I own a Prius. Is there any way to keep charging my phone when the car is off?

apologetickid

The cigarette lighter plugs seem to stop giving power when the car is off. How do I fix that?

smileyj82

I don't think you can.....

GE 90

This is an issue with all Japanese makes it seems. I really don't understand why the DC outlets are all on switched power.































You would have to run your positive cable to a constant electric source, or directly to the battery Which involves pulling your car all apart.































***I really doubt it would come from the prius battery... This is a cell phone we're talking about here. If you were running laptops, or lights, heaters, or REFRIGERATORS maybe, sure it would kill the battery. A cell phone could draw for days on a good battery.































**Ya ok everyone give a thumbs down! Come on everyone join in, because you know I have NO IDEA what I'm talking about. My parents last four vehicles didn't have constant DC power at all- I was dreaming the ENTIRE TIME. I think I'm even dreaming RIGHT NOW!

cclearly4

I wonder is this isn't a safety issue...you never want to drain your 12 volt battery or the Prius battery. The 12 volt battery is pretty wimpy & you don't want to risk draining it & have to get a jump to get started.

pinball_fan

It's not broken, it's that way by design. If you wish to change that, go ahead, but understand that you may completely drain your 12 volt auxiliary battery that way someday. (Granted, for a phone, that's not much of a risk.)































Note that there's no risk to the large high-voltage hybrid battery, as that is completely disconnected when the car is off. But if your 12 volt battery is dead, you'll need a jump to get going again (just like any other car).































Edit: Dear GE 90, You are accumulating "thumbs down" not because people don't believe you, but because your comments are irrelevant. Your dad's GMC has a 12 volt battery that probably has five times the capacity (or more) than the Prius battery. OF COURSE it can support a radio and a phone charger for many hours. The Prius 12 volt battery doesn't have to start a gasoline engine: It just starts COMPUTERS that then have the huge hybrid battery use the electric motor as a giant starter for the gasoline engine. When you answer questions involving a technology that you don't understand, you shouldn't be surprised when "thumbs down" is the result. (Yeah, now I've invited a few for myself...oh well.)

inkedboy1978

there is no way. the good old days of doing that is in the past. i have a '08 toyota corolla and it does the same thing. its to protect it from over doing the battery and not start a fire from the lighter.