I have a 2012 TCH and I am curious as to what accessories and engine function uses electricity and which battery it drains, traction vs reg battery.

Say for example, if I use the AC, is the energy it uses draining from the traction battery vs the reg battery? If it is parked is it different?

What about the 12v socket? Traction or reg battery?

Can I put a solar charger to charge the traction battery thru the cigarrette outlet or is that going to charge the regular battery??

If I decide to change my lights to LEDs or HIDs, will I save on electricity or is it just a waste of money? Will it cause faults or warnings?

I am just trying to see where I can improve on electricity consumption to prolong my electric driving thereby increasing my mpg.

Enlighten me please!!!

 

The air con system is run from the traction battery. The interior electrics (think lights, radio, seats, etc.) are running from the 12 volt which is charged from an inverter that pulls from the traction battery.

Accessory power outlets run from the 12 volt battery only and will only access it.

A solar charger is a waste of time unless your 12 volt is low and needs a charge to boot the system computer.

LED and HID lights are a waste IMHO. Your headlight housings were not designed for them and neither was your wiring harness (for HID lights only, LED would be fine with the existing harness).

 

EVERYTHING runs "off" the traction battery. Accessory 12 volt power from a down converter from the HV traction battery.

HID will not only provide you with better lighting but will reduce the 12 volt load, 35W each side vs 55W. Most new cars use the exact same light housing/reflector assembly for an HID bulb as with Halogen, just change the reflector base fitting.

If you happen to have projector halogens then all the better.

 

really depends on what mode you are in (pressing power without pressing the brake pedal)

on ACC, it's the 12v AUX battery powering the radio and lights, if you have a NAV the battery indicator shows white (no green/blue bars) I don't think you could use the AC at this mode
on IG, it's the traction battery powering everything (NAV battery charge indicator show bars). You could run the AC but run the risk of discharging the traction battery since ICE is not running to charge it (not READY mode)
as a safeguard it turns off after 1 hour on both ACC and IG mode.
on OFF, it's back to 12v AUX battery powering the smart key, security and lights.


if you're parked and running the AC just leave the system ON (at "P" and "Ready" mode) the traction battery will provide AC power as long as it has enough juice until ICE kicks in to charge it back.
You can change the lights to LED others have done that successfully.
Not sure about the solar charger for the traction battery, I haven't heard of any aftermarket products or somebody done that.

 

On which battery, there is no free lunch. Both batteries are charged by gasoline fuel. There is no plug in on the Camry Hybrid.

On lighting you may want to give this link a read.

Thinking of Converting to HID?

 

Thanks RonAKA for the heads up on the HIDs. I think I will stick with factory headlights for now. But what about LEDS? Are they worth it? Do you think it will make a difference in running more MPG by using less electricity? I have done all kinds of tricks on driving this car and want more out of it without spending a whole lot. I want to know if somebody has bought even a cheap solar charger that goes thru the cigarette lighter? Or what about a solar charger to somehow wire directly to the batteries?

 

The best way to improve you mpg is to slow down and allow the EV mode to activate which gives you better mpg numbers. Be sure to keep your tires aired to about 36 to 38 psi cold, tested at night. I you car came with michelin's I would run 40 psi in them as they still seem to ride smooth.

Using a www.toptiergas.com/ click retailers after watching the video to find a quality gas station. Top tier gas will also boost your mpg and will help keep your injectors and valves clean. Using 0W-20 oil can boost your mpg 1 to 2 mpg. The 0W-20 oil is the default recommended oil for the '12 hybrid engine.

Try running your AC around 76 to 80 degrees depending on your outside humidity and temperature. I use 2 graph fan settings which is comfortable after the car has cooled off. When I approach my parked sometimes very hot car, my wife and I open all 4 doors to allow the heat to escape and hopefully a slight gust of wind to help cool the interior before driving off.

hibreeder, enjoy you new car..

 

I don't have experience with LED's. However the message in that link seems to be that the light source has to be matched with the reflector and lens for optimum performance. So LED's may have the same issues if they are not designed specifically to work with the existing reflector and lens.

A solar charger could work, but the issue is that the 12 volt battery does not see much of a load and in most cases is fully charged when you shut down the vehicle. I've checked voltages on mine and there really is no room for a further charge. If you let it sit for weeks it will probably discharge some and a small trickle charger or solar charger could help maintain it. One issue in using the 12 V cigarette lighter plug is that it is disconnected when you shut the vehicle off. Or, at least the one I have my GPS plugged into does. You would have to tie into a circuit that stays live, or connect direct to the battery in the trunk.

 

Your traction Battery is 201volts.

Your accessory battery is 12v.

Anything on the car that requires 12v will be using the 12v battery. The 201v Traction battery is only used to move the vehicle.

The air conditioning is run off the DC/DC converter - A/C inverter which is run off the 201V traction battery. This is also what provides 14v DC to charge the 12v accessory battery.

This video goes into great depths and explains quite alot about how our cars operate: Skip to 15min 30sec to get more info on the Air Conditioning.

 

The video shows the breakdown of a 2nd generation Prius. The new '12 Camry is 7th generation and the traction battery is 245 dc volts. That's the same voltage they used in the 2007 though 2011 model Camry.

Still the video was very instructional and some school videos shot years ago are now showing up on youtube. Thanks for the video link.

Someday we may see one similar showing the engine how it slows, then stops and restarts after the EV run is done. Some theory is the engine spins without compression in the fuel cut-off mode. I see the '12 engine spin down to idle for 30 seconds, sometimes a minute then it would stop, using the scan gauge II. This is happening just when the EV mode first starts.

I thought of putting a tiny spy-cam under the hood and focus it on the belt or pulley. Doubt I could do that with this new '12 beltless engine.