Can a Toyota Rav4 Prime Power Your House???

I test to see what it takes to turn your 2021 Toyota Rav4 Prime Plug in Hybrid into a home generator. Can it provide enough electricity to power your house? Kinda... In this video I talk about what it would take to properly turn your plug in vehicle into a whole home generator that will power your house for weeks.
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[@pilot1226]

The XSE with Tech Package has a 1500 W inverter in the back. I suppose you could directly use this for a few LED lights or use it for a refrigerator if you lost power?

[@JamesKlafehn]

I love that you left a comment but I can tell you havent watched the video yet. haha

[@pilot1226]

James Klafehn lol. I did watch but am trying to help my kids with virtual school so my attention wasn’t 100% there 😂 guilty!

[@JamesKlafehn]

pilot1226 good! Happy you are doing that instead of paying attention to me. 😁 my son will be three in December. Thank God I don’t have to teach him. All he would be talking about would be electrical stuff and my wife wouldn’t like that LOL

[@pilot1226]

Hey, it’s a “life skill” right? I just taught my 9 year old networking to improve our quality of internet here lol.

[@JamesKlafehn]

pilot1226 haha that’s awesome.

[@Hildepedia]

I’ve done this (kinda) with my Chevy Volt during hurricane power outage. I was able to run two refrigerators, a medium sized LED TV, modem router, and a couple of LED lights for around 16 hours With the car parked in my garage. I monitored my high voltage battery level on the car… And when it got very low, I would unplug the extension cord running into my house, pull car out of garage, and I was able to use the engine to charge it up to 60% in “mountain mode “ in only 15 minutes!! That gave me enough juice to run for another 8 to 10 hours before repeating. Obviously no air-conditioning, but it was very very helpful! Can’t wait till VTG is more of a reality for all.

[@JamesKlafehn]

Very cool! Im glad Im not the only one into this stuff.

[@Erik-jp7kk]

Great video! I was looking into the Rav4’s stock 1500w inverter in the Prime W/tech package but the manual says it does not work well with anything with a microprocessor, a timer, or and devise that needs extremely stable power so it sounds like toyota is using a modified sine wave inverter. I wonder if it’s possible to swap it for a pure sine inverter 1500w or maybe more 🤔

[@billsenn3335]

Thanks for the inspiration! Instead of buying a portable gas generator to power my camping trailer, I bought a 1500 watt 12v DC to 120v AC inverter and connected it to my RAV4 Prime’s 12v battery. I only need to power the trailer’s 6000 BTU AC, it’s built-in 900 watt microwave oven, and a few AC plugs. 1500 watts should be plenty as long as I don’t run the AC and Microwave simultaneously. Tested it out and so far - so good. The RAV4 HV inverter keeps the 12V battery charged as long as the RAV4 is in ‘Ready’ mode. I have a Prime SE, so it did not come with a built-in 1500 watt 120 AC plug in the back. I figure that my setup will not cause harm, since it is basically mimicking what comes standard on the XSE.

[@ParkRoadGuy]

Interesting. I'm hoping to use this to charge my campers lithium battery bank via a 50 amp DC-DC charger (which i also use for solar). Will this work?

[@ericfournier5723]

I James, does it work in "My Room Mode" to keep the lights off in offgrid camping?

[@iansilver-ramp595]

How much of an efficiency hit do we take by going through the 12v and not the 350v battery? I'm looking to have a backup power supply for my camper (a foamie sorta like yours) and I only would want to have

[@batymahn]

So I'm an Uber driver so more and more EVs are sitting around waiting at the airport, without a charging station (where I am). I would be interested in charging EVs while I wait, for money, rather than sitting around -- lol...

[@batymahn]

OMG, thanks James. I have a 2018 Honda Clarity plug-in hybrid. I have thinking about doing this myself.

[@batymahn]

So can us plug-in hybrid owners theoretically charge a Tesla? How much $ 😝

[@wphubert]

Wow, would never guess the HV to 12vdc convertor would be so large. Could this be that the HVAC, power steering, coolant pumps and fans are all working on 12vdc? We have used a inverter in a marine application of appx 400 vdc which outputted 3 phase 220 Vac. Cost was appx $1,500.

[@FL-gg4dq]

Does this damage the 12v battery ??

[@davidhorning4106]

Another video from "the car care nut" says the Prime does not have an alternator and the 12V battery is charged by the main battery pack. That would seem to indicate that you would not need to keep the car running if the main pack is fully charged (at least for awhile) the Main pack is 18 Kwh

[@2mYgR]

It doesn't have an alternator because there isn't an engine to spin it; the DC/DC converter acts as an alternator in this case. When the car is running, the DC/DC converter will convert 400V DC to around 13.5V DC for the purpose of charging the 12V battery. If the car is not turned on, the contactors are open between the main battery and the DC/DC converter, so no power enters the 12V battery from the main battery. This is what he meant when he said the 12V battery would run down very quickly if the car was not 'on'. I hope this helps.

[@ParkRoadGuy]

@@2mYgR Interesting. I'm hoping to use this to charge my campers lithium battery bank via a 50 amp DC-DC charger (which i also use for solar). Will this work?

[@happyhsu140]

Not bad video I hope you didn't return the inverter cause it seems very useful. I have rav 4 and I did what you did and installed a 2k watt 4k peak 900 watt air fryer no problem. Keep pumping out videos tks.

[@juns135]

How did you connect to the subpanel? You turned one of the breakers off and plugged in power through it? And that will power the entire subpanel? Thanks!

[@ParkRoadGuy]

When you say 'the car is running' does this mean the ICE is on or just that the car is in 'ready mode'?

[@superlight47]

Nice James, But here is my question. If you were able to get the RAV4 XSE Prime that you originally wanted, and the fact that it has a 120 VAC outlet in the cargo compartment, would it not have been easier to use it to power in house? I never had plan of owning a house in NY, not until a few months ago, but when I do I want to be in the countryside and produce my own power, but I do not want to depend on Solar only, I want a hybrid system that can also use a small wind generator to recharge batteries when/if the is no sun light.

[@JamesKlafehn]

My goal was to be independent too. You could watch my solar playlists if you wanted. Wind is very expensive and heavily regulated FYI

[@superlight47]

@@JamesKlafehn OK will look for them a watch them, But as for wind system I did not know they were expensive and heavily regulated. Why is that?

[@JamesKlafehn]

@@superlight47 It will depend on your town but in my area the leaders make it very difficult to get permits and get wind turbines approved. They are democrats too. Youd think they would want MORE renewable energy. For wind you have to go high up for consistent power. That is expensive. Quotes I was getting for a 10kw turbine were $50-$60k!

[@superlight47]

@@JamesKlafehn Oh wow! that an eye opener 50 to 60K US can build me a house in my Caribbean home land. That really is high. I am presently try to move up to Albany as a renter and hope within the next year if this pandemic end to buy a house in Albany. it be nice to save some one generating your own power.

[@MarkO-xk4jl]

I like your experimental approach a lot. Keep up the good work. However, I didn’t always follow what was happening, a whiteboard might have helped.

[@JamesKlafehn]

Thank you for watching and thank you for the pointer. I’ll try to be better. It’s hard because I often forget to explain things. Did you watch my charging video I posted a couple days ago?

[@markoneill6467]

@@JamesKlafehn Yes, I watch all your videos.

[@JamesKlafehn]

Mark O'Neill thank you so much for watching!!!

[@Ymsetjenesta]

What I want to do is to install a battery pack in my caravan, and make a system so that I can shift power between the caravan and my RAV 4. Would that be possible?

[@batymahn]

James, I found an hack for the Clarity and I want to race now 🤤

[@magamike1800]

you have balls champ. i gave up my 'experiments' after blowing up an expensive DC to DC inverter. I then blew up my 2000$ YETI inverter.

[@JamesKlafehn]

Yeah I live for this stuff. haha

[@JamesKlafehn]

One time a Tesla tech told me that my T-Rex wasnt going to work. I said oh yeah? I built it and I have since used it on 3 cars.

[@magamike1800]

@@JamesKlafehn keep it up champ. i was really surprised to see that 12v battery keeping up supplying so much power to your house. i ordered a cyber truck and build off grid cabins. will be sweet to plug a cabin into the cyber truck. would you every buy a tesla again after your last experience?

[@JamesKlafehn]

mike allen I placed my cybertruck order while at the event. I still really want an electric truck. I hope Tesla improves their service, quality, and add towing capable super chargers and I’d come back. Wife wouldn’t be happy though. Tesla really did a number on us.

[@magamike1800]

@@JamesKlafehn you went to the cyber truck reveal? i will drive my 3 year old RAV till i my Cyber truck comes. Probably another 4 or 5 years as i live in New Zealand.

[@ParkRoadGuy]

So just to clarify, you have that inverter hooked up to the 12V battery? So is the traction battery constantly replenishing the 12 volt here are are you essentially just pulling directly from the DC-DC converter?

[@ParkRoadGuy]

So I'm looking to use the Rav4 to charge a campers 12v battery bank with a 50 amp DC-DC charger. Will this work? It would be pulling 600 watts max. Seems doable?

[@girl600show7]

Enjoy these Rav vids.

[@aldoraine9949]

All I want is to be able to power a 1400 watt keurig with a 1500 or 2k watt inverter using a rav4 hybrid not prime. I hope the dc-dc inverters are similar in capacity. Thanks for the video

[@JamesKlafehn]

Thank you for watching! Dont forget to hit that thumbs up for me. :)

[@internetabyss]

I have the 1500 watt built in inverter with the Premium package in my RAV4 Prime. So how would I use it to power my house? Just use an extension cord and surge protector?

[@JamesKlafehn]

1500 really isn’t enough for more than a couple items. But you can see in the video that I turned off the breaker then plugged my car into the circuit the breaker was on. That way it will power the items that are plugged into that circuit. You have to make sure you turn the breaker off though before you do this!

[@Kryst69-r2s]

Any chance you can pull 220? A bit like plugout power does with the Prius or the rav4 hybrid?

[@JamesKlafehn]

Pull 220?

[@Kryst69-r2s]

@@JamesKlafehn yes or output 220v power. Your video looks like you’re back feeding 110v

[@JamesKlafehn]

@@Kryst69-r2sit does not have 220v output. It’s a 110v inverter

[@Kryst69-r2s]

@@JamesKlafehn I understand, I meant have you tried getting a 220 inverter and back feeding the full panel?

[@JamesKlafehn]

@@Kryst69-r2s I have done it plenty of times but not off 12v. Its only a 1200watt dc to dc in the car. Check out my videos about my Rav4 EV. I did it all the time with that using my Prinston Power DRI10 inverter. If you are thinking about doing it you need an off grid solar inverter that is connected directly to the HV lines from the battery. Be careful though. You can die easily.

[@nycameleon]

showoff using back feed and shutting off the breaker... just use a power strip

[@JamesKlafehn]

That would obviously work too but when you are backfeeding a circuit it sends power much further because the wires are already ran in your walls.

[@armysnoopy1562]

Are you going to do a video about it? And will it work with a Prius ? Thank you

[@JamesKlafehn]

I have many videos about using EVs to power my house. I am using a rare Princeton Power DRI-10. Here is a playlist. kzbin.info/aero/PLuMPs5qUmnoRhhp4nlvO6CJEQ_JntEt06

[@jamesmichaelcabrera9613]

That ring...

[@TheresiasK4hn]

Cool video. Is it possible to leave the car on but locked? For example to function as a generator at a camp site without leaving it unlocked for whoever walks by.

[@JamesKlafehn]

The car would need to be running. I havent tried yet but with my Rav4 EV I can lock the car with the key thats inside the fob. Take it out and turn it in the keyhole in the drivers door. It will lock all the doors and the car will stay running.

[@ParkRoadGuy]

I've heard this is possible with the actual key not the fob. Interested if anyone knows.

[@jclegault]

Nice stuff...nevertheless, the XSE trim provides a std 120V outlet , exacrly at the same location on the dide panel....

[@JamesKlafehn]

Yup. Its nice they offer that. I wish I had an XSE but not just because of that plug.

[@keoki90232]

My xse prime does not come with a standard outlet. It comes with a 120V cigarette lighter socket

[@jclegault]

keoki90232 sorry...the XSE trim...with the technology option...comes with the 120V outlet....

[@chrisdeleo4574]

So I'm curious, I used to run an inverter off my 12v battery in my ice vehicle, but I was always limited to what the alternator could supply. In a hybrid does the large battery charge off an alternator or is it charged by the motor that drives while in ev mode?

[@MylesV]

There is no alternator in most hybrids since there is no need for one. The engine is able to link to one of the drive motors to run as a generator and create electricity, just like it does while driving at times. An alternator is very similar to a small electric motor anyways. Of course with a PHEV like the RAV4 Prime one could charge it from the grid fully before losing power, then draw power from the battery until it gets low enough that the engine would start. Once the engine starts it would cycle on and off while it charges the battery so it wouldn't run constantly like a regular car or a proper standalone generator would.

[@JamesKlafehn]

A dc to dc is like an alternator yes. The large battery is charged from the onboard battery charger. I just released a video all about charging a plug in car a few days ago. You should check it out of you’re interested.

[@dfoulkerjr]

What is your opinion the wear on the 12v battery when running max output of the dc to dc inverter for a long period of time? I did this about a month ago with a battery that was almost 4 years old and a day or 2 later while driving to work, my 12v battery died. I replaced it with a 84 month Toyota battery and everything is running like it should now.

[@teddybear894]

The item to be concerned about in terms of "wear" would be the DC to DC converter in the car. The 12 volt battery is really not having to do the work.

[@JamesKlafehn]

If you’re going to do it you want a deep cycle battery.

[@JamesKlafehn]

Ted Dy a dc to dc failure is very rare.

[@akatraypa]

Do you know is there a fuse or relay you could pull that would prevent the gas engine from turning on? Would like to run this setup in my garage but not get carbon monxide poisoning. I checked and the prime has 4 fuse boxes and none seem as simple as the fuel pump or starter.

[@JamesKlafehn]

If you leave it in EV mode the gas engine won’t turn on. You have around 13 kWh to use. Once that is used up the gas engine would turn on to recharge the battery.

[@akatraypa]

Thanks for the reply. I did realize about EV mode I was just looking for an extra bit of certainty so even if there is a glitch or I forget about it the gas engine wouldn’t start.

[@JamesKlafehn]

@@akatraypa It would be a long time to use the entire 14ish kwh.

[@Anavllama]

The only thing I have seen similar to your white power stand is the new generac units: www.generac.com/all-products/clean-energy/pwrcell and the spec sheet on the inverter part: www.generac.com/generaccorporate/media/library/content/all-products/clean-energy/pwrcell_inverter_specsheet_v5.pdf?ext=.pdf

[@JamesKlafehn]

Thank you for the info! And thank you for watching!

[@Anavllama]

@@JamesKlafehn Hi there, then there is also the Tesla Wall units, which may also be promising but information is sparse.

[@sammydavis991]

The dealer owning this leased vehicle is probably thrilled.

[@JamesKlafehn]

Dealers dont own leased cars. The manufacturer does. I also did nothing to violate the warranty. Snarky much?

[@armysnoopy1562]

Sir did you ever find one of those inverters you was talking about ? Nice vid too.

[@JamesKlafehn]

yes I own one.

[@VentureEarth]

@@JamesKlafehn James, do you plan on making another video about the contraption you found to trun your prime into a generator?

[@JamesKlafehn]

@@VentureEarth Contraption? What contraption?

[@markwunderman9214]

A word of caution, I believe that Toyota says never to jump start another vehicle with their hybrids. The reason is you can burn out the HV to 12 converter. The 12 volt load required to start the jumped vehicle would exceed the limit of the dc to dc (HV to 12 volt) converter. The HV to 12 volt converter is expensive to replace and has it's own independent liquid cooling system.

[@JamesKlafehn]

The converter does NOT have its own cooling system. I have been in every inch of this vehicle and I promise you that is not true. The DC to DC is a 1500 watt unit and will turn off the load if load exceeds that. Its safe. It worked great.

[@carp5230]

Will the DCDC converter operate without the key in the car and the ignition on? One would hope that the car is monitoring the 12V battery even when the car is parked...

[@JamesKlafehn]

No. I think I talked about it in this video. Car has to be in Room Mode or in Ready Mode. The 12v battery is not charged while the vehicle is charging... Very odd. Tesla doesnt do that.

[@carp5230]

@@JamesKlafehn You did say it in the video. I was double checking. Thanks for the clarification. I was hoping to charge power tool batteries with the car sitting. The Ryobi batteries only hold 4 Ah so I guess I could charge a couple of those without the car running and not kill the 12V battery. Or room mode is always an option.

[@carp5230]

@@JamesKlafehnBecause my ready mode would go off after some time. I will have to look at keeping the ready mode running indefinitely. I think I remember the car might have even asked me....

[@rncondie]

I would only use a pure sine inverter if you have computers and other sensitive electronic devises receiving power from the inverter. In three years when your lease runs up you will return the Prime just like the Harbor Freight inverter you are experimenting with in the video. I disagree with how you will experiment with something you don’t own and just return it like the inverter and the Prime. Harbor Freight is going to put the inverter back on the shelf for someone else to purchase not knowing you used it for an experiment. The Rav 4 Prime same thing. When the lease is up you are going to unload it and some unfortunate person is going to buy your Prime experiment. It is wrong and you will not disclose all the experiments you are conducting on a leased Prime. I have no question you messed around with your Tesla before you started having error messages and did not disclose to Tesla before they accepted the return.

[@JamesKlafehn]

More negative comments from Russ I see... When did I ever say I wasn’t going to disclose what I’ve been doing? I’ve been honest and open about absolutely everything. If I was going to hide something I wouldn’t put it on a fucking KZbin channel idiot. As for the Prime and the inverter, they are both still flawless. I didn’t harm either in any way. I didn’t do anything to void either warranty. I haven’t even done anything permanent to the Rav4 Prime. The tiny little hole I drilled for the reverse camera switch is in a panel that I could replace for $49 if I ever wanted to. And I didn’t harm my Tesla, Tesla did that on their own. Start being more positive.