I have learned alot about the new Prius that should arrive in a couple weeks. <br>Hanging around the local Toyota dealership I learned from a Prius specialist(mechanic) that the car has to be driven periodically and not parked in storage.....reason, there is a constant<br>drain on the 12V battery from the computer.<br>If going on an extended vacation, it is a good Idea to trickle charge the battery with a timer.<br>This will keep you from having to to reset quite a few gadgets and functions, upon returning home.<br><br>Jon

How long can a Prius sit parked without losing battery charge?<br><br>-Michael <br>CA "01 PRIUS"

There is one instance told to me by a friend & Prius owner in L.A., whereby a fellow Prius owner<br>was out of the area for 5 weeks or so and his battery was dead.....so it could be less than that.If I were gone even 3 weeks, I think I would use a timed charger on the battery.<br><br>Jon

I believe several Prius owners have reported successful long-term storage of their Prius using the technique described in the "Onwer Advice" section of the "John1701A" web site at:<br><a href=http://www.john1701a.com/prius/prius-advice.htm target=new>http://www.john1701a.com/prius/prius-advice.htm</a><br><br>"Extended Storage: Disconnect the small 12-volt battery first. With the auxillury 12-volt disconnected, neither it nor the HV 273.6-volt battery should experience any significant energy drain during your absence. A Prius owner did this, after 100 days his Prius started just fine. So you shouldn't have much to worry about (other than missing your hybrid)."<br><br>No trickle charger required, and can be done anywhere; only requires a small wrench. Hope this helps. (The above info might be in the Prius Owner's Manual, too, but I don't have one right at hand to check, regrets.)<br><br>- Peter

Which battery? The 12v, or the battery pack?<br><br>The 12v ("standard" car battery) has been shown to have a constant 75mA draw on it, used to power the security system and some other assorted stuff.<br><a href=http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-prius/message/10890 target=new>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-prius/message/10890</a><br><br>J\ ust make sure that the headlight switch is in the off position when you leave the car! (adds extra battery drain.)<br><br>A Prius has been parked for 2 weeks without a battery problem. <a href=http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-prius/message/13598 target=new>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-prius/message/13598</a>

Good information, Peter. Thanks for the input.<br>From what you indicated (disconnecting the 12v battery)does make for easy starting again.<br><br>My concern was not to have the computer loose it's<br>small power requirement. I was of the impression that certain recalibrations, etc would have to be performed, if this happened. Starting the car was<br>a separate issue. Perhaps recalibration or resetting devices, the radio for one, is very easy to do. I will have to do more reading on that.<br><br>Jon