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Using an EV Car as your Emergency Backup Battery

I have no desire to purchase a hybrid, however if they would include a 120/240V outlet for extended emergency power this would change my mind. A hybrid already has the ICE generator, battery storage and inverter. Even my cheap 48V golf cart is AC inverter drive. Connect to the inverter and the ICE can automatically cycle whenever battery charging is required. Self propelled power station.

Standard bumper sensors could determine if the garage door is closed to prevent minimize most fools from asphyxiation. And the oxygen sensor in the intake could shutdown the ICE if there is no ventilation.
 
Here is a company based down here in San Diego that is doing V2G now. Nuvve Last year when I contacted them they were considering rolling out a residential model last 2020. Since that was before Covid, plans may have changed. Geez, I know we are reliving 1918~1919 all over again. -Bill
 
Here is a company based down here in San Diego that is doing V2G now. Nuvve Last year when I contacted them they were considering rolling out a residential model last 2020. Since that was before Covid, plans may have changed. Geez, I know we are reliving 1918~1919 all over again. -Bill
Interesting Video clip (scroll down) ... Looks like working on way to sell battery energy from EV back to grid at peak grid draw time cycles, and then charge back up at cheaper rate time. It would like to see the ability for the AHs of an EV to also be integrated into the battery bank of a battery based home solar system when the car is not being used (like make big jump in Ah capacity of Home Power System)! I am sure idea would be a challenge to pull off because (I think/ seems harder to find those specs) EV batteries are running 200dcv +, while home solar battery based systems might be 48vdc or less. Interesting Thread :+) Thanks for that post :+)
 
I was reading about the new F150 option that integrates a generator into the transmission. ?

I read: " ... first-ever F-150 hybrid (wow), featuring a 1.5-kilowatt-hour, liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery and a 35-kilowatt electric motor sandwiched into the 10-speed automatic transmission." And "2.4-kW system that’s standard on the new F-150 hybrid" w up to max output of " ... optional 7.2-kW system only available on the hybrid." Really Interesting! What I hope to eventually to see is an interface for the Nissan Leafs' 30 kWh or 40kWh (or more) batteries for connecting directly to a solar home's battery bank (DC-DC) or DC - 120vac or 240vac interface to a grid disconnect home sub panel ... Great to keep an eye on all these new cycles of evolution :+)
 
Randy is on a growing roll from recent info I have received via dialog with him re: his business venture: https://plugoutpower.com :+) ... this came from his recent pdf newsletter: "

Our car-cable installer network continues to grow. We now have about 40 independent garages on
board spanning about 60 sites. Major markets now have some coverage. Much more expansion yet to
go. PlugOut Power pledges to find 1-2 garages within about an hour’s drive [or so] of any sale. Some
‘garages’ will come to your place.
Early system sales proceeding apace. Have shipped/installed systems for more than just generation 2-3
Prius… including Prius Prime, Lexus UX250h, Highlander hybrid, Rav4 hybrid, and more. All are using the
same PlugOut v4 systems, confirming the broad compatibility of the single design.

I notice 5kW and 3kw car battery to 120vac inverters ... need to look closer. might be 240vac ... think this guy and project are worth watching ...
 
Here I am going to take this thread even further off-course.. :) I just configured my Motorhome to be able to power my house in an emergency. (if we aren't traveling of course) Turns out my Magnum PSW Inverter is UL approved to power a home so I just finished rewiring it to power an L14-30R mounted up out of the way in the coach so the cord allows the bay door to close. And I purchased 100' of 10 AWG SOOW cord and installed the plugs to allow it to connect directly into my Generator Inlet port. (I sold the genny last year). My Inverter can only do 23 amps so it can run most things in the house but not all. And it doesn't put out 240v so running my electric oven won't happen. Its the only thing in the house that uses 240v and its rarely ever used anyway.

I have about 8 KWh of lifepo battery with 1.3kw solar on the roof and have just purchased 400 more watts of panels to replace my 200w solar suitcase this week. (new project) I figure my solar can do most of the work, but I have at 7500w Quiet Diesel with a 150 gallon tank just in case as a backup power source is needed. ( 112 usable by the genny) That gives me a little over 9 days of 24/7 genny runtime or about 2 months running it 4 hours a night. Now I just need to work on installing an Auto Gen Start module that could run it in the middle of the night if battery charging is needed.

But what I really want, like the OP wrote, is a way to use a 24~30KWH Leaf Battery as backup power. Or a Tesla large battery pack. -Bill
 
Some people do this with their chevy volts or nissan leafs (one company even makes wiring kits to make it easy to tap into https://www.evextend.com/Emergency-Power-Kit.php). I have a volt as well as a chevy spark ev and according to what people on the internet say I should be fine pulling around 1500 watts or so continuously (at 12 volts) if I pull it directly from the "dc bus" that goes from the 12v accessory battery <-> dc/dc converter from the main traction battery. I have yet to try it myself since 1) i'd need some pretty thick cables to make sure things don't heat up too much under the hood and 2) I'd prefer not to have an expensive paperweight. When they get a little older if anything goes sideways with them I'll be looking forward to making them my experiment cars.
I did this to our Gen 2 Volt in 2019.

Ran a pair of short 2AWG cables from the 12V accessory battery in the trunk to an Anderson plug that connects to a 1500W pure sine wave inverter.

In theory, the DC-DC converter uses the Volt's 18.4KW battery to keep the 12V accessory battery charged and power the inverter.

After the 18.4KW battery drains, the ICE will automatically start up and keep the inverter operating until the gas tank runs dry.

This is the backup to the backup portable gasoline generator, for running the fridges and pellet stove if the power goes out, and not something I plan to use on a regular basis. Since I had an 18.4KW battery with a 150HP attached generator, I thought I might as well have that asset available if needed.

What it has been very useful for, however, is running power tools and lighting in an off-grid shed I have at a different location!

<I should note that the interwebs say the Volt DC-DC converter should not be used for long periods above 1000W. I don't plan to do so, but wanted the extra surge capacity.>
 
https://www.evextend.com/Emergency-Power-Kit.php). RE: according to what people on the internet say I should be fine pulling around 1500 watts or so continuously (at 12 volts) if I pull it directly from the "dc bus" that goes from the 12v accessory battery <-> dc/dc converter from the main traction battery.
Interesting to see options: I notice the 3kW and 5kW (listed for $2790) options from https://www.plugoutpower.com/ ... is more expensive than an option accomplished via direct connection to an EV's main battery: described at plugoutpower as "The PlugOut inverter connects to the car’s [HV] traction battery and produces 240/120v 60hz AC pure sine wave power for most appliances, and 24v or 48v DC power for charging solar batteries. A simple cable gets installed onto the car’s battery and is available for connection to the inverter whenever and wherever it is needed"

I would imagine it easier to go 12v dc to 120vac via an Inverter from an EV's 12v accessory bar, and that would be limited to that bars max watt specifications; PLUS a DIYer could likely make a DIY project work via the 12v bus bar converter. ... I notice plugoutpower is currently dialed in to work on certain Toyota and Lexus vehicles ( as listed here: https://a7e653be-f6ac-4924-9510-ae8...d/b354c0_d01796c291c74fc395d4042f1f134953.pdf ) , and not yet Tesla models.

I notice plugoutpower's description: "The 5kw PlugOut v4 is a high voltage inverter kit that connects to any supported vehicle and outputs 120/240v AC power for appliances and optionally can attach to solar 48vDC batteries to keep up charge; and the 3kW version can attach to solar 24vDC batteries. This is how that option is described on plugoutpower's updated website: " PlugOut can affect that decision by offering semi-automated refills of the battery when they go low, at a much better cost, hassle and noise level than mechanical generators. When the solar battery goes low, the Plug-Out car can provide fill-in energy to keep the solar battery from fully discharging. "

Wow: I am gona keep an eye on this company
with the idea an EV or two (thinking car and a motorcycle) is in my futures :+) ... while thinking that integrating an EV's main battery to a home Solar system's battery bank as a part time link, would be an awesome option; one I like to someday figure out :+)

PlugOutPower2 [640x480].jpgPlugOutPower1 [640x480].jpgAttached: a couple of pictures from Plugoutpower's updated website:
 
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Interesting to see options: I notice the 3kW and 5kW (listed for $2790) options from https://www.plugoutpower.com/ ... is more expensive than an option accomplished via direct connection to an EV's main battery: described at plugoutpower as "The PlugOut inverter connects to the car’s [HV] traction battery and produces 240/120v 60hz AC pure sine wave power for most appliances, and 24v or 48v DC power for charging solar batteries. A simple cable gets installed onto the car’s battery and is available for connection to the inverter whenever and wherever it is needed"

I would imagine it easier to go 12v dc to 120vac via an Inverter from an EV's 12v accessory bar, and that would be limited to that bars max watt specifications; PLUS a DIYer could likely make a DIY project work via the 12v bus bar converter. ... I notice plugoutpower is currently dialed in to work on certain Toyota and Lexus vehicles ( as listed here: https://a7e653be-f6ac-4924-9510-ae8...d/b354c0_d01796c291c74fc395d4042f1f134953.pdf ) , and not yet Tesla models.

I notice plugoutpower's description: "The 5kw PlugOut v4 is a high voltage inverter kit that connects to any supported vehicle and outputs 120/240v AC power for appliances and optionally can attach to solar 48vDC batteries to keep up charge; and the 3kW version can attach to solar 24vDC batteries. This is how that option is described on plugoutpower's updated website: " PlugOut can affect that decision by offering semi-automated refills of the battery when they go low, at a much better cost, hassle and noise level than mechanical generators. When the solar battery goes low, the Plug-Out car can provide fill-in energy to keep the solar battery from fully discharging. "

Wow: I am gona keep an eye on this company
with the idea an EV or two (thinking car and a motorcycle) is in my futures :+) ... while thinking that integrating an EV's main battery to a home Solar system's battery bank as a part time link, would be an awesome option; one I like to someday figure out :+)

View attachment 35195View attachment 35196Attached: a couple of pictures from Plugoutpower's updated website:
Just want to share part of an email I got for a PlugOut Power Discount, ... in case somebody might be interested: PlugOut Power offers $200 off our PlugOut inverters! Start getting power out from your car! Sale good through 16 February 2021. Just go to the website [plugoutpower.com] and, when ordering, enter the coupon 'pres2021' in the coupon field to claim your discount. ... Sharing without any involvement w company, as just an admirer of what they are putting on the market :+)
 
I just ran into this same article looking to understand whether I could use an EV to increase energy storage for my home.

‘Below the 30-amp plug are four regular 120-volt outlets, and each pair of these is a 20-amp circuit rated for 2400 watts.’

‘Because if you're buying an F-150 Hybrid, the 7200-watt Pro Power Onboard is a $750 option. (The 2400 watt output, with two outlets, is standard.)’

So with a F-150 Hybrid sitting in my garage, I can charge the battery during the day when I’ve got solar energy to burn and then at night when I’m trying to power my house off of battery power to avoid importing from the grid, I can run a pair of 10A chargers from the F-150s 2 120V outlets.

Each charger will consume ~320W while pumping ~288Wh per hour into my battery, so draining the F-150s battery at under 750W (assuming inverter efficiency of at least 85) I’m able to supply 576W into my battery translating to more than the 440W I need to run overnight power loads.

There is obviously some significant loss of efficiency converting EV DC energy to 120VAC to charge a 24VDC LiFePO4 battery which will power a 240V split-phase hybrid inverter, but I’ve got power to burn during daylight hours and it is storing that power while it’s available to be used overnight after the sun has gone down that is my biggest challage.

The Ford F-150’s integrated 120V outlets allow me to have an AC-coupled island to boost the main houses’s 24V LiFePO4 battery overnight and even over several days with ease.

Are there any other EVs out there with similar ~1kW AC capability from main EV battery as a standard feature?
 
Just some notes on this subject:
  1. EVs using the Chademo charging plug can output power, not only charge. The Chademo was actually designed for this. That's why there are special inverters for this, such as for the Nissan Leaf, and some Hondas.
  2. EVs using the more modern CCS 1 or 2 charging plugs cannot output power through the plug (at least not designed to). There is a CCS3 charging protocol that's in the works, that will supposedly support V2G.
  3. As for connecting a 12v inverter to an EV's 12v system, I wouldn't do this with every EV! You could easily fry the onboard DC-DC converter. Some EVs have a fairly high power onboard DC-DC converter (1k watts or above), but not necessarily all of them do. So unless you are sure your EV can handle it, I would suggest you don't try it. Maybe 300-400w would be OK, but again, be careful.
 
Just some notes on this subject:
  1. EVs using the Chademo charging plug can output power, not only charge. The Chademo was actually designed for this. That's why there are special inverters for this, such as for the Nissan Leaf, and some Hondas.
Yes, I’ve seen that. Special inverters = $$$$ and the 120V output from the inverter integrated onto the F-150 Lightening sounds like a more universal and lower cost solution.
  1. EVs using the more modern CCS 1 or 2 charging plugs cannot output power through the plug (at least not designed to). There is a CCS3 charging protocol that's in the works, that will supposedly support V2G.
V2G isn’t really a priority for me as much as powering by house (recharging my house battery) from the EV.
  1. As for connecting a 12v inverter to an EV's 12v system, I wouldn't do this with every EV! You could easily fry the onboard DC-DC converter. Some EVs have a fairly high power onboard DC-DC converter (1k watts or above), but not necessarily all of them do. So unless you are sure your EV can handle it, I would suggest you don't try it. Maybe 300-400w would be OK, but again, be careful.

I don’t understand that to be what the F-150 Lightening has done. They have integrated a 120VAC inverter (or an upgraded 240VAC inverter) directly to the EV’s primary Lithium battery (not the 12V Lead Acid battery).

So it is off-grid AC-coupled power straight from the vehicle. You can use it to power a 120V (or 240V) island. Or you can use it to charge a battery with islanded chargers.

DC-to-AC-to-DC is not great for efficiency, but it is great for compatibility…
 
Just some notes on this subject:
  1. EVs using the Chademo charging plug can output power, not only charge. The Chademo was actually designed for this. That's why there are special inverters for this, such as for the Nissan Leaf, and some Hondas.
  2. EVs using the more modern CCS 1 or 2 charging plugs cannot output power through the plug (at least not designed to). There is a CCS3 charging protocol that's in the works, that will supposedly support V2G.
  3. As for connecting a 12v inverter to an EV's 12v system, I wouldn't do this with every EV! You could easily fry the onboard DC-DC converter. Some EVs have a fairly high power onboard DC-DC converter (1k watts or above), but not necessarily all of them do. So unless you are sure your EV can handle it, I would suggest you don't try it. Maybe 300-400w would be OK, but again, be careful.
I’ve been reading about the Ioniq 5 and it seems as though EVs with integrated inverters and AC out (V2L) are the trend we can expect going forward: https://www.google.com/amp/s/thedri...s-that-will-become-a-mobile-power-source/amp/

This means I will be able to use an EV like the Ioniq as an on-demand AC generator, easily allowing the EV to keep my DIY LiFePO4 powerwall topped-off or maintained just above empty until the sun comes up (with nothing but an extension cord and an AC LiFePO4 battery charger).

So the last piece of the puzzle I need to solve to have a full limited-import / limited-export grid-tied solution is to find a way to charge the EV during daylight hours using excess AC-coupled solar energy only.

I have found EV chargers with a range of settable current settings: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08CXGTR61/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_1?smid=A1D3Q99BQ5MR27&psc=1

So a very crude solution would be to limit EV charge current to some low value and close a relay to turn on the charger only when PV generation exceeds some threshold (ie: square wave around peak production hours).

Just to be clear what I am talking about:

EV charging is grid-tied powered by grid-tied AC solar power (ideally he excess power beyond that used to offset loads that otherwise would be getting exported for ever-decreasing NEM credits).

EV V2L output is a 120VAC or 240VAC independent ‘island’ coming out of the EV’s V/L port into an extension cord powering a 120VAC or 240VAC battery charger to maintain the primary house LiFePO4 battery as programmed.

So the EV is doing nothing more than playing the role that a gas generator otherwise would (recharge battery).

Since my overnight load averages 350W, I’d be able to get away with a 20A charger drawing 640W to charge my 24V LiFePO4.

The AC ‘island’ coming out of the EV’s V2L port has no connection to the homes grid-tied AC…

If anyone has any understanding of how EV chargers work, I’m interested in any thoughts as to how I can use excess AC energy only to recharge an EV…
 
I’ve been reading about the Ioniq 5 and it seems as though EVs with integrated inverters and AC out (V2L) are the trend we can expect going forward: https://www.google.com/amp/s/thedri...s-that-will-become-a-mobile-power-source/amp/

This means I will be able to use an EV like the Ioniq as an on-demand AC generator, easily allowing the EV to keep my DIY LiFePO4 powerwall topped-off or maintained just above empty until the sun comes up (with nothing but an extension cord and an AC LiFePO4 battery charger).

So the last piece of the puzzle I need to solve to have a full limited-import / limited-export grid-tied solution is to find a way to charge the EV during daylight hours using excess AC-coupled solar energy only.

I have found EV chargers with a range of settable current settings: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B08CXGTR61/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_1?smid=A1D3Q99BQ5MR27&psc=1

So a very crude solution would be to limit EV charge current to some low value and close a relay to turn on the charger only when PV generation exceeds some threshold (ie: square wave around peak production hours).

Just to be clear what I am talking about:

EV charging is grid-tied powered by grid-tied AC solar power (ideally he excess power beyond that used to offset loads that otherwise would be getting exported for ever-decreasing NEM credits).

EV V2L output is a 120VAC or 240VAC independent ‘island’ coming out of the EV’s V/L port into an extension cord powering a 120VAC or 240VAC battery charger to maintain the primary house LiFePO4 battery as programmed.

So the EV is doing nothing more than playing the role that a gas generator otherwise would (recharge battery).

Since my overnight load averages 350W, I’d be able to get away with a 20A charger drawing 640W to charge my 24V LiFePO4.

The AC ‘island’ coming out of the EV’s V2L port has no connection to the homes grid-tied AC…

If anyone has any understanding of how EV chargers work, I’m interested in any thoughts as to how I can use excess AC energy only to recharge an EV…
There are "solar aware" EV chargers out there.
One of them that I know of is popular in the UK: Zappy Charger

This charger will take as much energy possible from solar, then the rest from the AC grid.

But, I do have some doubts about your solution:
Even if you had an EV with an onboard AC inverter, it would be inefficient to hook it up to an AC-DC charger just to charge your batteries.
That's because an EV's high voltage battery is DC, then you go through the onboard DC-AC inverter, and then again back to DC from AC of the Lifepo4 charger.
Each "hop" has its inefficiencies, ranging anywhere from 5% to 25% loss.

There are other solutions to charge your Lifepo4's more efficiently from an EV, but they would require you to manually switch the car On and Off.
Another option would be to connect the Ioniq 5's (or other EV with AC output) AC output to a "critical loads" panel in your house, which could either be manually disconnected from the grid or automatically with an ATS of sorts. This will skip your Lifepo4's altogether, and just supply power to some critical loads when needed.

BTW, I you already have grid-tied solar, and you charge your EV during peak solar production hours, this energy will be consumed first, before exporting to the grid.
That's just how grid-tied works (except if you have some odd setup going on...)
 
There are "solar aware" EV chargers out there.
One of them that I know of is popular in the UK: Zappy Charger

This charger will take as much energy possible from solar, then the rest from the AC grid.
Thanks.

I’ve already got the capability to charge using all available solar power first and importing any insufficiency from the grid.

My goal is to find a way to avoid any import while also minimizing any export.

I think I can actually achieve that using y GTIL inverters and assuring that the EV charge power is always greater than available solar power. The remaining energy needed would be supplied from my LiFePO4 battery, so zero export and zero import.

It’s just very inefficient to do it that way so I’m hoping there is a better way.

But, I do have some doubts about your solution:
Even if you had an EV with an onboard AC inverter, it would be inefficient to hook it up to an AC-DC charger just to charge your batteries.
That's because an EV's high voltage battery is DC, then you go through the onboard DC-AC inverter, and then again back to DC from AC of the Lifepo4 charger.
Each "hop" has its inefficiencies, ranging anywhere from 5% to 25% loss.
For sure. The round-trip efficiency of what I am considering is lousy.

I figure that the AC-coupled solar power I’m exporting today charges an EV at ~85% efficiency.

Then when the EV inverters that power to AC, that another 90% efficiency “hop” getting to 76.5% net.

Then I’m using that energy to charge my 24V LiFePO4 battery with an AC charger, which is another 90% ‘hop’ bringing me down to 68.85% net.

Lastly, when my GTIL inverters such that battery energy out to offset consumption, that last ‘hip’ is at a p*ss-poor efficiency of 80%, meaning every 1kWh I did not export and instead used to offset consumption through this multi-hop path only offsets ~0.55kWh of consumption (55% efficiency).

That sounds pretty abysmal until you understand that California is on the verge of deciding to credit each 1kWh of solar export at only 0.2kWh of consumption.

So sending a kWh through that loop during the day to consume it offsetting loads at night values it at 275% of what I would get for it if I exported it to the grid…
There are other solutions to charge your Lifepo4's more efficiently from an EV, but they would require you to manually switch the car On and Off.
I’m interested to learn more, but I’m assuming the EV will always be on so that the V2L port is active.
Another option would be to connect the Ioniq 5's (or other EV with AC output) AC output to a "critical loads" panel in your house, which could either be manually disconnected from the grid or automatically with an ATS of sorts.
Yes, using the Ioniq to directly power loads is more efficient, but not worth the complexity. Now I’ve got an ‘island’ of house power that is not synced to the grid power powering other loads. Plus I’d need to wire in an ATS and critical loads panel.

Mixing true off-grid power with grid-tied power in the same house is a lot more complicated and expensive (and possibly dangerous) than just adding a bit more solar power to compensate for lost efficiency.

Using the Ioniq in the way you are describing during a power outage (switched-on manually) makes total sense and I might go that route rather than use the 3kW PSW inverter I have for that purpose, but I have no interest in rewiring my house to have an off-grid ‘island’ for everyday use (other than that extension chord powering a battery charger).

Solar panels and the solar power they generate are the least expensive variable in the equation.

The 5000KWh in annual power I generate now to cover my annual consumption may translate to a ‘gap’ of 2250KWh if I use that power in this way.

Today the utility forces me to purchase a minimum of 600KWh per year which is likely to increase to 1200kWh soon, so the ‘gap’ I’m facing is down to 1000 to 1600kWh.

I get about 1kW/W in annual production, so I’ll need another 1kW to 1.6kW of solar panels to close that gap at a cost of $400-640.

I can’t see any other option that gets me there for anywhere close to that budget (again, assuming the investment in a V2L-capable EV).
 
Interesting to see options: I notice the 3kW and 5kW (listed for $2790) options from https://www.plugoutpower.com/ ... is more expensive than an option accomplished via direct connection to an EV's main battery: described at plugoutpower as "The PlugOut inverter connects to the car’s [HV] traction battery and produces 240/120v 60hz AC pure sine wave power for most appliances, and 24v or 48v DC power for charging solar batteries. A simple cable gets installed onto the car’s battery and is available for connection to the inverter whenever and wherever it is needed"

I would imagine it easier to go 12v dc to 120vac via an Inverter from an EV's 12v accessory bar, and that would be limited to that bars max watt specifications; PLUS a DIYer could likely make a DIY project work via the 12v bus bar converter. ... I notice plugoutpower is currently dialed in to work on certain Toyota and Lexus vehicles ( as listed here: https://a7e653be-f6ac-4924-9510-ae8...d/b354c0_d01796c291c74fc395d4042f1f134953.pdf ) , and not yet Tesla models.

I notice plugoutpower's description: "The 5kw PlugOut v4 is a high voltage inverter kit that connects to any supported vehicle and outputs 120/240v AC power for appliances and optionally can attach to solar 48vDC batteries to keep up charge; and the 3kW version can attach to solar 24vDC batteries. This is how that option is described on plugoutpower's updated website: " PlugOut can affect that decision by offering semi-automated refills of the battery when they go low, at a much better cost, hassle and noise level than mechanical generators. When the solar battery goes low, the Plug-Out car can provide fill-in energy to keep the solar battery from fully discharging. "

Wow: I am gona keep an eye on this company
with the idea an EV or two (thinking car and a motorcycle) is in my futures :+) ... while thinking that integrating an EV's main battery to a home Solar system's battery bank as a part time link, would be an awesome option; one I like to someday figure out :+)

View attachment 35195View attachment 35196Attached: a couple of pictures from Plugoutpower's updated website:


Yeah, I've posted my story here before, but I did the same as this Plugout Power kit does that you had mentioned, for my 2018 Prius w/ lithium hybrid battery, using the home brew method, which in my case was to install an APC datacenter UPS (SURT6000XLT UPS inverter, and SURT003 center-tap transformer) in the trunk, it gets me around 5200-5500w (probably can surge a bit past 6000w)...

In the first pic, I just had the cover off the transformer that day, normally has the cover on it (as I had to take it off to glue something down inside the case that was making a rattling sound when I would go over bumps).

It can pretty much run all my tools with ease when I'm working at the storage unit, like small air compressor, chop saw, miter saw, drill press, etc, (except for my big 14.5a air compressor, just can't get it past the surge, it turns the motor a little before it trips the inverter)...

The little white Anderson connector on bottom right of picture is the cable running to the 209.2v nom DC volt hybrid traction battery (I just plug it in when the car is turned on, cold-start the inverter, then power is available). The car just starts up and shuts off the gas engine maybe every 10-15 minutes, unless I'm running full load it might start up a bit more often, never goes faster than idle-1200rpm, so it's a really quiet generator.

1639435908351.jpeg

1639436328582.jpeg


One night when I needed to trade cars at the storage unit and take my box truck out for 24 hours, I left the Prius in the storage unit and forgot to turn off the car (the engine was not running at the time when I left and shut the storage unit door). I came back the next day to trade cars and get the Prius back, realized it had been on still, it had been running periodically for the whole 24 hours, the cabin was all warmed up same like yesterday, it only burned 1/4 tank of gas in that 24 hours, the UPS wasn't turned on then, it would burn more if it had an electrical load on it...
 
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