[jmmaxus]

I've read that the 2021 Toyota Sienna will have a 1500 Watt/120 v AC Inverter as an option on XLE and above trims for powering camping equipment etc., something I very interested in. This is a significant amount of power as the only other vehicle I've seen that has one with that much power is the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. The TFL car guys did so tailgating/camping and running a full size microwave:

This would have to be pulling from the Hybrid Battery and not the 12V battery. Since the 2021 Sienna won't have a plug like a PHEV I'm wondering other than the gas engine if you could recharge the hybrid battery/inverter with solar panels? We'll see.

 

[HughJufallus]

How amazing would that be if the van allowed for camping in the vehicle! Unfortunately there won't be enough room for a cot because the seats are non-removable. Bummer! Toyota are you even paying attention??

 

[circus]

2021 Toyota Sienna will have a 1500 Watt/120 v AC Inverter as an option on XLE and above trims for powering camping equipment etc., something I very interested in.

I've had a 1200 watt inverter under my 90 Nissan Axxess van seat for 10 years. <$80 plus some really heavy wire.

 

[jmmaxus]

How amazing would that be if the van allowed for camping in the vehicle! Unfortunately there won't be enough room for a cot because the seats are non-removable. Bummer! Toyota are you even paying attention??

That is a bummer. For my purposes I'd be running a long extension cord. I guess you could always step up to the $50K Platinum trim and get ottoman chairs and sleep on those.

 

[fibber2]

I've had a 1200 watt inverter under my 90 Nissan Axxess van seat for 10 years. <$80 plus some really heavy wire.

Drawing 100 amps off of a conventional 12v battery for long without the engine running on high idle (2000 RPM to keep the alternator output high) will put a serious hurt on the battery pretty quickly.

 

[circus]

Drawing 100 amps off of a conventional 12v battery for long without the engine running on high idle (2000 RPM to keep the alternator output high) will put a serious hurt on the battery pretty quickly.

Turned out big draws lasted only a few minutes. Brewing coffee, chain saw, microwave etc. If taxed, like cutting a lot of wood, the battery was more a buffer for the alternator. Your right though, for camping I'd need a deep cycle battery.

 

[Bhoodward]

Enjoy that stuff at home, when you go camping keep it simple and enjoy the outdoors. If you need/want all that, get a motorhome, but then it won't be camping.

 

[circus]

Enjoy that stuff at home, when you go camping keep it simple and enjoy the outdoors. If you need/want all that, get a motorhome, but then it won't be camping.

Never know, might end up living in the darn thing.
Besides, playing with propane bottles and gas stove just to heat up a can of spaghettios is a pain.

 

[Bhoodward]

Never know, might end up living in the darn thing.

Could be a good isolation room if another virus appears.

 

[Roader]

Related question: The Prius can be set to run the HVAC while parked with the engine starting/stopping automatically to maintain temp. Since this new Sienna is a hybrid too, does it have this same capability? It would make a terrific RV if so.

 

[HughJufallus]

Since this new Sienna is a hybrid too, does it have this same capability? It would make a terrific RV if so.

Prius V car-camper here. I agree with your sentiment. Unfortunately, Toyota has decided they do not want our business! The middle seats cannot be removed, which makes it mostly useless for car-camping. I've tweeted several times at Toyota about this issue. There has been no response of course.

 

[Tablerocked]

I've read that the 2021 Toyota Sienna will have a 1500 Watt/120 v AC Inverter as an option on XLE and above trims for powering camping equipment etc., something I very interested in. This is a significant amount of power as the only other vehicle I've seen that has one with that much power is the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. The TFL car guys did so tailgating/camping and running a full size microwave:

This would have to be pulling from the Hybrid Battery and not the 12V battery. Since the 2021 Sienna won't have a plug like a PHEV I'm wondering other than the gas engine if you could recharge the hybrid battery/inverter with solar panels? We'll see.

I’m saving for the 2021 Airstream Atlas Mercedes mini motorhome..... used to have a 40’ diesel pusher to camp in and loved it!

 

[Roader]

On the road I sleep in my 2nd gen Sienna but not in the Summer because it's too hot. I've been toying with somehow installing the smallest window AC unit which draws <500 watts in my van and running it on a 1KW generator. But finding a place to mount it has stymied me.

The Prius has a high voltage, electric AC compressor which runs off the hybrid battery. I'm just wondering if the new Sienna has the same.

 

[circus]

On the road I sleep in my 2nd gen Sienna but not in the Summer because it's too hot. I've been toying with somehow installing the smallest window AC unit which draws <500 watts in my van and running it on a 1KW generator. But finding a place to mount it has stymied me.

Sort of like buying a gas generator to run your electric car
"Typically speaking, for gasoline engines you'll find that per liter of displacement, the engine will burn around 0.08 to 0.1 gallons per hour, fully warmed up, at the factory idle of 650-700rpm. That means for a 2L engine you can expect something like 0.16-0.2 gallons per hour." carfromjapan

 

[Roader]

With the Prius hybrid, the AC compressor runs off the hybrid battery. My guess is that running the engine 10 minutes/hour consumes less than a gallon of gas overnight:

The engine only comes on intermittently to keep the batteries charged. I have used the air conditioner during some very hot and muggy nights. The engine ran about 4 minutes during each 35-minute cycle.

Living Out of a Prius

OTOH, if I could figure out where to mount a window AC unit in my 2nd gen Sienna, the video below shows an 800W generator running a 5000 btu window AC unit. A 1KW Honda generator uses about a gallon of gas in eight hours.

In either case, for me it beats paying $60/night for a cheap motel room 😀

 

[circus]

A 1KW Honda generator uses about a gallon of gas in eight hours.

Idling your van engine uses about two gallons in eight hours. Guess it comes down to if you can set the temperature on your heater controls. Wonder if there's any thing wrong with long idling.

 

[Roader]

The Prius has the best electric generator made. It's fuel efficient, and quiet. Using the AC overnight will use approx. 1/2 gallon. As you know, on a Prius, the AC is electric. So what happens is when you run the AC a night, when you're camping, as the battery gets low the engine will automatically start and run for four minutes, probably two to three times an hour.

 

[TheTruthHurts]

Enjoy that stuff at home, when you go camping keep it simple and enjoy the outdoors. If you need/want all that, get a motorhome, but then it won't be camping.

So thoughtful. Thank you