Posted by Elmo P. Shagnasty on December 31, 2008, 10:13 pm
In article
> But would a regular car just hook an inverter to the 12v battery?
Yes.
Trust me, the Prius is a regular car. There's a system inside the
manages the gasoline energy better than anything that's been used
before, but to the outside world it's a regular car.
There's no difference in how an inverter hooks to a 12v battery, whether
that battery is in the Prius, in an F150, or sitting on the ground.
Posted by ransley on December 31, 2008, 2:33 pm
> Michelle Steiner wrote:
> > In article
> >> Do you hook up an inverter to the 12v battery,
> > No, you hook it up to the high-voltage traction battery.
> I'd like to know what sort of inverter you connect to the HV traction
> battery, and how well that works out.
> We experience periodic power outages, so I keep a 2.5kW generator with a
> few days of stabilized fuel.
> However, in my '04 I've installed a much larger 12V battery, plus a
> permanent 1.4kW inverter and a switched circuit. There's a permanent
> 120VAC three-conductor plug as well, and I keep an extension cord handy.
> When traveling, that arrangement supports various electrical appliances
> and chargers.
> It's been valuable at home many times in the past five years. When we
> lost power last month, I drove to a needy friend's and plugged in to get
> some of his electrical stuff functioning - very satisfactory.
Right an inverter for 201 dc to 120ac wouldnt be cheap. Great idea
setting a larger battery and wiring it up permanently. Without airflow
of a moving car how do you monitor heat build up. I would worry a non
moving car could overheat the generator. I have an IR thermometer ive
use to check small air cooled motors and equipment.
Posted by Elmo P. Shagnasty on December 30, 2008, 7:21 pm
In article
> > That's not a sentence in English. ????
>
> Do you hook up an inverter to the 12v battery, is it safe to run an
> inverter to power other things.
Usually.
Posted by Peter Granzeau on December 30, 2008, 7:44 pm
I have changed "motor" to "engine" to make it clear you are speaking of
the internal combustion engine, not one of the two motor generators.
On Tue, 30 Dec 2008 06:23:44 -0800 (PST), ransley
>Ive read about folks using the car with an inverter to power apliances
>during blackouts, im not interested in warranty issues just a few
>facts on operation, I dont own one but am curious.
> Does the 12v lead battery start the engine,
No. the 12V battery is used to power all the auxiliaries and computers,
and is kept charged via the 201V traction battery. The 201V traction
battery is used to start the engine.
> Does the traction battery tell the engine when to start because it is
>low.
Still no.
> If a load is on the 12v lead battery does the traction battery keep
>it charged when engine is off
No. The 12V battery can run down if you leave lights on (for instance),
and since it is a small batter, much more quickly than a 12V battery
would run down in a conventional automobile.
> Why have a 12 v lead battery
To power computers, heater fans, radio, clock, lights, and all of the
other items normal to an automobile other than the hybrid system itself.
> Can a 1000w inverter be used safely but only pulling 500 watts
Damifino.
> Is cooling components an issue in winter or summer if not driving.
What components?
> The Auto starts when ON if traction battery is low, and engine shut
>off.
This isn't even a question. If the 12V battery has power, the auto
turns on. If the traction battery is so low that it can't start the
engine, the auto won't move If there's enough power to start the
engine, it will recharge the traction battery. The traction battery is
always kept with at least a partial charge, so the conditions of your
statement will never occur.
> Can power, kwh produced be monitored- recorded by the car if
>generating for an inverter.
It's not built into the car, but surely a good electronics person could
build something--or maybe some third party product will do it. Anyway,
it's not built into the car.
> Do many use the car for emergency power
It has been done, and evidently, the Prius can typically handle about
1.7 kwh when properly set up.
> Can it be done safely by someone with experiance with generators,
>transfer panels and AC power
Probably. There are a couple of online sites that explain it all.
Google is your friend; use it.
> What are logical drawbacks and limitations
You don't get to use your car while it's being used to provide 110V AC.
You probably won't be able to cook, or even use your microwave
(depending on the microwave's power draw, of course). You won't want to
use a hair dryer. None of the 220V appliances in your home can be
powered. Probably the limit is a few lights and the refrigerator.
Posted by ransley on December 31, 2008, 2:35 pm
> I have changed "motor" to "engine" to make it clear you are speaking of
> the internal combustion engine, not one of the two motor generators.
> On Tue, 30 Dec 2008 06:23:44 -0800 (PST), ransley
> >Ive read about folks using the car with an inverter to power apliances
> >during blackouts, im not interested in warranty issues just a few
> >facts on operation, I dont own one but am curious.
> > Does the 12v lead battery start the engine,
> No. the 12V battery is used to power all the auxiliaries and computers,
> and is kept charged via the 201V traction battery. The 201V traction
> battery is used to start the engine.
> > Does the traction battery tell the engine when to start because it is
> >low.
> Still no.
> > If a load is on the 12v lead battery does the traction battery keep
> >it charged when engine is off
> No. The 12V battery can run down if you leave lights on (for instance),
> and since it is a small batter, much more quickly than a 12V battery
> would run down in a conventional automobile.
> > Why have a 12 v lead battery
> To power computers, heater fans, radio, clock, lights, and all of the
> other items normal to an automobile other than the hybrid system itself.
> > Can a 1000w inverter be used safely but only pulling 500 watts
> Damifino.
> > Is cooling components an issue in winter or summer if not driving.
> What components?
> > The Auto starts when ON if traction battery is low, and engine shut
> >off.
> This isn't even a question. If the 12V battery has power, the auto
> turns on. If the traction battery is so low that it can't start the
> engine, the auto won't move If there's enough power to start the
> engine, it will recharge the traction battery. The traction battery is
> always kept with at least a partial charge, so the conditions of your
> statement will never occur.
> > Can power, kwh produced be monitored- recorded by the car if
> >generating for an inverter.
> It's not built into the car, but surely a good electronics person could
> build something--or maybe some third party product will do it. Anyway,
> it's not built into the car.
> > Do many use the car for emergency power
> It has been done, and evidently, the Prius can typically handle about
> 1.7 kwh when properly set up.
> > Can it be done safely by someone with experiance with generators,
> >transfer panels and AC power
> Probably. There are a couple of online sites that explain it all.
> Google is your friend; use it.
> > What are logical drawbacks and limitations
> You don't get to use your car while it's being used to provide 110V AC.
> You probably won't be able to cook, or even use your microwave
> (depending on the microwave's power draw, of course). You won't want to
> use a hair dryer. None of the 220V appliances in your home can be
> powered. Probably the limit is a few lights and the refrigerator.
You say the 12v will run down, others say it wont and the traction
battery keep it up, logicaly it is kept charged by the traction
battery as others use the inverter on it.
Yes.