Inverter ( 12 VDC / 120 VAC) install on the Gen III

You've probably figured this out in the intervening 3 years, but...

The inverter is connected directly to the battery. Therefore, the inverter's PEAK power is limited by the battery - 300+ CCA for a Prius, which equals about 3200+ watts, assuming a 90% efficient inverter:
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However, there have been discussions about wiring to the engine post, so that it would be subject to the fuse:
>110 VAC inverter installation | Page 2 | PriusChat

In addition to an internal fuse, the inverter will also specify the size fuse to go between it and the battery.


The CONTINUOUS power will be limited by the Prius's DC-DC step-down converter, which varies by generation from 100-140A = 1000-1500W after subtracting the Prius' ready load. If this is exceeded, you will start to draw down the 12V battery. Many inverters include a low-voltage shut off that should help protect against this, but it won't be an issue if your inverter's continuous capacity doesn't exceed your Prius' DC-DC converter capacity (and you only use it when the ignition's on). If you need to exceed this, you should get an auxiliary deep cycle battery with an isolator (or run off the traction battery instead - see: Portable Priups: Several Examples). Some people have suggested that the Prius' water-cooled DC-DC converter was not designed for continuous operation at peak output, but I have yet to read any reports of problems from this.

 

No matter the battery size, the battery is more of a balancer than a supplier. The cap for continuous pull is about 1000 watts with the radio and all lights off. (Tested many times... Even with huge deep cell 12v hooked up in line). The dc bus will clip off which make the interior lights and displays clip off and back on.

I highly recommend leaving the hood open when inverting. The engine bay gets really hot. Over the years I've seen oil burn up because if this and I'm pretty sure it has caused the tick in my engine. Also if closed, the ice fans kick on a lot which pulls a fair amount. Un needed wear all over the place.

Excuse any typos. On my iPhone (trying to keep it simple)

 

Interesting - has nothing to do with venting the inverter...a good suggestion when parked.

That makes sense. But I would expect that the limit on an inverter reaching its peak output is the CCA of the battery.

 

hmm... i guess my response didn't get posted last night.

seeing the entire car runs off the ICE since it should always be on... all power in one way or another gets pushed through the hybrid inverter. so your comment doesn't really make sense...

the only way to defeat the whole "energy pulling strait from the car scenario" is to charge a battery that can handle the load and disconnect from the car or power it off. that takes a lot of batteries and weight if you want to use it for any real amount of time. as an example, my parents are off grid.. they have a 4000+ watt pure sine wave inverter. even with a "battery room" (several hundreds of lbs of batteries) they can still have to fire up the generator to run the microwave or they risk boiling the batteries... imagine what a prius sized battery goes though...

in the end, the dc inverter supplies a higher voltage so the ac inverter pulls from it while also charging the 12v... the only way to not pull from it is if the inverter drops below the battery voltage. by the time that happens, the dc inverter clips out (as stated above)

hope that is typed out ok and makes sense when reading...

 

well the plugs are 10A fused !!! you will blow that if you try to get 200W out !!!!

 

Maybe I'm not understanding you or your not understanding me. I was responding to Philosophe's question about peak load, not continuous load. I.e., power inverters typically can generate a peak current that is around twice their continuous current. The Prius step down converter is limited to 100-140A (1000-1500W - see my comment above), so you wouldn't want to draw a continuous load greater than that or you'll run down the battery. However, if you have a sump pump with an in-rush of 2000W when starting and your inverter can provide a peak output of 2000W, that shouldn't be a problem for your Prius battery to handle for those few seconds, as the stock battery can crank to 300+A. This is relevant for people running refrigerators, pumps, etc.