Using PIP As A Generator

At 200Lbs, our propane bottle would last for more barbecues than I'll ever live to see.

3kW ... so it's 120v. We opted for Honda's 6.5kW pure sign wave - in part because plug in charging is more efficient @ 240v. The regulator we use for propane allows the Honda to run on natural gas too. We have a couple other 240v appliances besides the EVSE, so that's another plus.
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I have several other backups, but the Prius is definitely my workhorse now.

 

As another person experienced with using inverters on the Prius [ConVerdant owner], I offer these tidbits:
Honda sales literature proudly claims 4-6kwh per gallon electric production with their generators [when half to full load], but the generator is often not operating in that range. The Plug-Out system, as example, produces about 8kwh/gallon across a much broader range of use [1/2kw and up].
Also, mechanical generators "groan" when the appliance load changes [increases or decreases], as it struggles to re-throttle to get back to the required speed and voltage and phase stability. This groaning period is like a grid power loss or brownout in that electrical surges are created, and these surges can harm sensitive electronics and motors, thereby increasing the financial risks of using the "low cost" generator. The Prius and pure sine wave inverter combo [Plug-Out for example] adapt instantly to load changes because power is battery sourced, and the pure sine wave construction circuit provides clean power shapes right thru the load change.
To that, add the lower noise, lower maintenance, and greater reliability of the Prius-inverter combo.

 

Being skeptical is one thing but a few assertions made above indicated a clear lack of knowledge on how the Prius hybrid system actually works and those design aspects are critical to why a Prius can function very safely while producing plenty of wattage to ride out nearly any emergency outage situation you could possibly encounter.

Randy, not to pick but it's the cheaper gensets that "groan", the Hondas are quite exceptional at maintaining the proper frequency and voltage up to the rated load.......but obviously you pay for that quality too. One suggestion, it would be nice if the inverters ConVerdant produces could receive both AC and DC power similar to an UPS system because it's nice to be able to use a traditional (perhaps a smaller fuel sipping diesel) genset while the vehicle is away then to be able to switch back over to the Prius once it returns.

Also pics of the inside of the inverter would be nice to be able to see the quality of components.

 

Using my Prius as a genset goes a long way out of my comfort zone. It's precisely that lack of knowledge that presents the most danger.

 

As Mtl-hihy mentioned above, you need to clarify that the Honda generators you're talking about load groaning - phase stability - noisy - fuel thirsty - does not apply to their higher quality inverter types - the less expensive mechanical sine wave Hondas (or any other brand) - yes that's true. Although we have backup power independent of our Honda inverter I can tell you from experience that you can have a nice quiet conversation right next to it - as it gingerly sips fuel. Of course you have to pay a boat load to enjoy those nice features. Best of all if you need your car to actually go someplace away from your home - your home isn't ripped off of having power. So every kind of tool or power source has it valid purposes.
Oh - & grid quality fuel powered inverters can drop down to less than 200 watts, too. Moreover our Honda has been modded to run on propane or natural gas which means if electricity is out for extended time and we can't pump gasoline out of the ground - we can switch over to our 210 Lb tank of propane - or the homes natural gas line. I do like to keep my options available .

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I have a hard time believing that a Prius works better or more efficiently as a generator than an actual generator. I'd love to be wrong, because it would be great to have an add-on kit which could be used to provide household standby power.

Home-made kits, and testimonials just don't sell me on the concept at this point.

 

The advantage that the PiP has as a generator is the battery. A generator without a battery has to respond in real time to power demand changes; the ICE in the PiP can run at its optimal speed to recharge the battery as necessary. (If it is common for gensets to have a battery "buffer" to deal with this, I apologize.)

 

It's understandable that designing out of the box or blazing new paths might make some uncomfortable (just like not everyone will tackle rebuilding their own traction battery either) but that doesn't mean the physics behind it aren't rock solid. I would simply suggest asking lots of questions of the people who have already done this themselves. As an engineer myself I can assure you I have no question this is more efficient, it's just a question of which system provides the best compromise of fuel efficiency, price and convenience.

Standard gensets run all the time (both commercial and residential) but they are designed to run most efficiently under full load. Combine that with the fact all portable and most otto cycle standby gensets run at 3600 RPM (required for proper power quality, ie 60 hz) you are burning a ton of fuel even if you have very little load on the system (idle down only works on a jobsite where usage is intermittent). So yes, using the batteries on the Prius (even more via a UPS setup which has its own battery bank too) as a buffer provides a big advantage in fuel efficiency since you don't need to run the genset's ICE all the time (huge benefits during low power draw situations) and when you do you are using the ICE it's in its most efficient (full power) mode. Even creating a setup using a battery bank, inverter and a standard portable auto start generator with a DC charge controller should be able to get you much better efficiency than just running the generator all the time as most people do.

 

when we have a power outage, even though we have an automatic transfer switch, i shut the generator down during the day and night, and typically run it from 8-10 am and 6-10 pm. saves a ton of propane.

 

They used to make tea in the cooling system of Model T Fords at one time, and nobody died, but that's before they knew about all the effects of the lead soldering in the radiator. I'm not going to modify my Prius to power my house unless it has the blessing of the people who built the car.

 

i saw frank from the american pickers heat up his taco under the hood.

 

I have a recipe to cook a chicken on the exhaust manifold of a car..... By the time you got to the park or the beach, diner was cooked! I also have a small 1000w pure sine wave inverter unit that can be hooked to the 12v battery that is big enough to power my refrigerator, the sump pump, and a couple lights if ever needed. Just need to have the car in Ready and the traction battery and the ICE will keep the 12v happy. I had an 850w one in my old Dodge truck hard wired for the same use. But that has to have the ICE idling all the time to be used or bye, bye 12 volt battery. The Prius is far, far more efficient!

 

manifold chicken is a favorite of mine.

 

hey! no kibitzing in your own thread!

 

In your case that is probably best......if you don't know what your doing it's definitely not a good scenario.

 

That says plenty.

 

Read into it what you want, the intent was simply that incorrect/misinformed statements were made prior and this stuff can hurt or kill you if you misjudge the situation.

Here's an example of what can happen:
Gen II Prius Individual Battery Module Replacement | Page 10 | PriusChat

 

There was a somewhat recent Mythbusters where Alton Brown came on the show and together they cooked a whole Thanksgiving dinner in the engine compartment during a road trip.