Portable battery to charge Prime available?

I haven't found a use for it. It's not as efficient as charging from a plug and it murders my MPGs. It can only charge up to 80%. I've only used it if I thought I might want to use remote climate prep after going somewhere that I can't plug in since it needs some charge left to work.

 

I think the best solution for the OP is to find a rental with better parking.

 

You are correct. If you are out of EV range, then driving on the HV mode using gas is simpler and just as efficient if not more efficient than running on CHG mode and then using the charged traction battery on later EV mode. However, in a few cases when you have no plug to charge and filling the traction battery up to 80% using CHG mode is beneficial, then that option is there for you.

A few use cases are:

1. You are out of EV range on the highway and you don't have a chance to charge on your destination. You anticipate doing several very short trips at the destination location. Having EV range in those situations may benefit by not using a gas engine on very short trips.
2. You are out of EV range, and you plan to camp in your car, and you have no plug there. In this case, having traction battery charge up to 80% allows running HVAC (either cool or heat) with the heat pump longer without the engine starting. If you are sleeping in a car, this is a huge benefit for a quiet good night's sleep.
3. Your battery has less than 80% SOC. It is very cold below 14F. If you use the heat, the car will automatically turn on the engine. By using CHG mode, the gas engine will run at higher RPM for a longer period, providing you with more immediate heat to the cabin and you can replenish the battery for later use. I use this trick often when the morning temp is below 14F by using CHG mode in my morning commute and using EV mode on my way home in the afternoon when it is warmer.
4. There may be more instances that having EV range even with running gas engine longer and harder can benefit.

 

Thanks for this tip, I can probably use it to my benefit.


iPhone ?

 

Yeah, before I did my experiment on CHG mode, I thought HV mode is more efficient than using CHG mode and EV more later from the charge on CHG mode.
See this thread for more discussion on this subject: Can using CHG Mode be more efficient? | PriusChat

But I now know that they are basically the same efficiency. So, if I am commuting to work on a very cold morning below 14F (-10C), and coming home in the afternoon at warmer temp near 32F (0C), I can't run heat and maintain EV mode in my morning commute anyway. Using CHG mode gives me quicker and warmer heat to the cabin in the cold morning, and have at least up to 80% of the charge for EV mode on my way home. But, you have to plan it for the night before. If you charge your car the night before and the traction battery is full, then you can not turn on the CHG mode in the morning. For that reason, more than often, I end up using just HV mode in the morning.

 

I have not been charging overnight very often. Only when I anticipated a warmer next day.

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iPhone ?

 

I’ve made use of case 1 on occasion (don’t have an L2 charger) to avoid starting the ICE for short trips after a long commute home. Case 3 might prove useful this winter with my new work schedule, so I’ll test it out. Another case would be in places where city centres penalize, if not ban, ICE use and you’ve been on a long drive to get there. I believe some European cities apply this rule.

 

Yup, for travel and winter warm-up. There are 2 more, important ones:

- As an owner... to use up old gas. If you need to consume gas anyway, might as well take advantage by exercising the engine too. There's benefit to that added & continuous load.

- As a prospective owner... to have some EV available during your test-drive. It's quite common for dealers to not have charged up the pack for you to try it. Starting the drive with Charge-Mode and ending with EV-Mode provide a comprehensive demo.

 

EcoFlow Delta Pro portable power station

This 3.5-kWh Portable Battery Helped Stranded Model S Move Again

 

Unfortunately, it costs $3600.

 

wanted to provide some input here: Prius Prime Level 2 Charging Using 2 Ecoflow Delta Pros, No DIY Wiring | PriusChat

 

Check out Bluetti

https://www.bluettipower.com/collections/home-battery-backup

It is heavy but extremely long lasting. Best part is that it is modular and you can easily add more module to add power.