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Home made battery back for charging?

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by Piwacet, Jul 17, 2017.

  1. Piwacet

    Piwacet Junior Member

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    OK, crazy idea I've been toying with. I rent an outdoor parking space near my condo, but I don't have a way to charge the car in this space.

    I've started to think about using a battery and inverter to charge the car. Poking around, components would include a sine wave inverter that could output the amps needed, and batteries that could deliver a full charge (and some kind of way to charge them). As best as I can tell each of these components costs hundreds of dollars (and I would need to buy multiple batteries) and the finished set up would weigh hundreds of pounds. Presumably I'd wheel it to my condo, charge it, and then wheel it to my car to charge the car. Although maybe I could look into some kind of slow solar charging option.

    So far I have not encountered an inverter with a ground fault interrupter (how would one even ground this thing?).

    There's no real point to my post other than to throw this out there and see if anyone else has thought of this. Obviously it's expensive. Thanks for reading!
     
  2. mjoo

    mjoo Senior Member

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    If you mean something that can charge your car from empty to full in one shot - you're talking about a battery system that weighs hundreds of pounds. The lithium-ion pack in the Prius Prime is 265 pounds. If you use a more available battery chemistry like lead-acid multiply that weight by 4 or 5. Otherwise, you're looking at having to take your full portable charger out to your car ~60 times per day to fill the traction battery from empty.

    Japan has a solar roof option that I believe can replenish up to 5% of the battery per day if left outside. If there was some way to get power from your parking lot - a power socket or your own solar arrays that would probably be your best option.
     
  3. Dale Leonard

    Dale Leonard Member

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    You can buy a lot of gas for what you are talking about. Remember the prime makes the best hybrid.

    Ps: you can always move.
     
  4. mjoo

    mjoo Senior Member

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    When the portable cold fusion generators come out - buy one of those to charge your Prime with. But then again, your car may be obsolete by then.
     
  5. NJ-PrimeAdvanced

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    I have the same situation... no place to charge, live in a condo, no way to plugin anywhere. What do other people do in this situation (other than move, which is not an option for me)?
     
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  6. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    Use it as a Hybrid Prius with better mileage than a Liftback?
     
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  7. Piwacet

    Piwacet Junior Member

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    This would be the best option. My understanding of the solar roof option is that the solar panel charges a small battery, and when this battery is sufficiency charged, it's energy is used to charge the traction battery (a small amount), and this cycle is repeated over and over. It would be nice if an external solar panel and small battery could do the same thing, but I can't think of how this would work with the US version of the prime.

    I know this is not practical. I just like tinkering.

    I'm quite optimistic about a cold fusion generator. :)

    Thanks everyone!
     
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    would a portable generator charge it?

    can you plan your time away from home around public chargers?
     
  9. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    I lived in complex where garage carports lined up with apartments, so my landlord ran a 110v outlet to carport for me so I could charge my 2012 PIP from electricity sourced at my apartment. Nice guy charged me nothing!!

    .
     
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    wow, a gentleman and a scholar. you must be a great tenant!
     
  11. 3PriusMike

    3PriusMike Prius owner since 2000, Tesla M3 2018

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    I know you want to tinker...but let's look at the economics of this.
    Let's say you get your electricity for free to charge your battery pack.
    And you use 6 kwh per day, everyday for 5 years before you need to replace the cheap batteries you use to build this.
    If electricity cost $0.10 to $0.20 per kwh you will be transferring $0.60 to $1.20 each day to the car or $1100 to $2200.
    Can you build this for $1000?

    Mike
     
  12. NJ-PrimeAdvanced

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    Actually a more practical (and cheaper?) way to charge the battery is just to use the CHG mode (either while driving or idle) - yes, it will burn gas, but it will charge your EV battery to 80% in just 30 minutes (if I'm not mistaken) and this way you can easily enjoy the quietness and beauty of EV driving for 25 or so miles!
     
  13. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    A better use of time and effort would be researching ways of getting a condo assoc. to provide electrical access.
     
  14. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    Was there 11 years, with Yewee my Flying Cat; landlord and I are still friends although I've since purchased Resh House!!

    .
     
  15. Piwacet

    Piwacet Junior Member

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    Thanks. I do try to plan time at public chargers, and luckily in San Francisco where I live they are around.

    I don't think a solar generator is an option - at least on the affordable end they don't put out the current and store the energy required.

    Thanks, not sure if I could get the cost in under $1000 (which means it will be too expensive, and no tinkering will be happening on my part). Maybe in the future batteries will be better and cheaper.

    That's true! I do prefer driving in EV mode - it's more quiet and smooth.

    Unfortunately the parking space I rent is not associated with my condominium. The owner would consider letting me install a new PG&E (electric company in San Francisco) panel/account and do the work to run an outside line from this panel, but I think with this it's several thousand dollars for a new PG&E installation, pulling the permits from the city, and getting the work done. The owner did not seem keen on simply sub-metering the existing electrical system.

    Thanks all!
     
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  16. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    Remind him of incentives offered by many communities/agencies in California and that this addition can only make his property more attractive to potential tenants. Car companies: Volvo, BMW, Jaguar, Audi, etc., etc. are embracing electric because it's the coming thing!!

    .
     
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  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i was thinking a small honda gasoline generator charging a toyota.:cool:
     
  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    inside the ali baba cafe???
     
  19. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    Now that IS cute!!

    .
     
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  20. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    Oh that is funny!!! No, I lived in the Cambridge Apartments (no, they are in Huntington Beach, not Boston!) for over a decade!! And my little "Yewee The Flying Cat" is on youtube, with a video of that title which demonstrates her abilities!!, Har, har!

    .
     
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