[Doug88]

Albuquerque this morning is 34 degrees, freezing rain, winds gusting to 60 mph and no power since 0330. Just fired up the furnace using the 1500w outlet on our 2021 Highlander, it's sure nice to have heat! Once the house is warm we'll switch over to the coffee maker.

 

[pilotmass]

Albuquerque this morning is 34 degrees, freezing rain, winds gusting to 60 mph and no power since 0330. Just fired up the furnace using the 1500w outlet on our 2021 Highlander, it's sure nice to have heat! Once the house is warm we'll switch over to the coffee maker.

If the next gen Tundra comes with a 7kw set up like the F150 then you wont need to chose between coffee and heat.....

 

[Toy O Ta]

I'm interested in getting a hybrid for backup power, looking at Prius or Highlander. I currently drive an SUV so the Highlander is more appealing. There are tons of used Prius in the area for a good price but very few if any Highlanders. I have found a 2008 HiHy Limited (136,000 miles) for a good price. Would that still be a good vehicle for a few years?

 

[StatCoder]

First, you need to look into the condition of the battery which would be a make or break issue where are use hybrid of that age. Second, I don’t think it has an inverter so you would have to install one to use it for backup power.

 

[Toy O Ta]

First, you need to look into the condition of the battery which would be a make or break issue where are use hybrid that older. Second, I don’t think it has an inverter so you would have to fill install one that use it as backup power.

I have a 1200w inverter already for a small DIY 12v system. I will likely get another. How can I test the traction battery condition? It's a dealership sale.

 

[pilotmass]

Does the inverter equipped current generation use the hybrid battery to power the inverter? Does it recharge the battery by turning on the ICE to recharge it? I've seen the F150 system in action and that's what it does.

 

[Toyota.Man]

It is doable but I wouldn't use a $40+k car to do a job of a $500 generator.

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[StatCoder]

It is doable but I wouldn't use a $40+k car to do a job of a $500 generator.

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Point taken. During the freeze and power outage I actually did have a $500 generator which has never been used. Nobody knew how long the outage would last and I didn’t want to have to go through the process of draining and shutting down a generator that probably wouldn’t be used again for years.

More importantly, I couldn’t think of a good reason not to use the inverter in the Highlander. The gas engine cycles on and off just like it would taking a long trip. No miles are accumulating. From what I understand, a hybrid is more efficient and cleaner than a generator due to the emissions technology in the automobile vs the lawnmower engine in the portable generator. People I know who used a portable generator said that going out every 90 minutes in sub-zero weather to refill the tank got old pretty fast.

Plus, I had started this thread to explore the capabilities of the 1500W inverter for the times when a $500 generator isn’t available. Today, I was out at a state park riding my ebike and found I could get a full charge in about 90 minutes with a 4 amp charger.


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[Auldz]

This past weekend, my vehicle powered down completely after idling for exactly one hour. I don't know if that was a fluke or if that is an intended function. But running it all night continuously to generate power might not be an option.

It was an intended function. There are cases that I just leave the car "on" thinking I already turn it off. After an hour, it turns off by itself. If you want to keep it on idling while you are inside, press the lock function of the driver's door. It will not turn off.

 

[PriiNotPriuses]

2020 HiHy XLE here. Aside from a case of FOMO on the Limited/Platinum, I do a lot of work from the road and would rather have a built-in set up instead of a cigarette lighter inverter for laptop charging. I’m wondering if the 1500W outlet can be added onto the XLE with a little exploring of the wiring diagram and spending a few bucks in the Toyota parts catalog.

From what I’ve seen the base and upper trims all use the same hybrid inverter. Did Toyota use an auxiliary inverter for the 1500w outlet? If all trims have the same inverter, what else is required to upfit the OEM setup? Is it as simple as opening up the console and hooking up an outlet to the hidden wiring harness? Similar to adding the brake controller to wire in a tow package.

Does anyone have access to a detailed wiring diagram or the right parts diagram to show what the upper trims have that the lower trims need to add? Bonus points if you’ve done a side-by-side teardown of the different trims.

 

[StatCoder]

It’s a separate inverter from the one that generates alternating current for the motors. The hybrid battery is nothing to mess around with. Not with standing the danger of 200+ volts, you would also risk voiding 10 years of hybrid component warranties.

The 1500 W inverter is located in the right rear panel near the hybrid battery and the 12 V battery. There is a DC to DC converter that keeps the 12 V battery charged off the hybrid battery. You could pretty easily access the 12V source right from the battery but you would have to make sure your inverter is shut off when the ignition is off because, otherwise, the 12 V battery would drain pretty quickly.

 

[fj40ing]

The above applies to normal gas-engine cars.

In a hybrid, the electrical power from the high-voltage traction battery is stepped-down to around 14V by the car's DC to DC converter to charge the 12V battery and power the electrical system like the headlights. If the inverter is on or connected and drawing electricity then it powers that. Once the high-voltage traction battery runs down enough then the engine automatically starts and charges it for a number of minutes and then stops. How often this happens will depend on how much power is being drawn by the inverter and the size of the high-voltage battery in the hybrid. It's the same process that happens if you are parked in a hybrid with the AC on.

Hi, thanks for writing this out. I am digging in as when we traded our v6 highander 2019 in for a 2020 hybrid XLE the inverter we used to have went away. Just purchased the below inverter to see if it works. we are trying to use our hybrid as a generator if needed for camping, with light popup and mini minifridge (17" tall) draws i think 50 watts. so the thing i dont know is the following: WIth keyless entry do you need to leave this on and running to use the battery this way? if i couldnt do that i was planning on turning vehicle on but all systems off otherwise and removing keyless key while camping near vehicle in pop up. Anything i need ton consider here? i believe battery is in back right quarter panel to run inverter.

I also looked into part numbers from toyota to buy an OEM inverte setup to upgrade my XLE to have the Limited inverter option, and they said i could buy but likely wiring harness is different. any solid knowledge here? OEM is always preference if i can . See parts list here:

Part Number​	Part Name​	Price​	Quantity​	Total​
85530-48150-C0​	Socket Assembly Power O​	$45.14​	1​	$45.14​
8624A-48010​	Inverter Voltage​	$1,900.00​	1​	$1,900.00​
86247-48020​	Bracket Voltage Inv​	$24.57​	1​	$24.57​
86247-48010​	Bracket Voltage Inv​	$30.00​	1​	$30.00​
90080-17244​	Spoiler Nut​	$2.21​	7​	$15.47​
91551-80512​	Bolt Flange​	$1.03​	3​	$3.09​

Cheers -Max

Krieger 1500 Watts Power Inverter 12V to 110V, Modified Sine Wave Car Inverter,

 

[StatCoder]

If you’re going to draw from the 12V system which is the small battery, you definitely would need to leave the ignition on. The 12V battery is much smaller than the ones that are used to start a normal gas engine. It is not being charged by the hybrid battery if the vehicle is off. To keep the auto shutoff from turning the vehicle off after an hour, you would have to close the doors and use the manual key to lock it from the outside. I think you have to leave the fob in the vehicle or you will get a warning beep.

The OEM inverter draws from the hybrid battery so that would mean replacing or modifying the high-voltage connections - something I don’t think will be available to the DIYer.


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[Toy O Ta]

If you’re going to draw from the 12V system which is the small battery, you definitely would need to leave the ignition on. The 12V battery is much smaller than the ones that are used to start a normal gas engine. It is not being charged by the hybrid battery if the vehicle is off. To keep the auto shutoff from turning the vehicle off after an hour, you would have to close the doors and use the manual key to lock it from the outside. I think you have to leave the fob in the vehicle or you will get a warning beep.

Do you know if this mode works with the Lexus 450h also?

Power (ignition) switch - Driving procedures - When driving - Lexus RX 450H User Manual - Lexus RX - Lexus manuals

 

[CColl]

If you are just tapping off of the 12v system via the 12v battery (which I think is best as it doesn't mess with the hybrid powertrain), this mode will work with any vehicle, hybrid or non-hybrid. All vehicles that I am aware of have 12v systems, even Teslas.

The big benefits of this setup with Toyota Hybrids are 1) the 12v battery is in the back (for easy access) and 2) the inverter/converter assembly draws power from the high-voltage battery to power the 12v system when the car is on (in Ready Mode), so the engine only runs intermittently to charge the high-voltage battery.

I put in a plug to easily plug in a 1000w inverter. I will post pictures later, but the system is very similar to this method favored by Prius brothers and sisters.

 

[Toy O Ta]

If you are just tapping off of the 12v system via the 12v battery (which I think is best as it doesn't mess with the hybrid powertrain), this mode will work with any vehicle, hybrid or non-hybrid. All vehicles that I am aware of have 12v systems, even Teslas.

The big benefits of this setup with Toyota Hybrids are 1) the 12v battery is in the back (for easy access) and 2) the inverter/converter assembly draws power from the high-voltage battery to power the 12v system when the car is on (in Ready Mode), so the engine only runs intermittently to charge the high-voltage battery.

I put in a plug to easily plug in a 1000w inverter. I will post pictures later, but the system is very similar to this method favored by Prius brothers and sisters.

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I was referring to the "Ready" mode of the hybrid vehicle. Being able to lock the vehicle and have it maintain the 12v battery charge from the traction battery automatically.

 

[Toolbelt]

We have a 2020 HiHy and just used it to keep our fridge cold during a 40 hour power outage. We would only run it every couple of hours. Worked great.

 

[CColl]

I used 2 gauge cable to keep the amperage up with an 80amp fuse. There is a 100 amp fuse in the fuse box under the hood, but this 80amp one is much cheaper to replace.

2020 Highlander Hybrid XLE

 

[StatCoder]

Testing of portable power banks by the NY Times. Lots of info about powering electronics and appliances.

Having a 1500W inverter available in your hybrid for home backup or on-the-road use is definitely preferable to even the best of these popular portable power banks as none of these will effectively power a refrigerator, portable AC, or anything with a heating element like a space heater. Also, you are looking at hours of backup power, not days.

The Best Portable Power Station

We’ve spent 73 hours testing 16 portable power stations, and the Jackery Explorer 1000 is the best option for going off the grid or prepping for an emergency.

www.nytimes.com

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[Lundy]

deleted.