Toyota Hybrid System Operating Conditionn; Toyota Hybrid System - Toyota 2003 Prius Owner's Manual

6.Toyota hybrid system

Toyota hybrid system combines
gasoline engine and the electric motor
power to improve the fuel economy
largely and minimize the emissions as
well as to provide higher power perfor-
mance than the ordinary gasoline–pow-
ered 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 effectively used
in the following ways:
D
When stopping the vehicle, the gaso-
line engine is automatically stopped.
D
When decreasing the speed by apply-
ing the brakes, electricity converted
from the turning force of the wheels is
stored in the hybrid vehicle battery.
(This is called regenerative brake.)
8
the Since the battery is charged by the
gasoline engine as needed, it does not
require charging from the outside like
an electric vehicle.
In this way, greatly improved fuel economy
and reduced emissions are attained.
If you do not use the vehicle for a long
time (2 weeks or more), the hybrid ve-
hicle battery and auxiliary battery will dis-
charge and their condition is liable to de-
cline. 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 com-
ponents turned off.
7.Toyota hybrid system
operating condition
Basic operations are described below. Be-
sides, Toyota hybrid system performs vari-
ous controls depending on the operating
condition, such as at the time of hybrid
system starting, at the time of charging
should be required, at the time of the air
conditioning is in use, etc.