[Quietcars] Regression testing 2010 Prius

[Robert Wilson]

Hi,

We picked up our 2010 Prius May 28 and have been doing some regression testing to find out how it performs relative to our 2003 Prius. But today I was reading a thread and saw these quotes:

"At Hybridfest, a few of us were gathered in the parking lot. We were
shuffling Prii. A 2010 stealthed by and Hobbit and I looked at each
other. He said exactly what I was thinking: "dang the inverter on that
thing is loud." I have witnessed the stealthing of hundreds of GenII
and this GenIII was louder than any of them."

My own observations, not quantified by sound level measurements, but from having frequently swapped between our 2003 and 2010 Prius (we replaced the 2001 Echo):

inverter 'sketer - I sometimes hear the faint, high-pitched whine at low speedsbrake pump (?) - opening the door, I can hear a faint pump start under the hood
It is entirely possible that the 2010 makes a unique set of noise that are different from what we hear from the 2003. Others have also noticed a difference with the inverter noise.

The 2010 Prius has a redesigned inverter that brings the 200 VDC traction battery up to 640 VDC. The higher voltage allows use of smaller motors of greater power. But stepping up the voltage is not trivial and there may be stray fields inducing what we hear as the high-pitched whine. So far, no one in the Prius community has tried to quantify the frequency or level. But I've also noticed the 'pump' noise as I open the door even before turning the car on. 

Our 2003 Prius has subtle noises that long term drivers eventually pick up and are valuable clues when diagnosing potential problems. But the 2010, a new model, appears to have changed the set of noises.

Bob Wilson




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