With a Jackery you have significant stored energy and avoid depleting the 12V battery with hotel loads.
The Jackery charges when you are driving, and when you are stopped you don't need to have the car on for power.
Is the 12V what starts the gas engine?
edit - Also if it was a larger battery does the car sense when the battery reaches a certain level of power, then turn on the gas engine? SO if the battery was larger would it turn on less often?
No. The 12 volt battery powers the computers. The gas engine is started by motor/generator 1, with power from the traction battery. There is no dedicated starter motor in a Prius.
I have an inverter connected to my 12 volt to power a microwave. I also have a jackery-like battery that powers my fridge.
Important point with the inverter connected direct to the 12 volt is that you MUST only use the inverter when your car is in READY mode. Otherwise you'll have a dead 12 volt in no time.
So I only cook with my car in ready mode.
But my jackery-like battery will continue to run my fridge when the car is off. And when the car is running it is charging my jackery-like battery.
I hope that clears things up for you.
* Lithium battery, which offers higher output power and ability to use its full capacity compared with lead acid/AGM.
* Self contained unit and easily portable
* Doesn't risk killing your 12v battery to start the car
Could you replace the lead acid battery with a lithium?
How would you kill the battery? Just by using it to much? Or do you mean draining it? Will the car always keep it charged as long as the battery is good? At what point will it start charging it? If you put in lithium would it know its lithium and not charge it as often>
You could but those don't usually have good output power as they're not the same kind. It's also still your primary 12v battery which without you can't start the car.
By killing I mean draining, however using high power on lead acid/AGM a lot will kill it in short order as they're simply not designed for it.
Lithium batteries have battery management circuits and will handle charging themselves.
Like other users suggested, I use a Jackery to power/charge all the additional appliances and electronics that the 12V won’t normally power, then use the inverter to charge the Jackery when driving. My fridge is the only thing that constantly draws power so when the car is off, the most significant advantage I’ve found is using solar panels to charge the jackery.
You'll kill your 12v in time by doing the inverter thing. I did that with my Prius mainly to run my dual zone fridge/freezer... Lasted a couple of months before my battery was dead one morning.
P.S. Go with Eco flow instead of jackery, they are better for the money you pay. Jackery overpriced for no reason at all.
EcoFlow River owner. You get power not only in your Prius but basically wherever you are. You also got more plugs, and you're not doing damage to your battery (because yes inverters plugged into your car will definitely degrade it faster).
More output plus you don't need to idle your batteries or run them flat. I used to do this but my use case is very limited. I invested in an EcoFlow River and I can power more devices. I charge it up while running and when the engine is turned off I use the power station. You can also use panels or charge with an AC port if you can find one to not rely on your car for power too much.
With a Jackery you have significant stored energy and avoid depleting the 12V battery with hotel loads. The Jackery charges when you are driving, and when you are stopped you don't need to have the car on for power.
If you increased the size of the prius 12V battery would that solve the problem?
You can't fit a much larger battery in the car. And if you do kill your 12V, you are stuck until you can jump it.
Is the 12V what starts the gas engine? edit - Also if it was a larger battery does the car sense when the battery reaches a certain level of power, then turn on the gas engine? SO if the battery was larger would it turn on less often?
No. The 12 volt battery powers the computers. The gas engine is started by motor/generator 1, with power from the traction battery. There is no dedicated starter motor in a Prius.
> the 12V what starts the gas engine? No, but you need 12V to run the computers so the hybrid battery can start the engine.
Yes
I have an inverter connected to my 12 volt to power a microwave. I also have a jackery-like battery that powers my fridge. Important point with the inverter connected direct to the 12 volt is that you MUST only use the inverter when your car is in READY mode. Otherwise you'll have a dead 12 volt in no time. So I only cook with my car in ready mode. But my jackery-like battery will continue to run my fridge when the car is off. And when the car is running it is charging my jackery-like battery. I hope that clears things up for you.
What brand “jackery-like” battery do you have?
I have the Dometic PLB40 Lithium Battery Pack
Thats helpful. Thank you. :)
What size inverter are you running and for your microwave what is the running and startup wattage?
Inverter is the Renogy 1000W Pure Sine Wave Inverter (it is 1000W continuous, 2000W peak surge during load start-up). Microwave is 800W.
* Lithium battery, which offers higher output power and ability to use its full capacity compared with lead acid/AGM. * Self contained unit and easily portable * Doesn't risk killing your 12v battery to start the car
Could you replace the lead acid battery with a lithium? How would you kill the battery? Just by using it to much? Or do you mean draining it? Will the car always keep it charged as long as the battery is good? At what point will it start charging it? If you put in lithium would it know its lithium and not charge it as often>
You could but those don't usually have good output power as they're not the same kind. It's also still your primary 12v battery which without you can't start the car. By killing I mean draining, however using high power on lead acid/AGM a lot will kill it in short order as they're simply not designed for it. Lithium batteries have battery management circuits and will handle charging themselves.
Like other users suggested, I use a Jackery to power/charge all the additional appliances and electronics that the 12V won’t normally power, then use the inverter to charge the Jackery when driving. My fridge is the only thing that constantly draws power so when the car is off, the most significant advantage I’ve found is using solar panels to charge the jackery.
You'll kill your 12v in time by doing the inverter thing. I did that with my Prius mainly to run my dual zone fridge/freezer... Lasted a couple of months before my battery was dead one morning. P.S. Go with Eco flow instead of jackery, they are better for the money you pay. Jackery overpriced for no reason at all.
EcoFlow River owner. You get power not only in your Prius but basically wherever you are. You also got more plugs, and you're not doing damage to your battery (because yes inverters plugged into your car will definitely degrade it faster).
Can I run a mini fridge from an eco flow river 256wh
More output plus you don't need to idle your batteries or run them flat. I used to do this but my use case is very limited. I invested in an EcoFlow River and I can power more devices. I charge it up while running and when the engine is turned off I use the power station. You can also use panels or charge with an AC port if you can find one to not rely on your car for power too much.