Prius Power

“I want to die in my sleep like my grandfather... Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car.” - Will Shriner (American Comedian)

From Prius Powers Home During Ice Storm,

A Massachusetts [electrical engineer] - faced with no power in the recent ice storm, powered up the family Prius to create electricity: The hybrid car made enough electricity to run the essentials; the fridge, the lights, the TV, the wood-stove fan. During the power outage, it supplied 17 Kilowatt hours of energy to his home for three days. ...

He dug up an inverter which made 120v AC from 12v DC current and he wired it into the hybrid electric Prius. [These inverters are available for about $100 many places online.]

Further details can be found at Ice storm tests mettle of Harvard residents. The three days used roughly five gallons of gas. The device allowed the engine to run every half hour, automatically
charging the car battery and indirectly supplying the required power.

Bottom Line

This is a very clever way to have backup electrical power. If you own a Prius consider buying the converter and instructions for installing it.