Creating a home office in my car

welcome!
it can't be done. consider trading up to a prime, with 8 times the battery size and a plug.

( i used to work from home, my wife thought i was just home )

 

You are trying to reinvent a 2009 Prius plugin. The companies that made kits to do that died out years ago. Butying a Prime may be a good option for you.

 

Yes but how many computers were controlling the bike?

 

let me put it another way, anything can be done, but few people are willing to go through the time, effort and cost to accomplish it.
i'm not trying to be a negative nancy, but we get these questions from time to time, and then after much deliberation, the final answer is always the same.

if you're smart enough and conscientious enough to do it, than your smarter and more conscientious than anyone here.

i hope you pull it off, and come back to tell us how it was done. all the best!

 

Get a plug-in Kent. A whole new world awaits!

We have a guy on the C-max forum who wants to get a used one for doing private investigator work on the down lo.....

 

there is a technical forum here that you can check out, but from what i've read, you'd be better off searching yahoo groups or some such.

 

Most Prius-size cars have between 12,000-20,000Btu/Hr worth of air conditioning. (I don't know the exact value for a Prius, but the size of the car and the relative amount of insolation through windows is going to be pretty similar from car to car)

That straddles the upper limit of what you're going to be able to pull through a heavy outdoor 120V extension cord, even without conversion losses into a DC charger.

So I imagine you could build a charger that keeps the gas engine from starting as often, but it is still going to run occasionally. Probably better that way anyhow, it would be an added challenge to figure out how to lock the thing out.

I think the challenge is going to be in making a charge controller that notices when the voltage is up (engine has started) and backs itself off to prevent overcurrent, then sneaks back in after voltage has dropped (engine has stopped) and then supplements power on the discharge downslope to lengthen the engine-off period as long as possible.

You could save time, frustration and money by making up a hose/mount contraption to attach a $300 appliance air conditioner to one of the side windows. Scores fewer challenge points but it would get the job done.

 

Just get an inverter and hook up to the 12 volt battery to power your laptop. A pure sine wave unit would be best. I have a 2000 watt inverter under the driver seat from which I power my computer, Kerig hotel-style 1 cup coffee maker, ice maker (in the hot seasons), printer, etc. No reason to tap the traction battery. Just keep the car in Ready mode.

 

Kind of a rude comment form someone looking for help.

I don’t know what your home setup is but it sounds like you need a home office with a lock on the door and a do not disturb sign to me.

 

The Prius has several computers involved in maintaining the traction battery. Those companies that tried to "work around" it and extend the EV range of the Prius are no longer in business. Toyota was able to do that with the PiP because they know the software and could change the code as necessary. The Prime is an more improved version.

I would not say we are not "smart" here. It is smarter to know your limits than to tear up something and then hitting a dead end with perhaps a damaged vehicle.

 

This is the best answer. I know many companies that use this setup to run big auxiliary loads in their Priuses - there are good reasons:

* In ready mode, the Prius 12V circuit can support over 1 kW. (You can even tap directly into the 12V line if you don't want to use the cigarette lighter. Just make sure to install your own fuse)

* Tapping into the traction battery is dangerous. Now you need to prove that high voltages aren't going places you don't want. You don't need to do this if you stick with 12V.

* No need to work around ECU. The gas engine kicks in as needed to top off the battery & everything just works.