Prius Camping

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mpruet

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I have a 2020 Prius and just discovered that the 2020 will automatically  turn off if the car has been in ready mode in park for an hour.  This means that you can’t run the heater or AC overnight - which is one of the main draws of Prius camping.
 
You can also run an inverter for AC power. The car engine will start automatically when the main traction battery is running low and charge it back up. So you have AC power for as long as your fuel lasts. I have a 1000w inverter in mine.
 
Not in the 2020.  After 1 hour in ready mode, the car will totally shutdown just as if you had pressed the main switch.  It doesn’t matter if you have an inverter or not.
 
Some people were leaving their Prius in ready mode for too long then made warranty claims. Toyota decides owners need to be protected from themselves, to protect the corporate bottom line.

And you lost a valuable undocumented feature of prior models when used wisely.

I hate when an app on my phone gets updated and it becomes less useful to me.

A rise in demand for pre-2020 Priuses from CRVL'ers?
 
From the owners manual.

Screen Shot 2019-12-26 at 6.39.46 PM.png
 

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"The timer for the automatic hybrid system shut off feature will reset if the brake pedal is depressed or if the shift position is in a position other than P.

After the vehicle is parked, if the door is locked with the door lock switch(P. 183) from the inside or the mechanical key (P. 635) from the outside,the automatic hybrid system shut off feature will be disabled. The timer forthe automatic hybrid system shut off feature will be re-enabled if the driver’sdoor is opened."

To bypass the auto shut off feature:
1. Lock door from inside with door lock switch. (disables the shut off)
 
mpruet said:
Thanks, manually locking the door from the inside did the trick.
WOW!!, That MUST have been a BIG relief to find out that you can keep the car.
 
mpruet said:
I have a 2020 Prius and just discovered that the 2020 will automatically  turn off if the car has been in ready mode in park for an hour.  This means that you can’t run the heater or AC overnight - which is one of the main draws of Prius camping.
You can actually start the car and leave it in Park with the emergency park in place and it will do the start stop for climate control while you sleep. Fyi I went to my dealer and they changed the setting on my key fob so the drivers door does not unlock by touch if the key is in the car.
 
I have a 2013 Prius V. I have camped in it several times. I have darkout material with velcro tabs that fit all the windows. I have a small gas burner and a fairly large refridgerator/freezer that works very well.
 
What did you settle on for a refrigerator/freezer?  Is it one that has both refrigerator and freezer sections or one that is just capable of both temperature ranges?
 
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