Using PIP As A Generator

Remember, the title of this thread is " emergency power"

 

I'd presume you use less, not more, power in an emergency. Since your available electricity is constrained.

 

True, I did this with a Camper Generator some years ago, naturally FIRST I isolated the power in, ie: Pulled the main circuit breaker. It was a extremely simple connection, one wire with a male plug on each end. It ran my fridge and TV, everything else was off. However, wasteful, the Prius would be so much more efficient.

 

Exactly!!

 

That would be sweet. PiP can hold 10.6 gallons so you don't need to refill gas like in a separate generator (with ~1.5 gallon).

 

Granted, I haven't gone through all the posts but one question still remains.

It seems to me the adaptor is nothing more than a plug with an extension cord. What makes it worth so much money?

 

It is not simply a plug with an extension cord. It is an inverter which converts 200V DC to 110 AC 60 Hz.

 

Let me help you with this: 170W is your average over a month. It includes all the time you're sleeping and away at work.

If we take 1,000 watts and divide it by 120 Volts, you have only 8.3 Amps. That's about half of what a standard 15A outlet supplies.

1,500 watts delivers a more comfortable 12.5 Amps. That's enough for several lights, an LCD TV,

But 170 watts only supplies 1.4 A. That's not enough to power an iPad or laptop charger.

If you want to power your fridge, 170 watts won't cut it. Refrigerators spike 400 or 500 watts when their compressors start up, then around 200 Watts (the compressor doesn't run continuously).

So unless you keep things really bare-bones, you want 1,000 or 1,500 watts.

 

I don't think you can get more than 1,500 watts out of an inverter attached to a Prius, and that won't be enough to power your home. In particular, you would be challenged to run a microwave, electric heater, power tools, or a mixer from only 1,500 watts. You'd need to use care when running a dishwasher or clothes washer, and forget about an electric dryer.

 

but inverters are <$100. I'm OK with a premium for this cable. Charge 250, hell even 500, but over 1k. Sorry. It stops being practical when it will be used only rarely.

 

that's my point exactly! A portable generator is cheaper also, plus a portable generator I listed earlier in this thread generates 4000 watts!

 

Suit yourselves, but there is a lot of misinformation flying around here. I own a Prius and a generator and I wouldn’t use the Prius to run my house, just like I wouldn’t use the generator to drive down the street. The Prius will not be as efficient as a generator. The efficiency of the Prius is in its ability to convert gasoline to motion; to move down the street. The generator is designed to convert all the energy of the gasoline to electrical power. I can run my house for days on a few gallons of gas with my generator. Someone earlier stated that in Japan they were getting two days out of the Prius which has a 12 gallon tank, and can only deliver 1,500 watts of power. I can get 2 days of 5,000 watts of power from my generator with around 3 gallons of gas. Do the math; the generator is more efficient in generating electricity than the Prius. Also the idea that your Prius can be just sitting in the garage, and when the power goes out, just start powering your house, is a fantasy. You need an automatic disconnect to take your house off the power grid, before you can start powering your home from a secondary power source, or you will electrocute the power company employees trying to restore your power. Just like a generator the Prius will have to be outside or you will kill yourself by carbon monoxide poisoning. If you have an attached garage you will fill your house with exhaust fumes if the engine starts running in the garage. Someone also stated that you will need less power in an emergency; as someone who has been without power for a week during an emergency before, I can assure you that this is misguided. In a true emergency you will find yourself having to power your refrigerator to keep your food from spoiling; if it is a rain event, you may need to power pumps to keep your basement from flooding; if it is cold you may need to use electrical power to heat your home for you and to keep your pipes from freezing; and in rural areas you may need electricity to have water. 1,500 watts won’t cut it; most homes need at least 5,000 watts to keep most of the essential things running. This talk of 170 watts an hour, is an average of your electricity use, but most of your demand is intermittent and when those devices are running, most are using more than your Prius can deliver. Lastly keep in mind that the Prius with an inverter will give you 120 volt power, most homes in the US and many appliances here require 240 volt power, which is then divided down to 120 volts for the individual outlets.

Please get the help of an electrician before messing with your homes power system, for your own safety and the safety of others. Using the Prius and a power inverter as a way to power a few gadgets while camping, or stargazing as someone else suggested is fine, but to run your house in an emergency is not a good idea. I would take a generator in an emergency over a Prius any day; unless I was going to run away from it.

 

I think the idea is still exciting, considering that many of the items we use during a storm (fridge, coffee maker, toaster, etc) do not require a constant flux of energy. That, paired with the prius's battery would allow you to plug in and walk away for the entire night.

Unfortunately, the price is a non-starter. Lets not forget this is an item that would RARELY be used and as such a luxury at 1000 +.

In addition, it will only be good as long as you own your PIP, and as long as it is sitting in the driveway. Forget going to work and leaving things running for your family.

I think DIYers out there will break these open and reverse engineer a cheaper version.

 

are you reading this Jimbo69ny?

 

I don't get it, why would you be running microwaves and doing laundry in a fricken EMERGENCY??
As far as prIce, well, the glorified extension cord known as our charger also costs $1k, so this shouldn't really be a surprise to anyone.

 

reedja42 makes some good points, but there is also misinformation. he doesn't prove that his generator is more efficient beacause he isn't comparing apples to apples. also, you don't need 240v unless there is a specific appliance you want to run. true, many people will want more than 1500 watts, but most of this discussion is theoretical, and until toyota comes out with a system and price for the u.s., we won't know who and how many will opt for it. the nice thing about the pip is, the ice only runs to charge the battery. and the battery on goes down by the amount of draw. with a generator (i have one) it runs 24/7 and while it may use more or less fuel depending on draw, it still runs 24/7. and the small ones are quite noisy.

 

I found a solution to the BIG question of the OP thread.
If $1000 will fit your budget or under, there is a solution to the EMERGENCY power converter for the Prius.
A Sunny Boy 700U (solar grid tied inverter) is the solution.
Connected straight to the Hybrid battery pack in one end and it will provide you 120 VAC 700 watts + of Emergency power. More than sufficient for an EMERGENCY SOURCE of POWER.

 

you connect it to the 12v post under the hood?