[bwilson4web]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/31/us...out-power.html

. . .
More than 2.3 million customers from Pennsylvania through New England had no electricity, according to reports, as the region was lashed by surprisingly high winds and the snowdrifts piled up. In Manhattan, tree branches snapped under the weight of wet snow, piling up along Fifth Avenue and blocking Central Park paths.
. . .

I don't understand why 99% of all hybrids do not come with a 120 VAC, 1-1.5 kW inverter. It is so simple and in some cases nothing more than an outlet and software. But then I'm persnickety about such things.

Bob Wilson

[rhcev6]

I thought there was one available from engineer with their plug-in systems. Maybe they can make one for the regular HV battery too but with that do you run the risk of discharging the HV battery too far where some cell reversal could take place?

[bwilson4web]

rhcev6 said:

I thought there was one available from engineer with their plug-in systems. Maybe they can make one for the regular HV battery too but with that do you run the risk of discharging the HV battery too far where some cell reversal could take place?

First you start the car and then turn on the inverter. In my case, I'm tapping the 12 V supply that is good for 75A before it starts to drop voltage. Others have tapped the traction battery but we've all found the car wills start the engine to maintain the SOC. Unless you run out of gas, there is no real risk to the traction battery and a lot of 'quality of life' improvements from having some AC power when everything else is OFF.

Bob Wilson

[rhcev6]

Doesn't engineer make these or do you need their plugin system for this? Any idea how much they want for it? Is it more fuel efficient than a$ 500 generator?

bwilson4web said:

First you start the car and then turn on the inverter. In my case, I'm tapping the 12 V supply that is good for 75A before it starts to drop voltage. Others have tapped the traction battery but we've all found the car wills start the engine to maintain the SOC. Unless you run out of gas, there is no real risk to the traction battery and a lot of 'quality of life' improvements from having some AC power when everything else is OFF.

Bob Wilson

[bwilson4web]

rhcev6 said:

Doesn't engineer make these or do you need their plugin system for this? Any idea how much they want for it?

I haven't taken a close look at the Enginer kits. I've seen threads posted by others and they seem to be happier with the more recent kits. The original ones seemed to have problems with balancing the cells. As for using them to drive an inverter, it isn't something I've spent any time researching.

This would be a great area to post a report.

. . . Is it more fuel efficient than a$ 500 generator?

It is similar:

At partial power or even no power, the overhead beats the heck out of the gas-fired generators. They only generate power when their engines are running. In contrast, the Prius only runs the engine enough to maintain traction battery state of charge.

Bob Wilson

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Bob,

I have to admit that I run a 8,000+ watt generator during outages as my family likes to watch satellite TV, use the microwave, their hairdryers, have lights everywhere, etc. That is the reason I have a propane tank for running the hot water heater, cook top and heating system as I only need power to run the blower for heat. With 5 vehicles parked at the house, I can always rob some gas if required to keep it running.

[bwilson4web]

GeorgiaHybrid said:

. . .
I have to admit that I run a 8,000+ watt generator during outages as my family likes to watch satellite TV, use the microwave, their hairdryers, have lights everywhere, etc. That is the reason I have a propane tank for running the hot water heater, cook top and heating system as I only need power to run the blower for heat. With 5 vehicles parked at the house, I can always rob some gas if required to keep it running.

What pisses me off is my oldest Prius has a 20 kW rated traction battery and MG2 inverter capable of generating more than 30 kW of programmable, AC power. Yet I'm limited to drawing just 1 kW via the 12V bus because I'm using off-the-shelf, inverters. IMHO, I should have two, 120 VAC circuits capable of sourcing and sinking at least 70A each.

My Graham miniscanner data clearly shows a peak, DC current draw of 70A. By offsetting the two, single-phase AC outputs by 90 degrees, the total current drain can easily fit within the limits of the inverter power electronics. Given the 270 V nominal battery voltage, it could easily provide 120 VAC and possibly up to 220 VAC. To me, our Prius is just a personal powerplant on wheels.

BTW, what about the latest storms? The photos were pretty impressive and suggested microbursts tore down some buildings and trees.

Bob Wilson

[GeorgiaHybrid]

We didn't have it too bad this time around although a lot of people get very nervous when a bad storm system comes near us. A few people lost some trees but nothing major happened.