Rainbow Prius Hybrid Powered by Lithium!

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by jacktheripper, Dec 24, 2019.

  1. jacktheripper

    jacktheripper Senior Member

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    @AzusaPrius funny I have a similar setup but 1/8 of the cost :p
    cheap eBay PowerJack 6000w 240VAC split phase inverter that hopefully can power my house in the next blackout.

    upload_2021-3-20_12-48-38.png
     
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  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Say, do you have a link to that specific inverter or its spec sheet?

    In a quick search, I found some of their low volt DC input inverters, but not one for a high volt DC input. Maybe I wasn't looking in the right places.
     
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  3. jacktheripper

    jacktheripper Senior Member

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    @ChapmanF yes, they are low DC (12v, 24v) to high AC, that's why it is so affordable at 350 bucks on eBay.
    it is a 6K wanna-watt inverter but can only pull 3K continuous-watt (lot of testing videos on YouTube)

    The key is to make sure your 12V battery is big enough for buffering, mine is a home-made 112Ah Lithium 12V battery.
    This inverter is not going to jump start a wall pump but good enough to keep the lights on and computer running with 240v split phase (two hots, one neutral).
    upload_2021-3-20_13-39-58.png

     
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  4. jacktheripper

    jacktheripper Senior Member

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    Short circuit torture test #1

     
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  5. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Wouldn't you want one that could run a small microwave, or toaster oven?
    Or a refrigerator, or a small window a/c unit?

     
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  6. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Presumably once you've used up that 'buffer' capacity in your battery, you are not planning a "continuous" draw of any more than the 1200-ish watts you can get from the car's DC/DC converter ... unless you also have another source dumping power in?
     
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  7. Travis Sanders

    Travis Sanders Junior Member

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    Like he said 3000 W continuous. If that's true then the 12v should handle Most situations.

    My house is off grid and uses a 48 volt battery so at night I used the Prius high voltage to feed into my solar charge controller as if the Prius was a solar panel and it worked decently enough
     
  8. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    You don't have "3000 W continuous" available to the car's 12 volt system. That comes from the DC/DC converter built into the bottom of the inverter assembly under the hood, and if jacktheripper is talking about a Gen 3 Prius, then that converter has the maximum output shown in the Gen 3 New Car Features manual:

    [​IMG]

    At 14 volts output and 120 amps, that's around 1700 W tops—and you don't get all of that; the car uses some.

    So if you are planning to draw "3000 W continuous" from your inverter, that'll go on for as long as your 12 V battery has the missing more-than-a-kilowatt to chip in for you.
     
  9. cnc97

    cnc97 Senior Member

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    Sheer morbid curiosity, if you took two of the OE modules and conducted the same short circuit test, how would they react?
     
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  10. jacktheripper

    jacktheripper Senior Member

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    Without cramping the NiMH from the side, it will puff and vent hydrogen on top.
    And because it doesn't have the power to burn the copper plate off, voltage will continue to drop to 0.

     
  11. jacktheripper

    jacktheripper Senior Member

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    That's correct, hence you need a big battery to support you while Prius inverter pumping 1000 watt continuously.
    My house only consume 800 watt with most the lights off, but peak 3000 watt is needed for wife's hair dryer, microwave and stuff.

    again, not trying to drive a wall pump, just essential during a blackout.

     
    #351 jacktheripper, Mar 20, 2021
    Last edited: Mar 20, 2021
  12. jacktheripper

    jacktheripper Senior Member

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    2006 Prius Gen2 EV range test

    Condition:
    Vehicle mileage: 223K miles
    Tire pressure: 38~39 psi
    Air temperature: 66 F
    weather: Sunny
    AC: turn on, low AC compressor
    Traction battery: Nexcell Lithium upgrade battery
    Test track: Friendly neighborhood with up and down elevation, minimum traffic, no stop sign.

     
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  13. priusCpilot

    priusCpilot Active Member

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  14. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Who uses 3000 watts split-phase in a rooftop tent? Is it a Tardis?
     
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  15. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    a true lifepo4 bms in the pack will not allow the prius to charge the lifepo4 batteries in cold weather so permanent battery degradation is the sacrifice trade off driving in 32F or colder temperatures.
     
    #355 Grit, Mar 21, 2021
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2021
  16. kenoarto

    kenoarto Senior Member

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    Love the idea, but with the current price of a genuine Toyota battery at $1950 or less, what is the advantage of paying MORE for mostly untested tech? We still have serious questions about the longevity of the cranky $1600 battery guy, but he delivers it to your door and includes taxes for LESS.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  17. priusCpilot

    priusCpilot Active Member

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    Lol didnt know that was to much? Id be running a water heater, electric stove, a electric shower, small AC or maybe space heater in the tent, small camping refrigerator. Is 3000 watt over kill? I would also use it to power home in an emergence as well.
     
  18. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    I think I am failing to visualize this rooftop tent. :)
     
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  19. mjoo

    mjoo Senior Member

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    Yeah I like the Dr. Prius screenshots. However, Jack's screenshot shows 19 mOhms for each module, another user show's 12-14 mOhms per module and yet another tester's screenshot show's 9 mOhms for each module.

    So which is it 19, 14, or 9 mOhms? Big difference in ohmic heat loss. I understand that maybe the Dr Prius app uses the battery ECU's numbers that take time to refresh but it's confusing to an EE major.

    For a different topic @jacktheripper - if the battery helps increase regenerative braking this can increase passenger safety. Maybe something to post test results for.
     
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  20. Max Taiwan

    Max Taiwan Active Member

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    Hi Jack!

    Thank you for the offer. Thanks to your app we are going to get into a prius + which I belive runs on lithium-ion with the battery in the center armrest. I was able to find one with delta SOC at 2.5% with your app and did the whole battery of testing. So I pulled the trigger with confidence. Will be for sure getting my replacement pack from you when we done with this puppy.
    I hope the lithium-ion battery in the new prius+ is easy to work on too.
     
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