Using PIP As A Generator

But such inverters are very expensive.

 

No one has seen PlugOut's new pricing....

 

I haven't been to the Prius UPS site in quite some time - & this is a very old thread. Will be worth a check up to see what they've done with the Prius Prime, as well as any of several other plug-in hybrids. Optimistically, this would allow us to sell our (240v) 6KW Honda inverter generator that runs on any of 3 common fuels, propane, gasoline, for natural gas.
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Yes, it's a very old thread, but I finally got my Prius Gen IV 2018 3-Touring all set up with an APC SURT5000XLT and split transformer, so I thought it was worth posting. The tap connections are a little different than on previous generations (no terminal lugs to bolt onto), I had to take apart the relay module next to the Lithium 207.2v battery, and bolt my taps into the internal metal bars going inside from car connection terminals to the relays. There were some spade connectors on the outside of the relay module I could've used for the tap, but were very narrow and I wanted to do better on amperage capacity for the connection, so inside the relay module, I drilled 2 neat little holes on the 2 flat bar traces, and carved out enough space in the housing to get the wires through the tight spaces, and drilled some exit holes in the relay housing for the wires to come out, then installed 2 inline fuses right near the relay box... It's works perfect though, powered my compressor today at the storage unit to winterize my motorhome, and it was handy...

 

That's an amazingly nice install! How often does the ICE cycle under heavy load?

 

I wasn't paying super close attention on this run as I was busy on another RV winterizing project, but I heard the engine kick on a couple times, my guess would be every 5-10 minutes. I think these lithium batteries have something like a .75 kW/h rating so they probably kick on a little more often than the earlier gen nickel-metal hydride ones, and stay running for less time during each charge interval. Maybe soon I could put on a known load level, and measure the cycling interval.

 

Nice! A tinkerer just like me. I have successfully used my brand new 2021 Rav4 Prime as a generator. Works great. I have a youtube channel but I dont know if I will post too much about it because Toyota watches my channel. If you are curious this video might interest you, this was before I tapped the HV. It was just a test to see how much the DC to DC could put out.

 

Interesting video! I jotted down a couple of questions:

1. Around 7:30 to 7:40, you have plugged some numbers into your calculator, apparently placed a clamp meter somewhere, and, before turning on your added inverter and load, you have calculated that "the power that we have going into the DC to DC converter is 1200 watts". Can you say more about that measurement, where your clamp meter was placed, what your calculation was exactly? That number isn't passing the smell test for me at the moment.

2. Where did you get your EXRAD shielded HV cable? How much did you have to buy?

 

The output from the DC to DC is around 1500 watts. So not enough to run a house. It would be better to tap the HV battery and use that power into a HV dc to ac inverter. I have done that since making this video and it works great.

I bought the cables direct from the company. Its much cheaper that way. Champlain I think the company is called.

 

Thanks! Can you say more about that measurement, where your clamp meter was placed, what your calculation was exactly? The reason I ask is because of your earlier calculation of 1200 watts "going into the DC to DC converter" before applying your added load. That number could be described as 'surprising' or 'different from the experience of others', and raises the possibility that what you measured/calculated and what you intended to could have been different. If we could follow more of the details, the mystery could probably be solved.

Thanks! That was the same outfit I found years ago when I was curious about it, but I never went further to find out what their minimum order was. How much did you have to buy?

 

I had the clamp in multiple different locations. What are you trying to find out? Bottom line is that the output from the DCtoDC in the Prime is around 1500 watts. Maybe it has a higher peak number but I saw 1500watts.

 

Yes - if you read earlier posts - re the priUPS DIY website - shows how to set it up, using surplus cell site backup inverters. The worst down side to using this great backup - big enough to run your whole house is that since they have to be turned on all the time in order to sense power loss - they consume a constant 200 Watts. Newer Prius make that easy set up more difficult because the Prius is now higher voltage.
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It would be most helpful if you could show your work. When you reached the conclusion "the power that we have going into the DC to DC converter is 1200 watts" at 7:30 to 7:40 in your video before you turned your added load on, where was your clamp and what were your calculations that brought you to that conclusion? There is near-certainly a mistake involved, but without the data and methodology, it'll be hard to find.

Darn ... what's the voltage in the newer ones?

That was always the sticking point for Gen 1; it was much easier to find inverters for the 201 volt Gen 2 or 3 but the pickings got very scarce for the 274 volt Gen 1.

 

I dont know what to tell you. Dont believe me if you dont want to. Its a 1500 watt dc to dc. I measured power going into and out of the converter. I had to edit out a lot because trying to keep people's attention on youtube is hard. The video as a whole shows people that it is possible.

 

Well, could you start by reading the question? It's been repeated three times now, and was never about your conclusion of 1500 watts available, but about your conclusion of 1200 watts before turning on your load.

It's nothing about not wanting to believe you. I would like to be able to believe your conclusions. Making our data and methodology available is what we do so people can believe our conclusions.

Why not the easy stuff anyway? You had your clamp "in multiple locations." So what were the locations?

 

I answered that. I measured power going into the dc to dc and power coming out of the dc to dc

 

No, you put your clamp around a wire of such-and-such color between somewhere and somewhere.

Knowing that would be a start on why you got the reading you got.

I don't have a Rav4 Prime wiring diagram in front of me; I strongly suspect the only place you could have isolated "power going into the dc to dc" would have been beneath the cover of the inverter-with-converter assembly under the hood of the car, but I might be generalizing too much from prior models. Possibly @Elektroingenieur will know for sure.

Did you at any point have that cover off under the hood, and your clamp located on something beneath it?

 

I’m sorry but if you don’t know how to test wires I don’t have the time to reach you right now.
Also, you don’t have a Prime. I’m not sure why you care so much.

There are plenty of books you could read. Also try to find a copy of the building electrical code. It’s ac vs dc but it will help you start to learn electricity. Then of course there is YouTube. There are a ton of videos you could watch to learn more about electrical power.

best of luck!

 

Slow down, amigo. @ChapmanF is one of the most knowledgeable people on this forum. The problem isn't with him not knowing electricity. He's not dumb and he's not attacking. He (and I) are just having a hard time interpreting your methodology. BTW, I'm an electronics engineer and an industrial electrician.

He might not have a Rav4 Prime, but the principles you're talking about (using the high voltage system rather than the 12V) for powering an inverter would apply to just about any hybrid. But it's hard to apply them without a clearer picture of exactly where you make your connections and your measurement.

 

Idk if he is attacking, not educated or what. I feel like he is asking the same question over and over and I keep giving the same answer. Yes it is frustrating. I dont have time to hold his hand.

This is very simple. There is a positive wire and negative HV wire going into the DC to DC and 12v positive coming out. (the unit is grounded to the vehicle so there is no ground wire) I tested the power going in and coming out, at the dc2dc, like I said, repeatedly.

I am not an electrical engineer but I have been an electrician by trade all my life. I have decades of experience with low voltage and high voltage. I have 10kw and 7kw solar systems that I designed and built myself. Ive been driving EVs for around 9 years. I have harnessed the HV DC battery pack in multiple EVs to power my house and I have DC charged them from my inverter and solar panels.

Im not sure what I can help you with. If the questions were more clear maybe I could help. But yes the HV battery pack can be used to power a house as long as you can find a HV DC inverter and yes the onboard DC2DC appears to be a 1500 watt unit.