Using PIP As A Generator

If anyone is interested in my install of the "AIMS Prius 2kW Pure Sine Wave Inverter for Backup Power Generator" PWRI2000S240VDC from eBay the my write up is here:

My install and review of the AIMS Prius 2kW Pure Sine Wave Inverter for Backup Power Generator | PriusChat

 

Do you mind telling me how much your induction cooktop cost? ... our standard electric oven can pull over 10 kW running the oven and all 4 burners. The ones we've checked out (in fact we've already purchased our induction cookware - years ago) have been way too pricey ... So even though they're more efficient than standard electric or gas cooktops - it takes a good long time for them to pay for their self. Around here you can't ever tell if a big earthquake will take out natural gas lines - so this may be worth revisiting

 

Hey hill, did I answer all of your questions on the last page?

 

oh! . . . . yes
sorry for the delayed response

The thing is - and looking at the big picture (rather than your individual - seldom used battery cycling) adding PiP and other plugin's to the grid becomes more & more likely, as the grid continues to get older & older, and in greater need of power. Apparently Nissan has beat many to the punch, introducing their power station, that not only can send power back to the grid, but can store power for your home for up to 2 days, as well as charge their plugin:

cost is about $6,000 USD.
Perhaps Toyota has some catching up to do

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Sorry I only just now saw your post. Mine is a cheap single burner 1300 watts. SPT 1300Watt Countertop Induction Cooktop in Silver-SR-964TS at The Home Depot

It doesn't cook at low temperatures very well but I bought it for Prius camping. Mostly just boiling water.

 

Does anyone have any experience with the Converdant plug-out kits? (Plug-Out Island) From what I can tell, it's really nothing more than a (very expensive) inverter. At $2948 for a 5kva unit I could buy two stand-alone generators for that price.

Am I missing something here?

 

no, but some aren't in a position to install generator's, so this maybe the only option beyonf a 1k unit off the 12v. plus, you do have the advantage of a fresh tank of gas and no maintenance. they are pricey tho.

 

It just seems like such an ideal solution, if it weren't for the price. I'll probably got the route of buying a standalone unit then work on a DIY ups solution. Building an ups could be an interesting project but every day I put off getting a generator I get a day closer to the next Sandy.

 

we have a 12kv kohler propane unit. we're in the stix, so it's sop.

 

You are aiming to a 5KW 240vac unit, that is a very large format for an emergency residential situation. But certain circumstances will call for this numbers and bigger to.
I built a similar equipment for up to 900watts and was more that enough for my house hold temporary emergency necessities during fair weather and as a first responder during same situation.
Their "The 2kva Plug-Out Kit" for $800 is a fair game.

 

Why spend that when you can spend $500 for 4kw (6kw surge) doing what I did?

 

I think so . . . . ALL your sine wave inverters are pricey - but there is a trade-off /advantage to using them . One - you don't have to do all of the oil gas maintenence that you have to do on a generator. Two, sensitive electronics can detect a mechanical sine wave and therefore will not operate - whereas inverters' power is clean enough that sensitive electronics will run. Three - a regular generator is noisy with toxic exhaust. That's just a little bit of stuff off the top of my head.
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I totally agree with hill! I have a $1,500 Converdant 3kva (3.6 kw surge / 2.4 kw continuous) SINE WAVE INVERTER unit sitting high and dry in my basement storage area right now waiting for the next extended blackout. It looks exactly like a desktop computer sitting there and weighs 62 pounds. No gasoline stabilizers, no maintenance, no failure to start after years of little to no usage, it is an extremely quiet system (an idling Prius v is very quiet - when running on battery it is noiseless), always ready, hooks up to my Prius v and my home in about 15 minutes. The Prius v is always serviced, maintained and ready to provide 220 volts DC power to the inverter. Obviously, the Prius' engine auto starts and stops to charge the high voltage battery. Rock solid and very clean power from this unit as measured by Kill A Watt meters - 119.9 volts / 60 hz. The unit powers (3) - 15 amp circuits in my home balanced out with about 700-800 watts load on each circuit. Natural gas furnace and natural gas hot water heater exhaust blower unit, refrigerator, LED lighting in kitchen and living room and critical home entertainment / internet / home theater equipment. I can run a microwave OR coffee maker (not both) if the furnace is not running. Compare it against a Honda EU3000iS generator with an MSRP of $2,398 - it regularly sells for around $2,000. In my extensive actual stress testing of my Converdant 3kva inverter in my own home, I ran selected home theater / computer / wireless router / TV / refrigerator / furnace / hot water heater exhaust blower unit / LED lighting flawlessly for hours on a 35 degree (Fahrenheit) very windy day with no apparent voltage fluctuations or disruptions. Rock solid, clean power. The Prius v will power the inverter for around 2 days on a 10 gallon tank of gas based on my careful and controlled usage. Drive the Prius to the gas station to refuel. What an elegant solution for a below freezing winter snow/ice event type multi-day extended black out - the kind we frequently see here in the Rochester, NY area. This solution works for me and is made possible by my Prius v and this pretty cool inverter. I believe that Converdant is working on similar units for use with the PIP's lithium battery. No noisy, smelly, difficult to run $300-400 gasoline generators for me. You get the quality solution and the quality backup power that you pay for. I'm not a sales rep for Converdant. I'm just personally sold on the product and the stellar results I am obtaining with it.

 

You have to realize that nor Liebert and or the APC units are easy to get at a reasonable price.
I'm lucky enough to own one Liebert 6KW since the last 8 years.

 

Let me be more specific. The Converdant solution supplies 5kw but only @ 120 volts for $1500. The APC solution best-case supplies 240/120 for $500 ($250 for the ups, $250 for the SURT003 transformer). You can get the transformers for that price all day long if you look around the net, and other brands of transformers that do the same thing for similar prices. I just did a quick search of Ebay and there's a SURT6000 up right now for $750, and I've seen them at or below $1000 all the time.

So even paying more than the $500 I did (which is still possible if you keep your eyes on Ebay), you can still pay a lot less than the Converdant while also getting something which can operate as a real UPS in-between outages. Conditioning spikes/brownouts, riding out outages up to half an hour on the internal batteries, etc. And with its split-phase output it can directly feed a sub-panel with mixed 240 or 120 volt loads, or multi-wire branch circuits which you can't do on 120-only. Since it is always in-service it doesn't take 15 minutes to get it online, it is already online and it only takes 2 minutes to switch it over to the Prius - without killing power to the house in the process.

I've bought 7-8 APC SURT6000's in the last year at $250 each or less, without trying very hard.

 

techntrek : with out a dub your presented solutions on the available alternatives, that will help in the process in case of an emergency power outrage is very valuable. Also, congratulation in your equipment finds, I know it has not been an easy process.
Your alternative in equipment choice is great but you'r taking over the used equipment market!!!
I think that as many choices we present to this solution, many more people will take advantage for the Prius being use as a electrical power generator alternative.

 

LOL, well I wouldn't say I'm taking over the market. More than half of the units I've bought needed reconditioning of some kind, usually scavenging or creating the AC wiring + plug. Easier said than done because APC uses a special metal plate to mount the wiring to and you can't buy a replacement from them. I also buy multi-unit lots. Only for these reasons do I get the $250 or less pricing in most cases - but not all. I've purchased two at that price that were ready for use upon delivery so you can find them if you keep your eye on the ball. Note that they don't need the AC wiring for use with a Prius since they will do a black/cold start from DC only, but then you lose most of the advantages of having a UPS in place.

 

And that's your answer. Most people don't have that expertise or time to "keep their eye on the ball"; an off-the-shelf solution with some sort of warranty and proper function right out of the box is what works for them. Don't underestimate the price of convenience.

 

Exactly. I'd love to have one but I don't have time to figure it out and build one. Ive built 4 evse's but I don't have a lot of time in my life to figure out how to build a generator then actually do it.

 

The Converdant requires modification to the Prius to access the traction battery. This is from their FAQ and it exactly describes how my system is set up:

"The input cable comes in 2 halves, one get connected permanently to the Hybrid traction battery and should be installed by a trained and experienced hybrid mechanic. The other half cable is connected to the Plug-Out box and the two can be connected easily by the customer each time it is used. The 2-3kw units can be lifted into the hybrid trunk area for use, or, they can be left on the garage floor/shelf and connected to the car by an optional longer input cable."

It isn't an out-of-the-box solution. This also means you'll at least spend $250 more for labor if you have a mechanic install the outlet in the back of the Prius - if you can find one that will do it. I did it in 45 minutes with some 10 gauge wire, a standard outlet, two standard plugs, a 25 foot 12 gauge extension cord, and one Anderson plug. That gets the connection all the way to the APC in my garage.

I stand corrected on one thing I said above, I noticed on the Converdant site that they do offer a 5 kw 240/120 split phase option for $2849 and a 3 kw for $1850. So for the similarly-spec'ed 5 kw version the price difference is about $2000 minus about $50 in parts.