2004 Toyota Prius Owners Manual - Page 20

Toyota hybrid system Toyota hybrid system combines a gasoline engine and electric motor power to improve the fuel economy and minimize the emissions as well as to provide better power performance than the ordinary gasoline−powered vehicles. Depending on the driving condition, the vehicle runs on the best combination of; 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. Toyota hybrid system operating condition Basic operations are described below. Besides, Toyota hybrid system performs various controls depending on the operating condition: The "Energy Monitor" screen tells you which power is used currently. 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 gasoline engine is automatically stopped. D When applying the brakes or decelerating, 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 outside source like an electric vehicle. 8