Inverters

Bought a Vector today 1000 Watts. Set up my workbench as a simulated whole house load. Load so far was about 300 Watts. Stayed nice and cool. Engine never did come on. I ran it for about 1/2 hour. I may ever need it in a emergency, but, if so, I got it!

 

If anybody has a manual on the Vector 1000 W ? It may prove useful ?

 

...good idea for thread...lets say around 1k to 1.5k is optimal.
You can get idea at Amazon.com.
To me 1k makes sense as safest generic option, and is smaller unit.
There are 2 basic choices: modified sine wave (MSW) units and true sine wave units (3-5x more expensive).
I would like to know best MSW unit.

 

There is a 2kW inverter on ebay, that can be connected to the high voltage battery pack for best efficiency and higher output.

 

just cut a couple wires and splice it right in!

 

Can you post a link or auction number please?
Edit:
Never mind, you are the seller.
Aims Prius 2KW Pure Sine Wave Inverter for Backup Power Generator | eBay
You could promote the product in a better way

 

would connecting to the HV battery void the Toyota warranty ?

 

Bisco: could you draw a schematic of the HV hookup and enclose some pics as well. Splicing decreases current carrying capability.

 

Just putting you on. Andy.

 

me too. would be just like engineer, it would work, after many revisions and many replaced parts. when you need it in an emergency? not so much.

 

Toyota To Offer AC Outlets On Prius, Starting In Japan

 

is the article correct saying it only puts out 1500 watts?

 

yup, I also read somewhere that the PIP battery max wattage is about 1650 watts. don't know where I saw it tho

 

if they are building a factory system into the car that only puts out 1500 watts, what's the point? the secret is tapping into the hybrid battery and running some serious household appliances.

 

It takes 3.2kwh to charge, has a max of 4.4 so it's useful wattage is somewhere in between. Since its designed KWHr charger rate appears to be 1.2 KWHr then I would assume the engine charge rate would be the same. If you consume faster than the engine can regenerate, then the system will fail. 1500 Watts Is adequate for a emergency. I think it's a great idea from Toyota.

 

I am pretty sure that the battery can handle much more than a 2KW charge rate, it probably handles over 10KW from a regen.

If you were doing this on a PiP, hopefully there would be a "force charge" mode that would run the engine at optimal effeciency, top up the battery, and manage a battery state of charge in concert with maintaining engine temperatures for effecient recharges. Having the engine crank up for a couple of minutes every hour to maintain a steady 2KW output would be a much more elegant solution than the standard genset.

 

Perpetual Motion. Don't connect the PIP charge cable to the output of the inverter. IT WII NOT WORK. My inverter screamed at me that it was overloaded, so I disconnected.

 

Toyota is certainly capable of making future design changes to increase the output. HOWEVER, as of now the 2012 PIP charges at a 1.2kwhr rate, according to my Kilowatt meter. And if the article quotes 1500 Watts, that sounds reasonable, at this point in time.