Just now learned about your channel. So I subscribed! Have a 2012 Prius and a 2008 Camry Hybrid. Retired auto mechanic. Love the Toyota Hybrid cars! Will the App work on my Camry? Also, what are the maximum temperatures for inverter, battery, etc? I am considering towing with the Camry class 1 about 900 lbs total trailer weight, in summer?
The 2008 camry hybrid used the 2.4L gas engine with the same NiMh modules. The app is free to download and try out and I would say the chances are pretty good it works with it. The max temp for the inverter at least on my gen 3 prius is around 150 degrees. Typically it sits around 120-130 degrees. The max temp for the hybrid battery is around 125 degrees. At 125 degrees you will see decreased acceleration and regen braking as the hybrid system isolates the battery from sending or receiving current in an attempt to cool the battery. It looks like the towing capacity for the 2008 camry hybrid is 1,000lbs (pretty impressive to be honest) www.carmax.com/research/toyota/camry-hybrid/2008/features-specs I actually tow a jet ski with my 2010 prius and get 38mpg despite Toyota recommending no towing 🤷♂️
@@HEVTech1 Thanks for the info. I definitely am in like with my Camry! I try to old man it when no one is behind me, to see how high I can get the average mpg up to. I can report tank averages as high as 40! Not too shabby for a nice size 4dr car. Wife is a visiting nurse, and has to be where she has to be, right away. In the 2012 Prius with non fuel saver tires(for the increased grip in rain and snow), she gets over 45mpg consistently. Big improvement over 94 Accord 5sp, which only managed 31mpg!
Little wordy, but hopefully this comment helps someone.. I left my 2008 Prius "running" for 24 hours per day for 6 days per week for almost 2 years. Typically set climate control to 68-70 degrees. Used approximately 1 gallon of gas every 24 hours. Little more during coldest and hottest months. My Prius was equipped with a 12v Dometic fridge, 150W Pure Sine Wave inverter, 10-port USB hub charging a few phones/tablets/hotspots at any given time, and 9 inch household fan (helped to push air from dash to rear). Was trouble-free, except I had to replace the A/C blower motor once every 6-9 months. $35 on Amazon and 20-minute swap. Helps to keep a spare. .... Some tips... Make sure and set the emergency brake before sleeping, or the car will move when gas motor starts and stops. I used the "BALLS" acronym to remember my pre-sleep checks... BALLS = Brake, Air, Lights, Locks, Stereo. Set emergency brake, set air to 68, turn off lights, lock the doors, and turn off stereo (and the display). Also a good idea to park with wind blowing from the front to the back of the car, or at least a side breeze. If wind blowing from back to front, it can get exhaust fumes/smell into the A/C when climate control is set to allow for fresh air. A little annoying and stinky, but never killed me. I never once cracked a window while sleeping and used two diff brands/types of carbon monoxide detectors. They never tripped. Not once... VERY IMPORTANT: Watch oil levels carefully. Check/add at EVERY SINGLE gas fill up). Low oil is what kills most Gen2 Priuses. Especially when they idle for days at a time. Each startup will likely burn a little bit. Adds up over a week or two. Happy to help if anyone has any questions about Prius camping. I'm (literally) an expert and would still be doing it if I hadn't just bought a 40' school bus to convert into an RV. Missing the simpler Prius camping days!!! So easy. :)
What was the condition of your hybrid battery? Also, curious on why you had it running 24 hours a day, 6 days a week for 2 years straight? What are your thoughts vs running everything off of a stock Prius, versus adding solar panels, inverters, extra batteries etc etc?
@@TC-yx1qt Sorry for taking so long to reply. Didn't realize there were questions. I'd suggest just idling the car when you're in it. If, after several months, you feel like you need solar and batteries, go for it. But you lose all of the stealth, some valuable storage space, and gain weight. Not sure how that ends up being cheaper than a gallon of gas per day. But to each their own. :)
@@TC-yx1qt I was using it as an apartment. Worked too far from home to go home every night. Prius sleeps were some of the best nights of sleep in my life. The original hybrid battery was in great condition. Idling in ready mode (or whatever it's called) is actually good for the health for the battery. After I gave the car away, someone eventually stole the catalytic converter, which totaled it. The hybrid battery was still going strong at 14ish years and almost 300k miles. I miss that Prius.
We have a Prius and when tornadoes knocked out power to our house for four days my husband backed the car up to a window and ran a large extension cord in from an inverter in the Prius and we ran the freezer, fridge, his home office, the Wifi, kept my laptop charged, and at night ran my CPAP device. It was incredibly efficient and quiet.
Last week I spent a night in the desert in a rest area outside of Phoenix (temperature at 9pm was over a 100 Degrees F / 38 Celsius) in my 2010 Prius with the temp set at 72. My mpg dropped from 44 to 42 and I used up less than 1/2 gallon of Gas
This helps a lot! I have 2 priuses today, and I am thinking about spending $$ for a new Sienna hybrid... because I want to basically have a GIANT prius with tons of room and flexibility.
I was thinking about the Hybrid Sienna too. Love the extra space and makes a vehicle more of a camper and not a cramper. However, if you are after economy (doing a lot of miles on the road) MPG falls to about 35MPG. Rough estimate, 50% more gas consumption. Not as bad as it sounds.-> What about the ability to run air condition, as in the prius ? Would there be similar behavior of car, when off, and need to keep the interior in a certain temperature ? Any camper channels where they test this in action ? [If so, gas consumption is still good; considering the average fuel economy for a 2018 model year vehicle was 25.1 mpg: 30.0 mpg for a new passenger car (sedan/wagon and car SUV) and 22.0 mpg for a new truck (truck SUV, minivan/van, and pickup)]
Please keep us updated if you do buy a Sienna. I think it's prob on most Prius campers' wishlist. Wondering if it works the same when in ready mode. And what real-world MPG figures will be. IMO, all minivans should be hybrids. Seems like the ideal match. Glad it's finally becoming a thing.
@@mysteriousbigboy6744 from what I have seen most hybrids have a similar mode where you can leave the climate control on/maintaining a temp even when the vehicle is not in use, both to keep the passenger cabin comfortable for pets/human use, but also help keep the temp of the hybrid battery down as it typically is "inside" the passenger cabin
Fantastic video. Answers the question of A/C fuel consumption with math and taught me a little on what all that stuff on the Hybrid Assistant screen means.
@@enriquegonzales7224 i read UK Taxi don't even off their engine for 2 month (only off for schedule service/oil change) .... i believe pretty reliable from toyota
I'll start with I'm 6'6”/7”. The past 2 weeks I slept in the driver seat fairly comfortably. Finally took some time to rearrange my stuff to fold the seats down. Learned some amazing things like before folding back seats down you can remove headrests front n back, slide front seats all the way forward and fully recline them, then drop the seats in the back. With some padding by the glove box you can sit looking back into the car and lounge or sleep on an angle with head in the trunk.
I just had an idea. Instead of using the not so fuel efficient radiator/engine heatloss, get a small heat pump. Connect it to the power in the cabin. Divide the inner space of your car in two using fabric. Enjoy cheap heat! (no point doing this in the prime, since it is already equiped with a pump generating heat)
No apps or OBDII is needed to figure it out. Just use Trip A or Trip B on the trip meter. Say Trip B says 120.0 miles and 60.0mpg. Don't clear it. You have 2.00 gallons already burned on Trip B. Run the AC for however long you want, say 5 hours. Trip B will show lower mpg because of the additional gas burned. If it says 120.0 miles and 50.0mpg, that is 2.40 gallons. So you have used 0.40 gallons in 5 hours, which is 0.08 gallons per hour. So 8 hours of sleeping under those conditions would use 0.64 gallons. I never use recirc, despite the added efficiency of doing so. When sleeping in the car, I prefer using fresh outdoor air and the fan at 2-3 bars minimum, regardless of the increased energy consumption. Not that a Prius is a completely sealed container, but humans do exhale air containing less oxygen than they inhale, and I don't wish to spend hours breathing air with reduced oxygen levels. On average, it also helps scenarios involving exhaust coming into the car, though you can always dream up a scenario that exhaust is drifiting to where the air inlet is. But seeing as the air inlet is at the opposite end of the car from the exhaust pipe, that is the least likely scenario for exhaust getting in.
thanks for doing this. That's so complicated though, I wish there was an app where it just told you how many gallons of gas you burned and nothing else. Like a little meter or something that you could reset back to zero anytime.
@@HEVTech1 I have a 2006 and I camp in my Prius regularly. I would like to be able to look at a meter or something and have it tell me how much gas I burned from when I parked my car until the next morning
@@MountainSpringsAdventures Hi i can only afford an older Pruis. So do you know if thats the oldest Prius year that the climate control will work?! (So awesome) thank you!
@@HEVTech1 Hi i can only afford an older Prius. Do all of them pretty much work on the climate control ? (So I can camp and save millions..haha) I'm really looking at an older one. Because of the price Let me know. THANK YOU!
Another reason to love my 2013 PIP! When running errands around town in very hot weather, I routinely leave the car ON and the AC on also, having a white PIP helps also. I got stuck in a blizzard a few winters ago, going over Donner Summit, well not stuck but didn't have chains and they were stopping anyone without them and I was too cheap to pay inflated prices for an emergency set (with two AWD's at home in Idaho). It was a great comfort to know that I had a warm place to spend the night, as I had all my Prius camp gear onboard.
@@fenraven Yes, I just pulled over and put it in park, done! The amount of gas used will of course vary with the outside temps, and the inside thermostat setting, but it is miniscule. It's like a huge safety feature, being able to hole up anytime/anywhere.
Great video. That climate control system totally tips the scales in favor of the Prius as a short time camper solution for one person. I'm not sure I'd want to live in one full-time. But for adventures of three and four weeks, touring America, keeping cool at night is most important to me.
My Prius will show how much fuel was burned after each trip. If i want to know how much fuel I burn during an overnite stay, I simply shut down the car and put it back in Ready mode. Shutting down the car again in the morning, the dash will display gallons used and even the cost. No need for looking up complicated formulas.
What year prius do you have? 2004-2011 definitely do not display gallons used but I do recall seeing something similar in the 2012s. The reason I used the formulas that I did is so I don't have to actually run my car overnight to get a data accurate result. I'll likely do something similar for heat but I'm guessing it will use MUCH more fuel. I may try and hook up an electric heater too? Lots of video ideas :)
@@HEVTech1 Mine is a 2014 Prius 3. I have done many 10 to 14 night trips in my car and found that the cost is minimal, usually les than 2 dollars and often a dollar or less to run the climate control all night. Mostly it depends on the weather. Even the miles per gallon data is barely affected by running the car in ready mode all night unless you reset the trip odometer a few miles before stopping for the night. Even still I usually manage to average 46 mpg on most trips.
This should be similar to if not exactly the same for all Toyota hybrids between 2006-2022(present). Any hybrid that can run the A/C compressor off the hybrid battery (engine off) would work similarly.
Me and wife prius camp and we do not set A/C or heat if not essential due to cycling battery and shortening its lifespan. The hybrid battery is rated for so many cycles the deeper the cycles and quantities will shorten calendar life. Longest trip was 9 days and 8 nights.
Fascinating video! Been tent camping for many years and recently have become intrigued by Prius camping and traveling. Last summer I was facing high 90F temps and 80% humidity. I did have a borrowed AC and power at the state park but there is so much gear to bring. I like the idea of being able to travel far distances cheaply both by mpg and lodging. Quick question, if a state park has electric would I be able to plug a prius in and just run it off shore power? Thanks!
Great question! Short answer is "no" BUT if you have a prius prime or a plug-in prius you could charge off of the state park elecricity but you would be talking about very small amounts of money given you would burn about 1 gallon of gas overnight.
@@HEVTech1 Appreciate your response. Since making my post I learned of the Prime. Figure one could use AC by night and charge the 5.5 hrs by day when you're out and about. Seen some vids where the AC on uses 3/4 battery and no gas. Incredible technology.
@@CroakerOutdoors it really is! My only advice would be don't spend thousands to save pennies. The Gen 2-3s are dirt cheap compared to the prime. I've saved so much money driving 7 year old prius's.
@@HEVTech1 Excellent advice. I'm paying off my DD truck so this would be a second vehicle and second insurance to take. What is daunting is being able to assess the quality of the vehicle and battery. Is the battery expensive to replace. What do you think I could get in the $5-6K range? Thanks again for sharing your insight.
@@CroakerOutdoors $5-6k should get you a solid gen 3 with a little over 100k miles and plenty of life left. The hybrid battery is not too hard to replace if you are comfortable with it. I would certainly use the Dr. Prius/hybrid app to check the battery health prior to purchasing.
I’m still rocking my 2007 Prius 170, 000 miles and still rolling , I will be refurbishing my hybrid battery, I will keep this car long into the 350,000 mile range
Looks like your engine only kicked on 3 times during this 1 hour test. My 2013 Prius Plug-in would kick on about 6 times in 1 hour with similar parameters you have for this test. My engine always kicks on when SOC drops to 18%, then runs for exactly 1 minute until it reaches 20% SOC, and then the engine shuts off. My Plug-in Prius has a larger battery, so the SOC % number is different from the non plug-in Prius. I want to add that the total time engine spent running versus engine off is about the same as your test, at about 87% off. In other words 87% of the time is off and 13% on. My question is do you know if I can get the engine to stay on longer to charge the battery to a higher percentage before shutting off. Right now, every time engine kicks on, it would only add 2% of SOC. I would like the engine to kick on and off less frequently, to reduce the wear and tear on the engine and also reduce the vibration when cycling on and off. Ideally, I would like to have the engine stay on a few minutes longer and give me more charge. I am not sure why my Plug-in Prius turns on and off twice as much as the regular Prius considering it has a larger battery capacity. If any one has a Prius Plug-in, can you check to see my observation with my Prius is similar to yours.
@@HEVTech1 revisited this vid without realizing I left a comment lol. I just got a used prius prime advanced for 27k$. Havent tested the AC all night yet.
Argh, lost my comment .... Short of it; 2019 XLE , 66F outside, ac set to 66F, end temp outside 15 celsius. 1h 189ml or 0,0499285 gallons. 8hr 1512ml or 0.3994 us gallon assuming fuel consumption stays same. With temp lowered it's better for me to turn AC off and save about 33% fuel with engine only running every 30m.
I personally own two 2010s and they have treated me very well. That said, I am aware of the 2010-2011 oil consumption issues and would probably look at the 2013-2015s if I was going to buy one today.
Yes. The engine cuts on more often to heat the coolant water but it's about the same for heat. Depends on the temperature differential between the inside and out though, just like cooling.
I went camping about a month ago with my Prius V. At night the temp was around 40 degrees and I keep the internal temp at 65 with the fan on low. I averaged about 1/2 gallon of fuel per night. 👍
Can you calculate how long the Prius could be used (assuming a nearly full tank of gas) to provide a constant 800 watts (pure sine wave inverter) of 120 volts AC?
I'm thinking about going back to previous I had a second generation which had several issues with the ABS actuator behind the motor and it was going to cost $5,000 to fix one of the blend door actuators in the AC would the Prius V have similar fuel usage when idling
5:15 you said 6 minutes in an hour, that's one minute every 10 ( or 6 for 60) but 8:58 you said it runs 1 minute for every 6, which is 10 times an hour and 4 more cycles (+50%) than what you recorded in your test? Interesting diagnostic apps and video idea, it's good that you made it, this sort of info is scarce because once you get a prius idk why but prius owners don't care to delve into the nitty gritty anymore. I know this is something I would have wanted before I got mine. In fact, you know more about your car's energy consumption that I do, I'm just happy mine falls within the factory standard mpg range as best as I can tell. I still haven't figured out how to set up my radio stations yet though
To set your favorite radio stations, either tune to the frequency you desire to save or press seek until you hit one you like, then simply press and hold one of the preselect buttons until the frequency blinks then comes back on and it's set.
40% efficiency in a car is not merely impressive, it's practically like breaking the speed of light: classically, internal combustion engines only boast a mere 25%, with 40% being more typical of a steam engine. When you look at it that way, hybrid engines are literally changing the rulebook.
anything you do will affect battery life. But having a regular car idling would be just as bad. If you need a place to camp out for a night with ac.. Well then the battery consumption might just be worth it.
This is a great suggestion and also crossed my mind though I would personally love to see if using a smaller electric heater or letting the engine heat the car is most efficient. I'll have to queue that one up.
Are you able to control and monitor the inside temp with a phone? I'd like to know if the interior of my car is at a comfortable temp while I'm away and remotely adjust it.
The prius isn't quite that fancy lol If you have remote start and leave the climate on "auto" it would heat/cool the cabin to your desired temperature set via auto.
2004. The 2001-2003 sedan Prius have conventional engine-driven compressors. However, there is a "cold storage" evaporator core that keeps cooling for about a minute or so when the engine is off.
Hello, i own a Prius .... i think you are NOT right! Can`t imagine AC consumption for 8 hours only 1,6L (?)! Why do you not shown the consumption on Hybrid Assistant im Gallons ore Liters. It is possible en more true ...... Greets!
Thanks SO much! This confirms I may not be completely crazy. When I got my 2014 Prius V, I had watched hybrid camping vids and they all seemed to say that the car only came on once or twice an hour, and to put on the "footbrake" so the car won't shake when it does come on and wakes you up BUT my car will come on briefly, oh say a minute, maybe 5-6 times an hour, so I thought something might be wrong with the battery. And the car doesn't shake THAT Much! Of course, it's 230 lbs heavier, drives much better than regular Prius, has comparatively huge cargo space,' twice as much. Also, front seats that fold back and turn into lounge chairs with the back seats... and mine still gets 44.6 mpg th-cam.com/video/zK6CQJS11lU/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=KelleyBlueBook
Yeah, my wife, 2 boys, and I went on a week-long road trip in our 2010 Prius, and most of those days we were driving 8 hours or so; I never noticed any symptoms like that...
A quick Google search and I got the below: The third-generation Prius (2010-2015) is rated at a maximum efficiency of 38.5 percent, according to Toyota. Heck of an engine for that level of efficiency in 2010 if you ask me.
It depends on the year and model for exactly how much gas you would use, but the concept certainly still applies. For the Lexus hybrids, some share the exact same drivetrain & battery as the prius so you can reasonably expect to get almost identical efficiency. The 2010 Highlander Hybrid had a V6 and a much larger hybrid battery to boot. I would expect worse efficiency but similar figures.
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Just now learned about your channel. So I subscribed! Have a 2012 Prius and a 2008 Camry Hybrid. Retired auto mechanic. Love the Toyota Hybrid cars! Will the App work on my Camry? Also, what are the maximum temperatures for inverter, battery, etc? I am considering towing with the Camry class 1 about 900 lbs total trailer weight, in summer?
The 2008 camry hybrid used the 2.4L gas engine with the same NiMh modules. The app is free to download and try out and I would say the chances are pretty good it works with it.
The max temp for the inverter at least on my gen 3 prius is around 150 degrees. Typically it sits around 120-130 degrees.
The max temp for the hybrid battery is around 125 degrees. At 125 degrees you will see decreased acceleration and regen braking as the hybrid system isolates the battery from sending or receiving current in an attempt to cool the battery.
It looks like the towing capacity for the 2008 camry hybrid is 1,000lbs (pretty impressive to be honest)
www.carmax.com/research/toyota/camry-hybrid/2008/features-specs
I actually tow a jet ski with my 2010 prius and get 38mpg despite Toyota recommending no towing 🤷♂️
@@HEVTech1 Thanks for the info. I definitely am in like with my Camry! I try to old man it when no one is behind me, to see how high I can get the average mpg up to. I can report tank averages as high as 40! Not too shabby for a nice size 4dr car.
Wife is a visiting nurse, and has to be where she has to be, right away. In the 2012 Prius with non fuel saver tires(for the increased grip in rain and snow), she gets over 45mpg consistently. Big improvement over 94 Accord 5sp, which only managed 31mpg!
recomended towing is for safety
Little wordy, but hopefully this comment helps someone.. I left my 2008 Prius "running" for 24 hours per day for 6 days per week for almost 2 years. Typically set climate control to 68-70 degrees. Used approximately 1 gallon of gas every 24 hours. Little more during coldest and hottest months. My Prius was equipped with a 12v Dometic fridge, 150W Pure Sine Wave inverter, 10-port USB hub charging a few phones/tablets/hotspots at any given time, and 9 inch household fan (helped to push air from dash to rear). Was trouble-free, except I had to replace the A/C blower motor once every 6-9 months. $35 on Amazon and 20-minute swap. Helps to keep a spare. .... Some tips... Make sure and set the emergency brake before sleeping, or the car will move when gas motor starts and stops. I used the "BALLS" acronym to remember my pre-sleep checks... BALLS = Brake, Air, Lights, Locks, Stereo. Set emergency brake, set air to 68, turn off lights, lock the doors, and turn off stereo (and the display). Also a good idea to park with wind blowing from the front to the back of the car, or at least a side breeze. If wind blowing from back to front, it can get exhaust fumes/smell into the A/C when climate control is set to allow for fresh air. A little annoying and stinky, but never killed me. I never once cracked a window while sleeping and used two diff brands/types of carbon monoxide detectors. They never tripped. Not once... VERY IMPORTANT: Watch oil levels carefully. Check/add at EVERY SINGLE gas fill up). Low oil is what kills most Gen2 Priuses. Especially when they idle for days at a time. Each startup will likely burn a little bit. Adds up over a week or two. Happy to help if anyone has any questions about Prius camping. I'm (literally) an expert and would still be doing it if I hadn't just bought a 40' school bus to convert into an RV. Missing the simpler Prius camping days!!! So easy. :)
I have some questions. Dm me
What was the condition of your hybrid battery?
Also, curious on why you had it running 24 hours a day, 6 days a week for 2 years straight?
What are your thoughts vs running everything off of a stock Prius, versus adding solar panels, inverters, extra batteries etc etc?
I have some questions! How do you check for oil? I have a 2010 Prius and never heard of needing to check it at every gas fill up
@@TC-yx1qt Sorry for taking so long to reply. Didn't realize there were questions. I'd suggest just idling the car when you're in it. If, after several months, you feel like you need solar and batteries, go for it. But you lose all of the stealth, some valuable storage space, and gain weight. Not sure how that ends up being cheaper than a gallon of gas per day. But to each their own. :)
@@TC-yx1qt I was using it as an apartment. Worked too far from home to go home every night. Prius sleeps were some of the best nights of sleep in my life.
The original hybrid battery was in great condition. Idling in ready mode (or whatever it's called) is actually good for the health for the battery.
After I gave the car away, someone eventually stole the catalytic converter, which totaled it. The hybrid battery was still going strong at 14ish years and almost 300k miles. I miss that Prius.
We have a Prius and when tornadoes knocked out power to our house for four days my husband backed the car up to a window and ran a large extension cord in from an inverter in the Prius and we ran the freezer, fridge, his home office, the Wifi, kept my laptop charged, and at night ran my CPAP device. It was incredibly efficient and quiet.
Last week I spent a night in the desert in a rest area outside of Phoenix (temperature at 9pm was over a 100 Degrees F / 38 Celsius) in my 2010 Prius with the temp set at 72. My mpg dropped from 44 to 42 and I used up less than 1/2 gallon of Gas
That’s impressive! Was the engine coming in and out loud?
@@verynick No bro not loud i slept really well. I got lucky too as the Rig parking got full too at around 10pm insulating 99% of Freeway noise
Its so incredible. Toyota should advertise that.
So that would be about $2 per night for a free little cozy AC hotel that blends in everywhere.
This helps a lot! I have 2 priuses today, and I am thinking about spending $$ for a new Sienna hybrid... because I want to basically have a GIANT prius with tons of room and flexibility.
I was thinking about the Hybrid Sienna too. Love the extra space and makes a vehicle more of a camper and not a cramper.
However, if you are after economy (doing a lot of miles on the road) MPG falls to about 35MPG.
Rough estimate, 50% more gas consumption. Not as bad as it sounds.->
What about the ability to run air condition, as in the prius ?
Would there be similar behavior of car, when off, and need to keep the interior in a certain temperature ?
Any camper channels where they test this in action ?
[If so, gas consumption is still good; considering the average fuel economy for a 2018 model year vehicle was 25.1 mpg: 30.0 mpg for a new passenger car (sedan/wagon and car SUV) and 22.0 mpg for a new truck (truck SUV, minivan/van, and pickup)]
Please keep us updated if you do buy a Sienna. I think it's prob on most Prius campers' wishlist. Wondering if it works the same when in ready mode. And what real-world MPG figures will be. IMO, all minivans should be hybrids. Seems like the ideal match. Glad it's finally becoming a thing.
@@mysteriousbigboy6744 from what I have seen most hybrids have a similar mode where you can leave the climate control on/maintaining a temp even when the vehicle is not in use, both to keep the passenger cabin comfortable for pets/human use, but also help keep the temp of the hybrid battery down as it typically is "inside" the passenger cabin
I like this channel. Currently I have a Chrysler Gas Minivan and like idea of a Hybrid model as hotter months can be a challenge.
The Sienna has a much bigger engine so will use more gas. I think you should consider the Prius V instead.
Fantastic video. Answers the question of A/C fuel consumption with math and taught me a little on what all that stuff on the Hybrid Assistant screen means.
I camp out in South Texas near Brownsville. Closer to 90 degrees outside. I like keeping it around 73 degrees. Leave my prius running all night.
about 1 gallon overnight, my 2015 Prius
Will these affect the life of the battery if used for camping?
@@enriquegonzales7224 i read UK Taxi don't even off their engine for 2 month (only off for schedule service/oil change) .... i believe pretty reliable from toyota
I'll start with I'm 6'6”/7”. The past 2 weeks I slept in the driver seat fairly comfortably. Finally took some time to rearrange my stuff to fold the seats down. Learned some amazing things like before folding back seats down you can remove headrests front n back, slide front seats all the way forward and fully recline them, then drop the seats in the back. With some padding by the glove box you can sit looking back into the car and lounge or sleep on an angle with head in the trunk.
Getting a 2012 prius v wagon soon. Subscribed!
Same! Hope to pick mine up in a couple days. Did you get yours yet?
Clean out your egr or you will have a failed head gasket
@@00O000OO
Sounds serious. What's an egr?
I just had an idea.
Instead of using the not so fuel efficient radiator/engine heatloss, get a small heat pump.
Connect it to the power in the cabin. Divide the inner space of your car in two using fabric.
Enjoy cheap heat!
(no point doing this in the prime, since it is already equiped with a pump generating heat)
No apps or OBDII is needed to figure it out. Just use Trip A or Trip B on the trip meter. Say Trip B says 120.0 miles and 60.0mpg. Don't clear it. You have 2.00 gallons already burned on Trip B. Run the AC for however long you want, say 5 hours. Trip B will show lower mpg because of the additional gas burned. If it says 120.0 miles and 50.0mpg, that is 2.40 gallons. So you have used 0.40 gallons in 5 hours, which is 0.08 gallons per hour. So 8 hours of sleeping under those conditions would use 0.64 gallons.
I never use recirc, despite the added efficiency of doing so. When sleeping in the car, I prefer using fresh outdoor air and the fan at 2-3 bars minimum, regardless of the increased energy consumption. Not that a Prius is a completely sealed container, but humans do exhale air containing less oxygen than they inhale, and I don't wish to spend hours breathing air with reduced oxygen levels. On average, it also helps scenarios involving exhaust coming into the car, though you can always dream up a scenario that exhaust is drifiting to where the air inlet is. But seeing as the air inlet is at the opposite end of the car from the exhaust pipe, that is the least likely scenario for exhaust getting in.
thanks for doing this. That's so complicated though, I wish there was an app where it just told you how many gallons of gas you burned and nothing else. Like a little meter or something that you could reset back to zero anytime.
The 2012s and newer will tell you on engine shut off how much gas was used. Unfortunately I have a 2010 so I had to use some math :)
@@HEVTech1 I have a 2006 and I camp in my Prius regularly. I would like to be able to look at a meter or something and have it tell me how much gas I burned from when I parked my car until the next morning
@@MountainSpringsAdventures Hi i can only afford an older Pruis. So do you know if thats the oldest Prius year that the climate control will work?! (So awesome) thank you!
@@HEVTech1 Hi i can only afford an older Prius. Do all of them pretty much work on the climate control ? (So I can camp and save millions..haha) I'm really looking at an older one. Because of the price Let me know. THANK YOU!
Another reason to love my 2013 PIP! When running errands around town in very hot weather, I routinely leave the car ON and the AC on also, having a white PIP helps also. I got stuck in a blizzard a few winters ago, going over Donner Summit, well not stuck but didn't have chains and they were stopping anyone without them and I was too cheap to pay inflated prices for an emergency set (with two AWD's at home in Idaho). It was a great comfort to know that I had a warm place to spend the night, as I had all my Prius camp gear onboard.
Does camping with heat on use as much gas overnight as camping with ac on?
When you say "on," do you mean in Ready mode?
@@fenraven Yes, I just pulled over and put it in park, done! The amount of gas used will of course vary with the outside temps, and the inside thermostat setting, but it is miniscule. It's like a huge safety feature, being able to hole up anytime/anywhere.
Do more videos!!!, haha.
Just a comment for the TH-cam algorithm thanks for all the assist
Great video. That climate control system totally tips the scales in favor of the Prius as a short time camper solution for one person. I'm not sure I'd want to live in one full-time. But for adventures of three and four weeks, touring America, keeping cool at night is most important to me.
Yes. I have a honda element, which is great, but for summer adventures this is kinda a big deal to me too.. Prius ftw
My Prius will show how much fuel was burned after each trip. If i want to know how much fuel I burn during an overnite stay, I simply shut down the car and put it back in Ready mode. Shutting down the car again in the morning, the dash will display gallons used and even the cost. No need for looking up complicated formulas.
What year prius do you have? 2004-2011 definitely do not display gallons used but I do recall seeing something similar in the 2012s.
The reason I used the formulas that I did is so I don't have to actually run my car overnight to get a data accurate result. I'll likely do something similar for heat but I'm guessing it will use MUCH more fuel. I may try and hook up an electric heater too?
Lots of video ideas :)
@@HEVTech1 Mine is a 2014 Prius 3. I have done many 10 to 14 night trips in my car and found that the cost is minimal, usually les than 2 dollars and often a dollar or less to run the climate control all night. Mostly it depends on the weather. Even the miles per gallon data is barely affected by running the car in ready mode all night unless you reset the trip odometer a few miles before stopping for the night. Even still I usually manage to average 46 mpg on most trips.
The answer I’ve always looked for
I got the 2012 and I’m in the middle of doing my window covers and I’m not gonna lie it’s driving me crazy 😂
dude same xD the covers were so annoying to make
For all the money you're saving
Buy prefab one and done and
Have fun
I'm a poet and didn't know it.
That seems about right I use around a gallon a night when I'm sleeping in my Prius. Roughly 12-13 hours I like my car a lot colder
Thanks for the video!
THANK YOU
Great video. This is EXACTLY what I was curious about. My other question is if this is true for all prius years?
This should be similar to if not exactly the same for all Toyota hybrids between 2006-2022(present).
Any hybrid that can run the A/C compressor off the hybrid battery (engine off) would work similarly.
@@HEVTech1 Awesome. Thanks.
Great video
Me and wife prius camp and we do not set A/C or heat if not essential due to cycling battery and shortening its lifespan. The hybrid battery is rated for so many cycles the deeper the cycles and quantities will shorten calendar life. Longest trip was 9 days and 8 nights.
do one on heating and cooling
That would be useful info
Fascinating video! Been tent camping for many years and recently have become intrigued by Prius camping and traveling. Last summer I was facing high 90F temps and 80% humidity. I did have a borrowed AC and power at the state park but there is so much gear to bring. I like the idea of being able to travel far distances cheaply both by mpg and lodging. Quick question, if a state park has electric would I be able to plug a prius in and just run it off shore power? Thanks!
Great question! Short answer is "no" BUT if you have a prius prime or a plug-in prius you could charge off of the state park elecricity but you would be talking about very small amounts of money given you would burn about 1 gallon of gas overnight.
@@HEVTech1 Appreciate your response. Since making my post I learned of the Prime. Figure one could use AC by night and charge the 5.5 hrs by day when you're out and about. Seen some vids where the AC on uses 3/4 battery and no gas. Incredible technology.
@@CroakerOutdoors it really is! My only advice would be don't spend thousands to save pennies. The Gen 2-3s are dirt cheap compared to the prime. I've saved so much money driving 7 year old prius's.
@@HEVTech1 Excellent advice. I'm paying off my DD truck so this would be a second vehicle and second insurance to take. What is daunting is being able to assess the quality of the vehicle and battery. Is the battery expensive to replace. What do you think I could get in the $5-6K range? Thanks again for sharing your insight.
@@CroakerOutdoors $5-6k should get you a solid gen 3 with a little over 100k miles and plenty of life left. The hybrid battery is not too hard to replace if you are comfortable with it. I would certainly use the Dr. Prius/hybrid app to check the battery health prior to purchasing.
I’m still rocking my 2007 Prius 170, 000 miles and still rolling , I will be refurbishing my hybrid battery, I will keep this car long into the 350,000 mile range
I just DIY my head gasket on a prius v, I live in this car and run the ac on all day since I work night shifts. It's going great!
260
@@julierehoric3856 mine died at 176,000 , battery and CVT were failing so I sold it ✌️
@@julierehoric3856 mine died 176,000 battery and CVT were failing I sold it
.66kwh. 1.65kw. 5% of 1 gallon*8=
We do this in a Prius v.
wonderful!
Looks like your engine only kicked on 3 times during this 1 hour test. My 2013 Prius Plug-in would kick on about 6 times in 1 hour with similar parameters you have for this test. My engine always kicks on when SOC drops to 18%, then runs for exactly 1 minute until it reaches 20% SOC, and then the engine shuts off. My Plug-in Prius has a larger battery, so the SOC % number is different from the non plug-in Prius. I want to add that the total time engine spent running versus engine off is about the same as your test, at about 87% off. In other words 87% of the time is off and 13% on.
My question is do you know if I can get the engine to stay on longer to charge the battery to a higher percentage before shutting off. Right now, every time engine kicks on, it would only add 2% of SOC. I would like the engine to kick on and off less frequently, to reduce the wear and tear on the engine and also reduce the vibration when cycling on and off. Ideally, I would like to have the engine stay on a few minutes longer and give me more charge. I am not sure why my Plug-in Prius turns on and off twice as much as the regular Prius considering it has a larger battery capacity. If any one has a Prius Plug-in, can you check to see my observation with my Prius is similar to yours.
Great video!
Nice work
Thank god someone else uses auto ac.
It works so well, when I get into rentals that don't have auto climate its a job to maintain the temp.
im learning so much, ty
Rest in peace ears: intro music
I've fixed that moving forward with all new videos - I apologize to all ears!
@@HEVTech1 revisited this vid without realizing I left a comment lol. I just got a used prius prime advanced for 27k$. Havent tested the AC all night yet.
What year is this Prius? NiMH or Li-Ion traction battery? If Li-Ion, is it a Prime?
And thank you very much for this excellent and complete test!
just subbed great info!
Argh, lost my comment ....
Short of it;
2019 XLE , 66F outside, ac set to 66F, end temp outside 15 celsius.
1h 189ml or 0,0499285 gallons.
8hr 1512ml or 0.3994 us gallon assuming fuel consumption stays same.
With temp lowered it's better for me to turn AC off and save about 33% fuel with engine only running every 30m.
So it seems 1.6 liters of patrol consumed when engine is on with AC for 8 hours. Btw I have a 2012 Prius C.
Ambient temp and set internal temp will play a role as well, but yes it was shockingly low fuel consumption from what I estimated.
I totally just accidentally removed a reply from Catherine Kinsella so I apologize for that because it was validation of the data in this video.
I'm so gladI found your channel.
What year would you recommend of prius.
Thx
I personally own two 2010s and they have treated me very well. That said, I am aware of the 2010-2011 oil consumption issues and would probably look at the 2013-2015s if I was going to buy one today.
Can you do this with heat instead of ac?!?!
Yes. The engine cuts on more often to heat the coolant water but it's about the same for heat. Depends on the temperature differential between the inside and out though, just like cooling.
Agreed! This one is queued up - great idea 👍
I went camping about a month ago with my Prius V. At night the temp was around 40 degrees and I keep the internal temp at 65 with the fan on low. I averaged about 1/2 gallon of fuel per night. 👍
@Michael Ellingsworth not very noticeable once you get used to it.
Really good videos on Prius, thank you. Is this App available on Android? Link or name please.
The app is currently android only. I put a link for the app in the video description and have a separate video review on the app as well.
@@HEVTech1 ok thanks 👍.
Can you calculate how long the Prius could be used (assuming a nearly full tank of gas) to provide a constant 800 watts (pure sine wave inverter) of 120 volts AC?
This is a great idea, especially in the wake of the Texas blackouts.
How to change screens on my 2010 Prius
Do you need to have the car fully on when you sleep? (Press the break down and press start)
This ECU doesn't monitor the fuel metering? New Toyotas will tell you the fuel rate
I'm thinking about going back to previous I had a second generation which had several issues with the ABS actuator behind the motor and it was going to cost $5,000 to fix one of the blend door actuators in the AC would the Prius V have similar fuel usage when idling
5:15 you said 6 minutes in an hour, that's one minute every 10 ( or 6 for 60) but 8:58 you said it runs 1 minute for every 6, which is 10 times an hour and 4 more cycles (+50%) than what you recorded in your test? Interesting diagnostic apps and video idea, it's good that you made it, this sort of info is scarce because once you get a prius idk why but prius owners don't care to delve into the nitty gritty anymore. I know this is something I would have wanted before I got mine. In fact, you know more about your car's energy consumption that I do, I'm just happy mine falls within the factory standard mpg range as best as I can tell. I still haven't figured out how to set up my radio stations yet though
To set your favorite radio stations, either tune to the frequency you desire to save or press seek until you hit one you like, then simply press and hold one of the preselect buttons until the frequency blinks then comes back on and it's set.
@@samuelclemons6821 that's really helpful, thank you 😊 I've been meaning to flip through the manual but it'll be easy to try this next time
hi I got 2017 Toyota Camry altise hybrid is it ok to drive with aircon off for short trips
Do you think doing this hurts the Hybrid battery in any way? Also would you pop the hood to keep the motor cooler if doing this overnight?
Its unfortunate because I am a light sleeper and couldn't sleep with the engine constantly turning on and off ! 😢😢😢😢😢
Is is hard on the hybrid battery to run at 96F for 8 hours?
No
You could just have looked at max fuel used in the app :p
What year(s) Prius can we use the app with? I see a Prius in my future here in Australia
40% efficiency in a car is not merely impressive, it's practically like breaking the speed of light: classically, internal combustion engines only boast a mere 25%, with 40% being more typical of a steam engine. When you look at it that way, hybrid engines are literally changing the rulebook.
Is this totally ok to camp in the car and not affect the battery life? Thank you.
anything you do will affect battery life. But having a regular car idling would be just as bad. If you need a place to camp out for a night with ac.. Well then the battery consumption might just be worth it.
Try try for cold weather, say 32f for 8 hrs.
This is a great suggestion and also crossed my mind though I would personally love to see if using a smaller electric heater or letting the engine heat the car is most efficient. I'll have to queue that one up.
Any idea what the "HV" column is for in the Hybrid Reporter viewer?
The HV column will show an X if you do a "High Voltage" battery test. Will likely be a future video.
Are you able to control and monitor the inside temp with a phone? I'd like to know if the interior of my car is at a comfortable temp while I'm away and remotely adjust it.
The prius isn't quite that fancy lol
If you have remote start and leave the climate on "auto" it would heat/cool the cabin to your desired temperature set via auto.
Diesel electric trains run on a 70% efficiency rate but they don't allow the automotive industry to use it.
Why
Does the Prius move or make any noice if you are Parked and the AC is on??
Anyone know if all Toyota Prius' do this or does it start at a certain year like 2009 or 2010? Anyone? Thank you!
2004. The 2001-2003 sedan Prius have conventional engine-driven compressors. However, there is a "cold storage" evaporator core that keeps cooling for about a minute or so when the engine is off.
What if you need heating?
Same test but on 60 please
Does the prius v have this feature as well?
Yes! I believe any Toyota hybrid has this capability.
Hello, i own a Prius .... i think you are NOT right! Can`t imagine AC consumption for 8 hours only 1,6L (?)! Why do you not shown the consumption on Hybrid Assistant im Gallons ore Liters. It is possible en more true ...... Greets!
Thanks SO much! This confirms I may not be completely crazy. When I got my 2014 Prius V, I had watched hybrid camping vids and they all seemed to say that the car only came on once or twice an hour, and to put on the "footbrake" so the car won't shake when it does come on and wakes you up
BUT my car will come on briefly, oh say a minute, maybe 5-6 times an hour, so I thought something might be wrong with the battery. And the car doesn't shake THAT Much!
Of course, it's 230 lbs heavier, drives much better than regular Prius, has comparatively huge cargo space,' twice as much. Also, front seats that fold back and turn into lounge chairs with the back seats... and mine still gets 44.6 mpg
th-cam.com/video/zK6CQJS11lU/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=KelleyBlueBook
How is it stealthy if the engine goes on every 20 minutes.
Lol its 66% more stealthy than normal ICE cars
Why do people say without further a do ? What does that mean?
i don't understand that too bro
Do you ever feel weird being in the car for that long of time around the hybrid battery ? Like Any emf issues ? Like extra sleepy dizzy anything etc
Never have experienced any of those symptoms.
Yeah, my wife, 2 boys, and I went on a week-long road trip in our 2010 Prius, and most of those days we were driving 8 hours or so; I never noticed any symptoms like that...
@@jllmechengr that’s cool . The Prius sounds safe
emf?
Battery is shielded behind a steel enclosure.
Reppin that 9 till I die
Gen3 engine also at 40%? I have seen that # for gen4, but didn’t know gen3.
A quick Google search and I got the below:
The third-generation Prius (2010-2015) is rated at a maximum efficiency of 38.5 percent, according to Toyota.
Heck of an engine for that level of efficiency in 2010 if you ask me.
does this apply to the lexus and highlander hybrids?
I have the same question. Did you find an answer?
@@wagonron nope :(
It depends on the year and model for exactly how much gas you would use, but the concept certainly still applies.
For the Lexus hybrids, some share the exact same drivetrain & battery as the prius so you can reasonably expect to get almost identical efficiency. The 2010 Highlander Hybrid had a V6 and a much larger hybrid battery to boot. I would expect worse efficiency but similar figures.
@@HEVTech1 thank you sir!!
What OBD brand are you using
Linked in the description :)
Thats odd i used my air conditioner on my Prius all night i came to 3.28$
Same here
be careful to factor ethanol in your calculations.
thats lame that they dont have this app on apple phones…!!!
75! 🤣
I vastly underestimated how boring this video would be, lol