

1 minute ago, seetek said:

Thanks AndrueC I've been on YouTube and can see that now. I do think Toyota could have a better way of displaying this though.

 

They have. 

On the Yaris Cross it is 'hidden' or displayed on the Smart Screen. 😅

[TonyHSD]

Yes, a low 12v Battery would affect the hybrid Battery since needs more power to be recharged and all that power comes from the traction Battery. If you need to jump start your car then you definitely need to recharge ( re condition) your 12v battery with external charger ( smart, trickle or of the likes). There are many posts about that matter. For the hybrid battery charge no need to worry if it’s 3 bars or full 8 which unless driven on a long downhill you may never see it going so full. One thing to do is do not turn off your car while stopped after a some drive and your hybrid battery is low and the engine is running to recharge it, wait until engine switches off itself and then turn off your car. 👍

[Cyker]

For the current gen hybrids, it's normal for the traction Battery to be 4 bars 90% of the time.

The previous gen had more fluctuation and often got to higher states of charge (And made the EV mode button actually useful!), but the new ones are almost fanatical about keeping the charge around 50%, presumably to extend the life of the Battery as much as possible.

If it's less than 4 bars it will prioritise putting charge into the Battery, and will tend to favour the engine. When it's 4 bars or more, it will prioritise efficiency and tend to use the MG2 electric motor more, and will keep bouncing between the two.

The only ways I've found to get the newer ones higher than 4 bars is a) Going down a sufficiently long and steep hill, or b) Holding the car in the Eco+ zone on the power meter at higher speeds, as that keeps it running on the engine and doesn't let it switch to the electric motors

Conversely, the only way I've gotten it less than 3 bars is when I'm giving it lots of beans and well into the Power zone, where it uses both the ICE and MG2, but when it hits 2 bars and less it will really try hard to charge the battery unless you really force it to stay in the Power zone, and the car will start to loose some ooomph as the poor ICE gets fully loaded trying to move the car at full chat and charge the battery at the same time. If you have a DynamicForce MxxA engine it will also be in full Otto-cycle mode at this point and guzzling fuel like nobodys business!

I treat it a bit like those old video games where you had a Turbo gauge that drained as you used it and recharged when you didn't. This is the thing about the hybrids, esp. the new ones - They'd be rubbish on a track day, but they punch well above their weight on real world roads!

 

[forkingabout]

FWIW - I never bother looking at the HV Battery gauge, I just let the car sort itself out - it would soon report if there was an actual problem with the system.

[TonyHSD]

I have seen once my Battery gauge went down to extremely low level and the car continue to roll in ev mode. It was a slow 30mph road and I was moving at 20-25mph , it was very uncomfortable experience but then the ice kicked in and worked extra hard to put some charge back in. No warning messages so no trouble but never seen only one bar ever before. With hybrid assistant app lowest I have see was 38% and highest 79% - 2 bar and full bars respectively. 

[davidif]

11 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

I have seen once my battery gauge went down to extremely low level and the car continue to roll in ev mode. It was a slow 30mph road and I was moving at 20-25mph , it was very uncomfortable experience but then the ice kicked in and worked extra hard to put some charge back in. No warning messages so no trouble but never seen only one bar ever before. With hybrid assistant app lowest I have see was 38% and highest 79% - 2 bar and full bars respectively. 

Sorry to hijack this thread although what is the hybrid assistant app you mention?

Thanks

 

[Gerg]

It's a free Android app. 

http://hybridassistant.blogspot.com/?m=1

You'll need a OBD2 elm 327 bluetooth dongle to allow it to connect to your car. 

If you go to the linked site I think they have a demo page to show a simulation of it working. 

No adverts - it's created by hybrid enthusiasts in Europe. 

Definitely worth a look if you're interested in what's happening under the bonnet! 

 

[davidif]

Thanks Gerg.

I've got a Carista Dongle and will give it a try. 

[TonyHSD]

1 hour ago, davidif said:

Thanks Gerg.

I've got a Carista Dongle and will give it a try. 

Perfect combination. I have Carista too and they work both very well. 👍