2003 Toyota Prius Owners Manual - Page 15

6.Toyota hybrid system Toyota hybrid system combines the gasoline engine and the electric motor power to improve the fuel economy largely and minimize the emissions as well as to provide higher power performance than the ordinary gasoline-powered vehicles. Depending on the driving condition, the vehicle runs on the best combination of; 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 vehicle battery and auxiliary battery will discharge and their condition is liable 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. 7.Toyota hybrid system operating condition Basic operations are described below. Besides, Toyota hybrid system performs various 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. 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 gasoline engine is automatically stopped. D When decreasing the speed by applying the brakes, electricity converted from the turning force of the wheels is stored in the hybrid vehicle battery. (This is called regenerative brake.) 8