Followup to Prius battery woes

[mikebw]

Gotta say, as a Prius owner here I didn't know this about the alternator, as was also mentioned above:

https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Automobile...yota/Prius

Recharging the 12 volt battery
Unlike normal cars, the Prius does not charge the 12 volt battery via an alternator spun by the engine. This vehicle charges its 12 volt battery from the hybrid system, so if you are unable to take the car out for a run for any reason, just switching the system on for a while will do the job. To maintain charge in the 12V battery if the car is not being used often, Toyota recommend putting the car in 'Ready' mode for one hour, once per week. If the battery is completely flat, the vehicle may need to be put in 'Ready' for 4 - 8 hours to fully recharge. Be aware that the engine will start occasionally to ensure the high voltage battery doesn't discharge - so this should only be done in a well-ventilated area, not a closed garage. Doing this will also wreck your miles per gallon record. Alternatively, the 12 volt battery can also be recharged using a standard car battery charger.

Good to know that it can recharge the 12v by itself, but for times when you cannot wait it still seems prudent to keep a small jump 12v starter pack in the car.