Toyota Hybrid System; Toyota Hybrid Systemm; Toyota Hybrid System Operating Condition - Toyota 2004 Prius Owner's Manual

Toyota hybrid system

Toyota hybrid system combines a gaso-
line engine and electric motor power to
improve the fuel economy and minimize
the emissions as well as to provide
better power performance than the ordi-
nary gasoline−powered vehicles.
Depending on the driving condition, the
vehicle runs on the best combination of;
D
Gasoline engine power
D
Electric motor power generated by
the gasoline engine
D
Electric motor power of the hybrid
vehicle battery
Furthermore, the energy is efficiently used
in the following ways:
D
When stopping the vehicle, the gaso-
line engine is automatically stopped.
D
When applying the brakes or decelerat-
ing, electricity is converted from the
turning force of the wheels and stored
in the hybrid vehicle battery. (This is
called regenerative brake.)
Since the battery is charged by the
gasoline engine as needed, it does not
require charging from an
source like an electric vehicle.
8
If you do not use the vehicle for a
long time (2 weeks or more), the hy-
brid vehicle battery and auxiliary battery
will discharge and their condition is li-
able to decline. Therefore, in order to
make up for discharging, charge them
once in every 2 weeks for about 30
minutes by starting the hybrid system
with all electrical components turned off.
outside
Toyota hybrid system
operating condition
Basic operations are described below. Be-
sides, Toyota hybrid system performs vari-
ous controls depending on the operating
condition: The "Energy Monitor" screen
tells you which power is used currently.