A/c and camping out

I did a quick calculation assuming that the AC will run at about 50% of capacity (about 1.6 kwatts), add a like amount for powering the rest of the Prius electronics, and the Prius utilizes about 25% of the energy in the fuel. I got about 2 gallons in 6 hours.

Remember to leave your Prius in "Ready" mode and in "Park" (not neutral) so the ICE can cycle to keep the traction battery charged.

JeffD

 

I wouldn't accept any fuel use overnight. Is the overnight temperature still 80? What's wrong with sleeping in a tent?

 

How much time and/or electronics savvy do you have? You could
whack together one of these, and at least have ventilation without
bugs or rain coming in.
.
Recently I've also had the untried idea of tossing a big piece of
mosquito netting over the entire car, coming up with some way to
enter one of the doors without disturbing it too much, and cracking
the windows. Creative padded weights around the perimeter or
something to keep it on. Presumably some weatherguards would
allow that in wet weather, too.
.
_H*

 

I have done it but usually it's a little heat that I need. I have the rain deflectors, so I can just leave a window cracked, car in ready mode locked from the inside, fan on low and music to sleep by. I have seen very minimal fuel usage this way. Without the sun heating up the car I think you will find you don't need to crank the A/C, probably just enough to keep out the stuffiness. A lot more economical than paying for a hotel room when all you really need is the shower.

I don't do tents or bugs.

 

I really doubt that the Prius will use anywhere near that amount. I've left my car in Ready for the air conditioning (dog in car), and I guessed that it cost maybe $0.25 for an hour. It was so little that it was hard to calculate. Be sure to set the parking brake and press the Park button. And lock the doors...

You'll probably want to turn off the MFD. Press the Display button, and then the "Screen Off" selection. Press anything else to get it back.

You can block most of the light from the speedometer by placing a piece of paper flat on the dash in front of the display. The display that you see is just a mirror - the actual image is projected up from the dash.

 

Does a person need to worry about carbon monoxide poisoning while sleeping in a Prius with the windows up and the engine running?

 

Its something to consider, but with the engine only running for short amounts of time, I don't think its a risk.

When sitting on a really warm day in the sun, I had the A/C going while making a call. I was in the car sitting for about an hour. I forget the exact timing, but I think the ICE turned on for about 2 minutes when I droped to 2 bars. I think the battery then was good for 5 minutes or more. It repeated this way pretty consistently.

I'd think at night when it should be cooler, it shouldn't need to kick on as frequently. I think I also had my temp set around 68-70.

 

That risk can be mitigated by telling the prius to use outside air...

 

So am I understanding this right, that if you have the car in "Park", powered "On" and "Ready", then you can run the air conditioning, electronic items using the 12v plugs and the like, and the ICE will keep the battery from ever going dead?

 

Exactly! (until you run out of gas)

 

Isn't this a wonderful little car?

 

Downright amazin! :rockon:

 

Then again, you could always use some duct tape and mosquito netting to make a screen window. Just be real quick getting in and out. A pet dragonfly or three would be pretty useful, too.

 

oo.. oo.. pick me.. pick me..

i've been camping out with my prius for a while now. Once a week. My parents have a motor home. I connect the prius to the motor home.. this way we can run what we need off the motor home's 12v system. I privide audio out of the prius. Around midnight.. or one.. or.. two... I'll set up my bed in the car and turn the auto climate on with the fans set to low. I find that ground circulation works best. It turns into a bed warmer.. hehe..

anyway... with around 10 gallons of fuel.. large tires.. and agressive driving.. i managed 34mpg... *blink* *blink*.. i get 35 to 40 normally. With the car running 30 hours or so.. with the hood up, so the a/c fans don't kick on.

I assumed i used a gallon to two of gas... i wasn't driving as aggressive for that trip... i was expecting to break 40.

so.. 320 / 40 (expected) 8 -10 (estimated gas) = -2 (gallons missing of fuel...

so.. compaired to 320miles with 34mpg driven.

so I'm left with 15 hours per gallon of fuel.. but that's not exactly accurate.... motor home lights are.. what? 20 watts? 40 watts?

we were running two lights inside the motor home.. the motor home's water pump.. my car's stereo with a 200 to 400 watt sub.. i think... plus the prius's headlights and the motorhomes's running and headlights.. all at different times while i was running my car as a personal a/c system for 7 hours.

 

OK, that's where I draw the line. A motorhome? That's not camping. Camping is loading up your bicycle with barely enough for survival, and heading off alone for a destination a thousand miles away. It's setting up your tent in the dark because the next campsite was further than you thought, and at the top of a huge hill. It's eating supper in the dark, too, being thankful you can't see all the mosquitoes cooked into your hamburger. It's...oh, let's just say when the big one hits, I'll know what to do.

 

Would it be a good idea to include a battery operated carbon monoxide detector in the car if you are going to sleep in it with the engine running?