Maintenance & Restoration

Raspy · 11-07-2018, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

It's obvious to me that using solar to power the trailer is better for the environment than using carbon based fuel to run a generator for electricity.

One of my best friends owns a Prius.

I agree. As long as you can provide the required amps. Who wants to bring an extra Prius along just to charge batteries? The Prius chargers are more for home emergency use. Besides they don't come with a pocket clip, so you need to remember where they are.

Since I don't have my solar completed yet, I charge my trailer batteries with jumper cables from my TV and idle the truck for a bit every other day on average. It works better than a small generator.

It's generally agreed that the Prius is not adequate for towing. So, I wonder if one could mount a Prius on the tongue of a scamp and throw away the house batteries? It wouldn't become the TV, but it would replace the Honda generator as well as the batteries, and be quieter than the generator with higher output. You could even go sit in it and run the AC. Instead of a normal tongue box, the Prius would have lots of storage. Now we're getting somewhere!

Glenn Baglo · 11-08-2018, 12:29 AM

That's along the lines of what I was thinking, however, I'd get rid of the trailer and just tow a Prius with the Highlander. I'm assuming the Prius has reclining seats and cup holders. Probably has AV as well.

Raspy · 11-08-2018, 12:56 AM

The Prius also has handy wheels for towing it around. Although they are not trailer tires, so, who knows about the safety issue?

Do we need to consider a WDH, or anti-sway device? Remember too, when removing it from the Scamp tongue, you have to turn it 90 degrees to tow it. Towing it sideways would be very unstable.

There have even been some rumors, although it seems far fetched, that once at the campsite is all set up, the Prius can be used to run errands and leave the TV behind. Not sure how this would work.

Glenn Baglo · 11-08-2018, 01:04 AM

I'm now sufficiently wound.

Tom 72 · 11-08-2018, 05:59 AM

I'll bite. So here's an article about buying an ebike to take the place of a first or second car.

Of course, boondocking you'd still need the Prius to recharge the bike's battery. Mount the Prius on the Scamp's tongue, the heavy bike on the back.

Seriously, my experience is that it would be viable for many situations. Perhaps not this one.

https://blog.radpowerbikes.com/ebike...y-the-numbers?

Gompka · 11-08-2018, 09:06 AM

This will probably not work, hybrid systems are high voltage there is 200+ volts coming out of those batteries and the motors are most likely running at 500 or so volts. There are also a lot of inbuilt safety features and I am pretty sure you can not tap into the system without it complaining and throwing codes.

Raspy · 11-08-2018, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gompka

This will probably not work, hybrid systems are high voltage there is 200+ volts coming out of those batteries and the motors are most likely running at 500 or so volts. There are also a lot of inbuilt safety features and I am pretty sure you can not tap into the system without it complaining and throwing codes.

This may be an advantage while boondocking. Think how fast you could charge a 12 volt battery with 500 volts! When mounting the Prius on the Scamp tongue, be sure to put the drivers door forward. You could even set it over the tongue jack and work the jack from inside the car. Good for bad weather.

Have we gone too far yet?

Gompka · 11-08-2018, 11:31 AM

It never hurts to dream, Wayne may have just thought that his hybrid has a bunch of batteries in it, so why not tap into them for boondocking. I have thought about putting together my own 12v lithium ion battery form 18650 cells, diy tesla powerwall type devices are all the rage on the internet as of late. They even make solderless 18650 modules, granted i don't know how well they would do with all of the vibration a camper experiences over time.

Alex Adams · 11-08-2018, 11:45 AM

I remember there being some articles about being able to use a hybrid or fuel cell vehicle for backup power. I found the following article about Honda's solution which can be bought now:
https://evobsession.com/use-your-ele...ower-exporter/

I know there has been a lot of proposals to make fuel cell, hybrid and EV vehicles part of the "smart grid" so power from these vehicles can be fed into the grid when needed.

CarlD · 11-08-2018, 12:10 PM

Alex,

Interesting article. Seems like Toyota could benefit from a similar item. There is no reason it can't be done and at a price comparable to existing inverters that run on 12 volt. It should actually be less expensive and higher efficiency due to the reduced current levels and operation at higher voltage levels.