Liked It ..but the Damocles sword hanging over *cough* the "design-team* of the Fiasco tranny and certain years? models? of Focus with them has been ... well, you know.

But it seems that the tandem 6-speed via time-sharing two-3-speed assemblies has been solved by others; was initially off-put that the Niro (as is harvesting mainly Kudos in the chattering fan-mags) is another ditto!. Then too, with the 8+% CA tax AND the Car-cartels' near a $Grand! for BS-"transportation" fee--both of which cannot be chiseled down--Niro may elude $Max in this arrangement.

Ah well, to modify AScott's quip: CARZ *ARE* a Byotch, esp. all the try-to-hide dealer discounts you have to aim to recover in the spread-sheet Warz. Already moi Hates It. :-/

It's a crap-shoot thus far. Pity that the cheapest hybrid isn't quite cheap-enough. And Gas still sucks. And (the pitifully few on dis-US shores) diesels still cost Lots etc. cha. cha.

But yup, getting out of the Fiasco into that Focus (a loaner): I saw nothing to byotch about; didn't look up prices.. yet.
I haven't run into the scuttlebutt of (ugly) Priuses not liking to sit around; seems an odd malady (thinking about how the system works.) I mean.. Li-Ion batteries don't self-discharge excessively as do Li-hydrides (which Prius I guess still put in the cheapest version;) checking that one out just to cover all bases. Can you elaborate on "what happens" when an idle one of these wants next to be fired up? Sounds better than the NYT Crosswords puzzle, eh?

Also, is there any reason in your collected lore to generalize the Prius case to other hybrids? (I haven't heard such a thing, but I be iggerant of the matter thus far; will Google.)

Thanx for the Focus==OK datum :-)

doesn't fit the situation..

Have done some sleuthing, understand the Prius's (maybe all..?) dance 'twixt the 12V battery (an hugely overpriced item ~$250 in Prius) and the HV battery pack. In stasis (however long) the nest of cells in HV batt are completely disconnected from the world; self-discharge is minuscule--but not zero
(thus as with all of the Li-Ion chemistry, super-long stasis Can do bad things if V drops below (x volts for Li_Ion.)
But that takes many months (and with cars which autostart and recharge both batteries, one probably need not worry about the many-months danger date, whatever exactly that calculates out to be, (via discharge rate -vs- months to reach the MIN allowable voltage-per-cell.).

Details == tmi, but the gist is: if 12V batt is near-dead then nothing works, some settings are lost, like clock etc. IF the 12V battery is too low, then the gadget cannot heal-thyself via running engine: all of which requires that main battery pack is er, viable (so it can also replenish 12V batt. {sheesh} ... its another bug-hunt aka N! sequences.

Clue then: for "too-long" disuse periods, easiest SYA is to have a *good* quality smart charger on the 12V battery, all along.
Like: my Duracell-vi-Xantrex 15 amp charger, like a lunchbox with big handle (and it's light.)
Has a cpu, digital display (checked OK via Real test eq.) and can resuscitate sometimes even badly abused Pb-acid batteries.
No hint! of a Model#, just a phone $ on Manual and www.xantrex.co_/support. Stole mine for $30 but Lists (Listed..?) for 70ish IIRC.
Chump change for maintaining exotica like these cars. This stuff is in my bailiwick and.. this is the sanest, scientifically-smart charger I've seen yet (except in labs.)

tl;dr With some basic Ohms Law and lore on battery chemistries: one Can setup an automated SYA for hybrid battery systems being stored:
is my current take-away, subject to correction (especially re specific Car Mfg. design weirdness.)

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Jeez.. this shit used to be Fun, but putting "some complexity" out there to the many sci-illiterates of the dis-US ... sounds a lot like folly to moi.
Battery warranty likely covers the idiocy-caused damages; after that though: ya gots to Thimk-accurately.

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Ed: Happened months ago to stumble upon a video re rebuilding a [any hybrid] battery pack/with CAUTION and some basic follow-the-steps exactly ...
(even if you barely know Ohm's Law and what-means "KW-HOURS" stored there.)
I could do this, but likely wouldn't ever need-to. And moi bloody-well Knows what a KWhr "means". It's now in my genes.