Prius for cooling

From more than one source I’ve heard the Prius has a unique ( or nearly so ) feature That you can sleep in summer and the Prius AC will turn on automatically as you sleep

Is this absolutely true?
If I leave this climate control as I sleep and for 4-5 hours in daytime - would there develop an unforeseen mechanical or battery issue?

Simply put: is Prius a car that solves the problem of summer temps in car living
OR are there hidden aspects we should know about?

This is my 12th month as a homeless person

My understanding is you can leave the car on and the climate control set to the temperature you desire and the electric air conditioning will use the main battery to maintain that temperature. The battery will start the gasoline engine when it senses it is getting below a set level of charge which will power the generator until the battery is recharged automatically and shut itself off. Some people complain the starting of the gasoline engine wakes them up seems to be the main complaint. I would assume you would want to change the engine oil on the basis of hours of run time rather than miles as well. The answer is yes it seems. In winter many install a 1,500 watt inverter on the 12 volt small vehicle battery and use a cheap 110 volt ceramic heater on low as it will take much longer to reach the set level the engine automatically turns on to recharge the battery resulting in fewer charging episodes and more uninterrupted sleep as the factory heater relies on running the gasoline engine as the source of heat. So yes even in winter. The charging system on the Prius is comparable to a 2,000 watt Honda generator and people have claimed the Prius is actually more efficient. There are lots of YouTube videos on how to do this with different year model Prius cars.

bullfrog ! said:

My understanding is you can leave the car on and the climate control set to the temperature you desire and the electric air conditioning will use the main battery to maintain that temperature. The battery will start the gasoline engine when it senses it is getting below a set level of charge which will power the generator until the battery is recharged automatically and shut itself off. Some people complain the starting of the gasoline engine wakes them up seems to be the main complaint. I would assume you would want to change the engine oil on the basis of hours of run time rather than miles as well. The answer is yes it seems. In winter many install a 1,500 watt inverter on the 12 volt small vehicle battery and use a cheap 110 volt ceramic heater on low as it will take much longer to reach the set level the engine automatically turns on to recharge the battery resulting in fewer charging episodes and more uninterrupted sleep as the factory heater relies on running the gasoline engine as the source of heat. So yes even in winter. The charging system on the Prius is comparable to a 2,000 watt Honda generator and people have claimed the Prius is actually more efficient. There are lots of YouTube videos on how to do this with different year model Prius cars.

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Mr Bulldog. Nice and useful info thanks
Looks like finding a Prius- is going to be expensive. I’m attached to the reliability of the Camry.
If I’m staying with Camry. ( likely )
I’ve asked this before - I want a mini AC. For four to six hours per day
The sunlight makes car what feels like 30-40 degrees hotter than outside.
A lot of “things “ need to be in place
1. Regular 110-120 AC unit to recharge battery ( if i can park on the property where AC is, all the better )
2. An Inverter
3 an actual low amp AC unit with h2O drainage
4 A serious battery ( lithium - a series of !!)
5 what have. I forgotten ?
Appreciate your desire to help and your knowledge
Thank you

Okay, realize that going this route will have some serious difficulties. First is space, you have to have room to carry a small cheap window unit or an expensive Wave 2 type unit, either way a window, door opening or trunk lid will have to be modified to allow the unit to sit so it can vent the hot air outside. You might be able to remove the back seat and build a panel to mount it so the hot air exhausts into the trunk area and out the open trunk as well. The second problem is power and power storage. Lithium batteries and inverters are not cheap as well as a charger which needs a source of most likely grid power. If you can park somewhere you can plug into grid power just use an extension cord. There has been a lot of improvements in power stations with built in inverters and several charging options like the EcoFlo units as far as adding and using additional units to increase the size of your bank, so if you can afford just a little more initially the EcoFlo units might be cheaper and charge quicker than a custom built power supply using lithium batteries. You still haven’t addressed the power source problem. Without a daily good source of grid power, a generator or a lot of solar panels you still won’t be able to recharge or keep the batteries charged up. Batteries only store power not create it. If you are saying you have access to a 110 volt plug in those times you need to cool the car then a cheap window unit and a way to mount or vent it along with possibly an extension cord is all you need. If no grid power then your next cheapest reliable option is a generator. Solar would most likely need to be portable folding panels as you just don’t have enough room to use rigid panels on the roof most likely and you would have to be where the sun shines most of the time. These options could cost as little as $300 or as much as $4,000. The Prius has everything thing you need built in and is proven to work, it just depends on your location and personal situation as to what you can make work for you.

Thank you thank you.
I may have to move into a place !!
The sunshine is just too too hot inside cars

I would want to make sure there are no exhaust system leaks in the Prius. Even find some kind of hose that could fit over the tail pipe and extend it out another six feet from the car to divert carbon monoxide away while you sleep. With that said you may want to have a carbon monoxide detector inside the car with you. (and make sure of it's dependability) A lot of people with rigs have one or two of these for their safety if they are sleeping with a heater in operation.

Places that sell and install garage doors may offer the type of hose that I speak of. The hose mounts on the door attached to special vents installed in the door. With the garage door closed and the hose placed over the tail pipe the exhaust fumes are vented outdoors. (and a garage like this still needs a carbon monoxide detector/alarm)

There are many they have been long term in a Prius. Some have stuck with them and others went to bigger vehicles.

But I don't ever recall someone going from a Prius to another car of similar size. There are too many benefits.

Cooling
Gas mileage
Using as a generator with an inverter
Handles being stationary and running better than non hybrids
Variety of years and sizes available

If I was going to do a cat, I would start with a hybrid just for those reasons. And spend a little more if in a position to do so to get one.

People worry about the cost of replacement batteries. But the savings you get vs everything you'd need to buy, mount, maintain, to achieve just the cooling would probably come close. So why not have the solution baked in from the start, no pun intended.

The climate control system in a Prius will work in what some call "camper mode" to maintain heat or cold overnight while parked. It does consume gasoline when charging up the batteries, but at least it uses an efficient Atkinson Cycle engine that is designed to generate electricity better than the standard Otto Cycle ICE.
Can't confirm, but I've heard that the new hybrid Toyota Sienna van has the same "camper mode" climate control as the Prius.
The Chrysler Plug-in Hybrid Pacifica has similar climate control, but needs a hack to use in camper mode: https://relentlessoptimizer.com/pacifica/circuit/

Some of that has been discussed in the hybrid section.