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Prius as an Emergency Generator

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Accessories and Modifications' started by jdcollins5, Oct 11, 2016.

  1. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    I purchased an AIMS 2KW, 180-240 VDC to 120 VAC, inverter in 2013 and installed it in my car with a quick disconnect connected to my HV Battery. I also made up a SO cord to connect between the inverter and the electrical panel. I tested it with my garage refrigerator at the time and have not used it since.

    This weekend we had a visit from Hurricane Matthew. The coast of NC actually fared better than the inland counties who are still dealing with flooding.

    We lost power Saturday night about 9:00. Typically it does not take Duke Energy long to get our power back once the storm and high winds subside. So we went to bed early thinking the power would be on by morning.

    Sunday by noon it was obvious we needed to get power to our inhouse refrigerator, so I hooked up the Prius to our electrical panel and in about 30 minutes we had the refrigerator running and power to the den receptacles. Luckily it was cool and dry so we were doing fine. I tried to turn on the garage refrigerator but the inverter shut down on the inrush.

    Duke had our power restored just before dark so we were very lucky as thousands were still without power in our area.

    So the Prius inverter came through in an emergency and saved a refrigerator/freezer full of food. It was really nice to have this option available and ready to go.

    A few neighbors had to come by and check it out!!

    By Monday we had the yard cleaned up and pretty much back to normal. A lot of families are not as fortunate, especially in the flooded areas. Some rivers are not expected to crest until Friday. Please pray for the safety of these families.

    The first responders have done an incredible job along with friends and neighbors helping each other. It has been great to see how people respond to their neighbors needs!
     
    #1 jdcollins5, Oct 11, 2016
    WolfpackBill, Johnsk93, ftl and 2 others like this.
  2. drysider

    drysider Active Member

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    You didn't specify, but be sure the car is in the Ready mode to avoid depleting the HV battery.
     
    #2 drysider, Oct 11, 2016
  3. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    If connected properly to the battery, downstream of the cutout relay, this is automatic. No Ready, no juice to inverter, no battery drain.
     
    #3 fuzzy1, Oct 11, 2016
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2016
  4. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    See fuzzy1's reply above. It never crossed my mind that I would need to specify this!
     
    #4 jdcollins5, Oct 11, 2016
    fuzzy1 likes this.
  5. mrbigh

    mrbigh Prius Absolutum Dominium

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    Well, there are many word games and semantics that people want to read about in a sentence.
    You did a very good job in preparing for an occasion like the one just passed.
     
    #5 mrbigh, Oct 11, 2016
    jdcollins5 likes this.
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yours is the first report i've read from a member affected by matthew, glad you folks are okay, and great job with the inverter!(y)
     
    #6 bisco, Oct 11, 2016
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  7. BigBear2010

    BigBear2010 Member

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    You don't mind share the link where you bought the inverter?
     
    #7 BigBear2010, Oct 11, 2016
  8. jdcollins5

    jdcollins5 Senior Member

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    https://priuschat.com/posts/2418820/

    I just checked eBay but could not find the inverter that I purchased. It was modified for the Prius HV Battery with a 180-240 VDC input and 120 VAC output. It has been 3 years since the purchase.

    The above link is by AhetaFan that describes his installation and the one that I followed. I hope this helps.
     
    #8 jdcollins5, Oct 12, 2016
    BigBear2010 likes this.
  9. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    That seller had it available for about a year. It is now long gone.
     
    #9 fuzzy1, Oct 12, 2016
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  10. Robmoo

    Robmoo Junior Member

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    I'd like to find a a way of doing this without it costing more than $500. It would be nice to use the Prius as a generator when dry camping or during a power outage. Some of the higher KV generators could even run an RV AC unit. Sometimes when camping the kids need a break from this Texas heat.
     
    #10 Robmoo, Mar 11, 2017
  11. drysider

    drysider Active Member

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    Put the car in Ready mode and turn on the A/C. Works just fine. Getting a 200vdc to 110vac inverter will be expensive. How much capacity do you need?
     
    #11 drysider, Mar 11, 2017
  12. Holli

    Holli Junior Member

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    I have a Prius C. Does anyone know how big of an inverter I can use? I found a good deal on 1000w sine inverted. I was going to hook it up to the 12v battery.
     
    #12 Holli, Jan 14, 2018
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    that will work, make sure you use the correct cable size.
     
    #13 bisco, Jan 15, 2018
  14. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    I remember back in 2008 when I bought my first Prius people were talking about tapping the Prius for power.
     
    #14 padroo, Jan 15, 2018
  15. Randy B

    Randy B Member

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    Again, just to be commercial, look at PlugOut Power.. [ConVerdant Vehicles reopened as..]. Inverters for the Prius [and other hybrids] traction battery.
     
    #15 Randy B, May 16, 2020
  16. Siprfixrupr

    Siprfixrupr Junior Member

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    Greetings Bisco. I would like your opinion, and or suggestion about the possibility of using an eg4 solar unit on prius as home backup power. Its advertised as 120 to 500 vdc input capacity and the 3000 watt unit is only 18 lbs and only 750 dollars. Their split phase unit is half the price of the plugout power and is a 6000 watt unit.

    I'm concerned about the fluctuating voltage input when ice kicks in, but have the idea to take supply input to inverter from the opposite battery posts than what go to the cars MG unit thus using the battery as a buffer for the rapid voltage fluctuacion. What do you think?
     
    #16 Siprfixrupr, Mar 16, 2023
  17. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    #17 ChapmanF, Mar 16, 2023
  18. Siprfixrupr

    Siprfixrupr Junior Member

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    Sorry, I couldn't figure out how to do the link to a new thread
     
    #18 Siprfixrupr, Mar 16, 2023
  19. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    EG4 doesn't make any inverters that would work properly on a prius battery.
     
    #19 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, Mar 16, 2023
  20. black_jmyntrn

    black_jmyntrn Senior Member

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    I ended up installing two 85ah batteries each running its own 2,000w pure sine inverter. has enough power to cook on the air fryer and run all the add on electronics with the car of for a solid hour demanding on how high I set temps. having a phev, I have actually been able to charge at the charging station, car is not in ready, and use the inverters never depleting the 12v batteries.

    https://black.jmyntrn.com/2021/02/16/replacing-an-oem-12v-battery-with-an-85ah-battery-is-a-success/
    https://black.jmyntrn.com/2021/06/06/dual-85ah-batteries-in-my-toyota-prius-with-a-victron-bmv-712/
    https://black.jmyntrn.com/2021/02/05/adding-a-second-battery-to-my-prius-part-1/

    my setup is for overlanding and having the ability to be self sustained in the middle of no where is why these mods were done, just thinking for your usage it also might work well.
     
    #20 black_jmyntrn, Mar 23, 2023
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