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If you drive the prius till it runs out of gas will any damage occur?
Hybrid battery damage?

If you have a gallon with you can you just pour it in and the prius fire up again?


Just curious....

Thanks
Ryan

I can't answer out of personal experience(I've put 12.4 gallons in without having run out) but, as long as you pull over IMMEDIATELY after it runs out, there wouldn't be any permanent damage. I've heard of people who drive so far on the battery that there isn't enough juice left to fire up the engine. The car's ECU will store a code that it has run out of gas so, if there is permanent damage to the hybrid battery, it won't be covered under warranty. I think there will be a Christmas-tree of lights that will come on and you may have to reboot a few times before they all go away. Wayne should be able to answer exactly what happens as I'm pretty sure he has ran a PriusI and a PriusII to fuel-starve before.;)

Thanks,
Hopefully wayne will chime in.

I'm determined to get the 1K tank if i have to run out of gas trying. :)

Hey Ryan,

I have run my 2005 Prius out of gas and didn't realize the implications of running on the battery. I was on the freeway doing 60mph when the ICE quit. I put the blinkers on and made it about 2 miles to the next exit and into a gas station. Lot's of warning lights.
After I filled it back up, it took about 3 or 4 tries to get it started again and all the warning lights didn't go out for another 10miles. No permanent damage as far as I can see.

Good luck!

I guess it will re prime itself. I know on my work truck (Explorer) you have to press a button on the passenger side floor board several times.

The prius is far more advanced and didn't want to do any damage.

thanks for the answer.

While driving a Honda Insight does not qualify me to speak with much authority on the Prius, batteries need respect.

I'm certain any hybrid, esp the Prius also has a network of computers to insure the traction battery pack never gets undercharged or overcharged....either one shortens battery life. I suspect after running out of gas, you want to avoid going EV very far.

I hope some Prius guys will chime in soon with a higher knowledge base.

I'm trying right now to do the math if a 1K tank is even possible for this tank.

Does the trip calculator in the files section work correctly. I get different averages when using the 2 different sheets single trip and multiple trip. http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/downloads.php?do=file&id=15

I'm also curious as to whether there's sputtering like in a traditional car, or whether the car just transitions to an ICE-off, EV glide accompanied with the warning lights. I know the Insight's engine hesitates and sputters to a stop, but how does the Prius react to fuel starve?

I'm certain any hybrid, esp the Prius also has a network of computers to insure the traction battery pack never gets undercharged or overcharged....either one shortens battery life. I suspect after running out of gas, you want to avoid going EV very far.

I hope some Prius guys will chime in soon with a higher knowledge base.
The Prius does have some amazing software up it's sleeve for protecting the pack. Unfortunately though, it's mail line of defense is to fire up the ICE when the pack gets down to a critical level.:eek:

I've installed a fuel cut switch in mine, so I can play with
various "poor engine power" conditions as the diagnostic codes
are described in the books. Basically as fuel flow ceases and
the engine is trying to run, the throttle opens more and more
to try and answer the "power request" and shortly after that
is determined to be failing, the system gives up on the engine.
Now you're on battery but under a regime that will let you
use a bit more of it, within limits. I haven't tried going as
far as I can in that state, but there are several reports over
on Priuschat of how far people limped to gas stations on the
dregs of battery charge and some of them are impressive.
.
The thing to keep in mind is that one or two deep-discharge
cycles aren't going to spell instant death for a NiMH pack. We
do this with our power tools all the time, which is why those
packs don't last so long -- that's when you get into what's called
the "cycle lifetime" of the cell chemistry, which the Prius
goes to great lengths to avoid! But the cells are pretty
resilient, really. The only real danger is a low enough
discharge to the point when one cell gets reversed, whereupon
its chemistry undergoes a radical and destructive change. Then
that module might have to be replaced but not likely the entire
pack. Finding the bad one requires some careful diagnostics,
though.
.
_H*

It should be obvious when I request the ICE to pulse and it doesn't, just to pull over and pour in some fuel. That way the pack should be fine.

I'll put in a gallon can as a reserve in the back trunk area when and if i can even get close to 1K.

When I ran out of gas at 60mph, I didn't notice much in the way of sputtering. I think there was a momentary hesitation, then just a significant loss of power as the ICE stopped. After I put the 4-way blinkers on, I was surprised that I could cruise along at 50mph on the battery to the off-ramp. It happened pretty seamlessly - a great safety feature if you happen to be on a road without an emergency lane!

For others just looking at this response - DON'T DO THIS UNLESS YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO - its a lot less expensive to get towed than to risk having your warranty on the battery voided! I just didn't know any better at the time.

One caveat - I don't believe the Gen I Prius (up to 2003) has the battery safety provisions in it that the Gen II does, which means that you CAN destroy your NiMH battery if you drive it more than a short distance after running out of gas. So if you're driving an earlier model Prius than 2004, do not even try to drive when you have run out of gas.

I plan to pull over immediately after the ICE kicks off out of gas.

I might have a chance at this. I seem to be gaining 1.7 mpg on the tank every day after my wife drove it. If i can keep her out of it it seems like the math might work. I thought my 1st pip would disappear at 230 miles but its holding :woot: Diamondlarry says shoot for 260 for the 1st one.


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