Prius Whole house Converdant Inverter

Do some research. That is a lot of inverter for a 1.6 kwh battery. I wonder about the 100% duty cycle recharging capacity of the car.

 

Drysider, it is using the the Prius engine, not just it's battery, when producing power. It will consume a tank of gas every day at 5kVA.

Nothing I read said 9kVA.

Plug-Out Island kit Prius 5kva 240/120-60hz psw: Home

I did not see any indication Converdant had dealers, let alone one with a warranty.

 

I figured as much. The 5kw is only recommended for plug-ins- I assume it needs the larger battery/charger....which was my point.

 

congrats and welcome!
there is a pretty long thread here somewhere from a member who has one. not gen 4 though.
check the converdant threads by randy b.

 

I have no experience with Converdant or their products, but here are a few thoughts:

• Are you sure Converdant has an inverter that is compatible with your car? From looking at Converdant’s website, it’s not entirely clear to me whether their products work with the fourth-generation Prius models, like the Three Touring, that have lithium-ion batteries. If they say their products are compatible, you might ask about sales volume or for a customer reference.

• Don’t expect warranty coverage for your hybrid system, HV battery, or engine if they are used for purposes other than automotive propulsion. As an electrical engineer, I believe Toyota could easily show why drawing current from the HV battery without the protections applied by the hybrid system, or using the motor-generators and power electronics in duty cycles not encountered in normal driving, for example, should fall within the product misuse exception to the warranties.

• In Japan, Toyota offers an optional 1500-watt, 100-volt inverter, connected to the HV battery. Their website has the instructions (in Japanese).
  
  The wiring diagram (EM3220J) shows that Toyota’s inverter has an feature that Converdant’s products do not: the enable-disable signal passes through the Hybrid Vehicle ECU. This suggests to me that the hybrid system’s protection and control programming may be modified when the inverter is on, and that the Hybrid Vehicle ECU can override the switch setting and turn off the inverter, if necessary, to protect the hybrid system or HV battery.
  
  I would also think carefully about the 1500-watt rating and why Toyota may have selected it. Volume, weight, and cooling of the inverter were factors, I’m sure, but compatibility with the hybrid system and HV battery would also have been considered.

• You might ask Converdant about the safety standards to which their products are designed, and whether any third-party testing (e.g., UL, CSA, TUV) has been done. I see they claim “CE EN60950-1,” but you may wish to clarify whether this applies to their product as a whole, including the connections to the car, or only to the inverter unit itself.

 

I suspect your electrician will need to wire something like this in your house to manually transfer circuits from the grid to the ConVerdant Inverter.

Reliance Controls 10-Circuit 30 Amp Manual Transfer Switch Kit-310CRK - The Home Depot

 

You know, a Honda generator is pretty inexpensive compared to the Prius inverter and battery. They have models that are very quiet, are rather economical on fuel, and are -designed- for what you want to do. Ruining a Prius to be cool is not what I would consider a good move.

Just my opinion.

 

Maybe start by asking TOYOTA how it would affect your warranty?

 

have you read randy b's thread?

 

they charge $15./day for the service manual on line.

 

This might help:

2017 Toyota Prius Product Information | Toyota USA Newsroom

 

Who does? If you're paying $15/day you'd be better off going straight to Toyota TIS (techinfo.toyota.com) where it's $15 per two days.

-Chap

 

even better. but i hope it doesn't take the o/p 2 days to find the info she needs.

 

I encourage all Prius enthusiasts to study the New Car Features, Repair Manual, and Electrical Wiring Diagram books available by subscription to techinfo.toyota.com, toyota-tech.eu, or toyotamanuals.com.au. Keep in mind, however, that these are not engineering design documents; they are written to aid technicians in maintenance, diagnosis, fault isolation, repair, and overhaul. Electronic systems are described only in general terms, and while the main specifications are stated, other details are often omitted unless needed for a specific procedure.

For example, in New Car Features, under Hybrid / Battery Control: Hybrid Battery System (For Lithium-Ion Battery): Hybrid Vehicle Control ECU, Toyota writes:

(a) State Of Charge (SOC)

(1) The hybrid vehicle control ECU estimates the SOC of the HV battery from the accumulated amperage that is constantly and repeatedly being charged and discharged. In order to maintain the SOC at the appropriate level all the time, the hybrid vehicle control ECU controls the hybrid system optimally.​

There is even an illustration, showing the SOC varying over time, with lines labeled “SOC Control Target,” “Upper SOC Control Limit,” and “Lower SOC Control Limit.” The actual values for the target and limits, however, are not given, nor is there any comment on whether those values are fixed, or if the HV or battery ECU calculates or selects them based on other factors, which could include temperature, battery age, or recent driving history.